Weinert Lab

Outreach Program Highlighted In Vanguard Magazine

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Created: Thursday, 04 February 2016 10:55

Julia Conneywerdy, a high school student in our lab in 2008, to receive a MS degree from OSU.

Julia Conneywerdy was the first student to participate in our outreach program that is directed toward insipiring Native American students to pursue careers in science or a related field.  In the summer of 2008, after completing her sophomore year at Frontier High School in Red Rock, OK, Julia worked in our laboratory for two weeks synthesizing the digermane Bu^s₃GeGePh₃ that was included in a study of the susbstituent effects on the chemical shift of the resonances in the ⁷³Ge NMR spectra of these materials.  Julia synthesized this compound in two steps and characterized it using NMR (¹H and ¹³C)  and UV/visible spectroscopy.  Her work was included in a publication from our group in Organometallics in 2009 (Organometallics 2009, 28, 3067-3073) on which she was a co-author.  She also compiled and presented a poster on her work at Frontier High School after completing the project (see photo). 

After graduation from high school, Julia attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, OK and received a B.S. Degree in Biology with a Chemistry Minor in December 2014.  She then entered the Accelerated Masters Program in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics here at Oklahoma State and will receive her M.S. Degree in May 2016.  After that, she plans to enroll in a Physicians Assistant Program and work with Indian Health Services after graduation.

In addition to her academic acheivements, Julia played on the Varsity Golf Team at NWOSU and has participated in numerous volunteer and charity activities.  You can read the Vanguard article about her and her participation in our program here.