The South Alabama chapter of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was recognized as the 2024 Outstanding Chapter at #DiscoverBMB, organization’s annual conference. The conference took place March 23-26 in San Antonio, Texas.
As of April 2024, there are over 120 active ASBMB chapters in the United States. South’s ASBMB chapter was founded in Spring 2022 with seven members. The club has since grown to over 50 members.
According to the award announcement, South Alabama’s chapter was chosen due to its “leadership in biochemistry and molecular biology educational activities, exceptional commitment to increasing public awareness of science, collaboration with other campus activities and events and participation in regional and national meetings.”
The award itself is based on club activities completed during the previous year, and according to club officers Cheyenne Strickland and Kyle Gaviria, USA ASBMB had plenty under their belt.
“One of my favorite projects I was a part of that played a role in the earning of the Outstanding Student Chapter Award was our outreach event to St. Luke’s Episcopal High School,” Strickland said. “I and three other officers reached out to St. Luke’s and asked if we could come and show a presentation about undergraduate research. Not only did we share with the students all the benefits gained from participating in research, but we even did a fun game with them where they grew their own bacterial cultures.”
The organization’s main goal is to provide a medium for undergraduate students interested in research to meet and interact with potential mentors. Most meetings have a guest speaker who is a professor looking for undergraduates to work in their lab. ASBMB also hosts workshops to help refine applications for students seeking research opportunities, and there is an internal scholarship opportunity that is meant to help young researchers fund their projects.
“When [our club president] told us that we had won the award, we were ecstatic,” Gaviria said. “It’s a tremendous honor to receive national recognition for the club’s efforts.”
“One experience that stands out to me is our tour of the Mitchell Cancer Institute research labs,” Gaviria said. “The faculty went above and beyond for us, [and] the tour reminded me how amazing it is to be a part of this field.”
At the conference, Club President Connor Holm and Club Vice President Anita Nguyen were inducted into ASBMB’s Chi Omega Lambda Honor Society, two of 31 students nationwide to earn this recognition this year.
The members of ASBMB have accomplished a great deal within the last year, and in staying devoted to a mission larger than themselves, the group is setting up for success for years to come.
See also: Undergraduate Researchers Honored at National Conference
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