Western Connecticut State University graduates Patrick Finneran and Thomas Pickel will begin doctoral studies this fall in two of the nation’s top chemistry doctoral programs.
Finneran and Pickel earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in chemistry this May at Western.
Pickel will attend Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. to study for a doctorate in organometallic chemistry.
Pickel began working in the laboratory with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. Nicholas J. Greco.
They conducted research on the synthetic modification of natural DNA as a means to explore DNA activity within biological systems, which has significant applications in the development of drug treatments for viral diseases.
Finneran, of Oakville, will enter Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, to pursue a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics.
Finneran worked with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. J. Helena Prieto in the laboratory on research that focused on the Plasmodium falciparum, one of the most common protozoan parasite transmitters of malaria to humans.
Finneran received the Boehringer Ingelheim Biochemistry Scholarship, the 2014 Western Research Day Provost’s Award in the natural sciences, and a Sigma Xi research award.