jon young award

OU student Jon Young honored for academics and service
jonyoung
Jon Young at work in the chemistry lab.

For outstanding contributions inside and outside the classroom, OU student Jonathon Young was honored at the December commencement with the 2015 Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award.

 

This year, Young was the top student in Oakland’s Department of Chemistry, demonstrating a strong commitment to academics and service. He coauthored two peer-reviewed papers in 2014 and 2015. As a lead researcher in Dr. Roman Dembinski’s laboratory, he found original ways to carry out certain reactions, which others had reported failed. He is continuing to develop his findings for new and unprecedented chemistry applications.

 

Young presented research at five conferences, including the 2015 National American Chemical Society meeting, which drew more than 12,000 participants. Last year, he received the American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry.

 

While balancing a rigorous academic schedule, Young found time to help other graduate students as a tutor in OU’s Tutoring Center. He was also employed by the Chemistry Department as a teaching assistant, a position usually reserved for graduate students.

 

Honoring a longstanding tradition of student excellence, OU’s Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award was established in 1986. Young was presented with his award at fall commencement this past weekend.