Our Alums!
Terdha Narla
Hi. My name is Terdha. I was a pharmacology master’s student and was part of the Ou lab from 2022- 2024. During this time, I worked on three different projects where I developed electrochemical tools for in vitro sensing of tryptophan, copper, and short-chain fatty acids. This work led to co-authorship on two articles which are published in RSC Advances. The Ou lab was extremely supportive in all my research endeavors and helped me in building my capabilities. I am grateful to have received mentorship, guidance, and professional development opportunities from Dr. Ou and to have been part of her group. I am currently working as a laboratory technician in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Utah, and I plan to pursue doctoral studies in the future.
Nikki Villarini
Hi! I'm Nikki, and I graduated from UVM in the spring of 2023 with a B.S. in chemistry. I worked in the OU lab from 2022-2024, initially as an undergraduate research assistant and later as a laboratory technician. During my time in the OU lab, I worked on a project that integrated molecularly imprinted polymers with CFMs for the selective detection of met-enkephalin using FSCV. Our work on MIPs has recently been published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces! Currently, I’m pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at Colorado State University, where I will continue to explore the field of analytical chemistry. I am forever grateful for the friends that I made and the opportunities that I received during my time in the OU lab!
Isabella Schapira
My name is Isabella Schapira I was a chemistry major who worked in the lab from 2021-2023. I worked on developing a method to measure tryptophan using FSCV and CFMs and I’m super proud that my work on this project recently got published! After graduating from UVM, I got a position as a QC Analytical lab technician with Bausch and Lomb. I’m super grateful for my time in the OU lab and I’m excited to continue my career in analytical chemistry.
Haruka Kaiwa
Hi, I’m Haruka Kaiwa from Sendai, Japan. I’m a 2nd year master student at Yamagata University Yoshida lab(Yamagata, Japan). I worked on "Synthesis and Evaluation of Organic catalysts and Redox molecules for Power Conversion and Storage" in Japan. I collaborated from Oct. to Dec. 2022 to study the optimal conditions for measurements of melatonin at OU lab. After graduate Yamagata University, I will work as a researcher for Nippon Paper group in Japan. Vermont is the first time I have lived in the U.S.. I have climbed mountains 3 times in Vermont and love Vermont's nature and people. My hobbies are traveling, playing sports and taking pictures.
Nathan Robins
Nate worked in our lab as a lab tech from Jan 2021 - Dec 2021 and was instrumental in getting the lab started. He built many of the instruments that we use daily and has trained many of the students who are currently in the lab. While he was here, he loved skiing and hanging out with friends in VT. He has made numerous friends in the department and is universally adored. He has since returned to the UK, where he is currently studying as an MD student at King’s College.
Megan Lynch
Megan majored in neuroscience and minored in chemistry at UVM and graduated in Dec 2021. She was the first student to join the lab and worked diligently on separation of short chain fatty acids on GC-FID. She fearlessly worked on the project even though it was completely out of her field. She is now working as a medical assistant in Boston and is preparing for medical school.