About GSSPC
The Graduate Student Symposium Planning Committee (GSSPC) is a group of graduate students responsible for planning a symposium at the American Chemical Society National Meeting. Student groups are chosen from a university to produce quality symposia, co-sponsored by the ACS Division of Chemical Education (CHED), of interest to the chemical community. For more information on GSSPC, please visit the ACS website.
Michigan GSSPC
Allison Roessler, Committee Chair
B.S. Chemistry, Franciscan University of Steubenville (2015) University of Michigan Advisor: Dr. Paul Zimmerman Allison grew up in Northern Kentucky and is currently a fifth-year graduate student at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on developing new computational methods for understanding the underlying perturbations to potential energy surfaces of mechanochemical reactions. Allison currently serves on the organizing committee of CSIE|UM (Chemical Science at the Interface of Education at the University of Michigan), a professional development organization for Ph.D. students pursuing careers in academia, and as a Science Coach for a local grade school. During her two-year tenure as the president of the Chemistry Graduate Student Council, she revitalized the organization's role as liaison between graduate students and the department and now serves as the student representative on the Chemistry Department's Graduate Committee. When she's not in the lab, Allison enjoys judging middle school science fairs, traveling, reading, and hiking. |
Ellen Mulvihill, Speaker Liaison
B.A. Chemistry, University of Chicago (2015) University of Michigan Advisor: Dr. Eitan Geva Ellen is from Glen Ellyn, IL, a western suburb of Chicago, and is a fifth-year at the University of Michigan. She is currently studying the electronically nonadiabatic dynamics via the generalized quantum master equation. At Michigan, Ellen has contributed to improvements of the Chemistry department, currently as co-leader of the graduate student component of the Seminar Committee and a mentor through the Chemistry Mentorship Program and formerly as treasurer of the Chemistry Graduate Student Council and a representative of the graduate student body for the Department’s external review. She has also been involved in education research at Michigan through the Compute-to-Learn and Future Faculty Graduate Student Instructor program. Outside of her cubicle, Ellen enjoys Chicago and Michigan sports, participating in intramurals, art, and playing piano. |
Janelle Kirsch, Logistics
B.S. Chemistry, Hope College (2015) University of Michigan Advisor: Dr. John Wolfe Janelle grew up on her family’s farm outside of Harbor Beach, MI and is currently a fifth-year graduate student at Michigan. She is studying palladium-catalyzed alkene difunctionalization reactions for small molecule synthesis. Recently, she worked with her advisor to develop a research-based Organic II Laboratory, resulting in the synthesis of 24 novel small molecule kinase inhibitor analogs, which was piloted with 32 undergraduate students in January 2018. Janelle is a member of the organizing committee for CSIE|UM and CALC|UM (Chemistry Aligned with Life & Career at the University of Michigan), fundraisers for Relay for Life, and is a two-gallon blood donor. Outside of lab, Janelle enjoys karaoke, college football, and visiting her family. |
Elvin Salerno, Fundraising and Finance
B.S. Chemistry, Wichita State University (2017) University of Michigan Advisor: Dr. Vincent Pecoraro Elvin grew up in Wichita, KS and graduated from Wichita State University. Presently, he is a third-year NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Michigan in the Pecoraro group. His research seeks to elucidate the electronic and magnetic structure of lanthanide metallacrowns and to develop their materials applications. These devices have potential as nanothermometers, quantum bits, and magnetorefrigerants. Elvin recently completed his requirements to achieve candidacy in the doctoral program and is looking forward to having a little more free time to enjoy his hobbies. In his spare time he likes to travel, read, and bike in addition to playing on multiple soccer teams in Ann Arbor. |
Karen Montoya, Marketing
B.S. Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego (2017) University of Michigan Advisor: Dr. Nils Walter Karen is originally from Los Angeles. She studied Biochemistry at UCSD before joining the Nils Walter group at Michigan to focus on single molecule microscopy. She is a Rackham Merit Fellow and is currently investigating a platform that will allow for isolation and detection of miRNA, bypassing current limits of specificity. Karen is the administrative director for Innoworks, a free week-long summer program which encourages socioeconomically disadvantaged students to pursue careers in STEM fields. Outside of her professional activities, she enjoys spending her time running along the Huron, visiting breweries, and cooking with friends. |
Duy-Khoi Dang, ACS Correspondence and Documentation
B.S. Chemistry and Mathematics, Northeastern University (2018) University of Michigan Advisor: Dr. Paul Zimmerman Duy-Khoi (Khoi) is a second-year NSF Graduate Research Fellow originally from Orange County, California with interests in theory and computation. Khoi studied chemistry and mathematics at Northeastern University as an undergraduate where he was president of the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates Chapter. Khoi recently joined the Zimmerman group and his current project is focused on developing computational methods to systematically search for potential energy surface crossings. Khoi is an active member of the Chemistry Graduate Student Council and enjoys martial arts and reading about science history during his free time. |