Kristen Gardner - Undergraduate Excellence
Kristen Gardner is a senior Chemistry, B.S., major, and Chancel-
lor’s Science Scholar who has been fascinated with chemistry
since high school because it is logical, involves problem-solv-
ing, and, as she puts it, is “a beautiful science that helps explain
how the universe works.” During her first year, the Chancellor’s
Science Scholars program, CSS, helped change her perspec-
tive on how she could pursue chemistry research as a profes-
sion. In her words, “I am passionate about research because it
allows me to apply fundamental concepts to solve problems in
science, and I am fascinated by organic chemistry because it
requires combining fundamentals with my intuition of how mol-
ecules interact with each other to synthesize a completely new
compound.” Kristen is currently applying to Ph.D. programs in
chemistry, where she hopes to develop methodology to create
new synthetic tools for natural product synthesis that will ad-
vance the field of organic chemistry. applies this methodology to a system of palladium pincer com-
plexes to help understand the effect of cations in solution on
olefin isomerization reactions, and is “a good mix of inorganic
synthesis and organometallic catalysis.”
At the start of her sophomore year, Kristen began working in
the Associate Professor Alexander Miller’s research group at
Carolina Chemistry. Research in the Miller lab focuses on or-
ganometallic chemistry relevant to catalysis and energy trans-
formations. The previous semester she took Professor Miller’s
inorganic chemistry class, CHEM 251, and not only did Kristen
enjoy learning about organometallic catalysis, but she also
wanted to obtain skills important in synthetic chemistry. Ac-
cording to Kristen, “over 85% of chemicals produced by indus-
try involve catalysts and because of this, an important goal of
chemists is to create better and more efficient catalysts.” The
Miller Lab specializes in using simple cations to tune the activ-
ity and selectivity of organometallic catalysts. Kristen’s project Asked for his comment, Professor Miller says the following,
“Kristen approaches research with a burst of enthusiasm and
a positive outlook, and this attitude is infectious. Beyond the
lab, Kristen has made a remarkable impact on undergraduate
science at Carolina, from her leadership and mentorship within
the Chancellor’s Science Scholars program to her founding of a
UNC chapter of NOBCCHe.” NOBCCHe is the National Organiza-
tion for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and
Chemical Engineers.
18 | CHEMISTRY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
Kristen counts her time in the Miller Group as both a positive
and rewarding experience. When she started in the lab, she was
given her own complex to synthesize, and from the very begin-
ning, she has always had her own project. Additionally, she has
been “really fortunate to have such a supportive and encour-
aging mentor” in Dr. Miller. “I have a fantastic mentor who has
been patient with me and extremely encouraging during my
time in the lab. Professor Miller is extremely encouraging when
it comes to everything—my research project, program and
scholarship applications, my STEM outreach efforts with the
UNC Chapter of NOBCChE, et cetera” says Kristen.
In October this year, Kristen received a travel award to attend
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| CHEM.UNC.EDU