The Department of Chemistry would like to announce the recipients of the 2021 Spring Mandel Fellowship, an award made possible by a gift established in honor of Dr. Frederick Mandel.
The recipients are:
Apeksha Rajamanthrilage
is a PhD candidate in Prof. Jeffrey N Anker’s group. Her graduate research has been focused on developing X-ray interrogated biomechanical and biochemical sensors for monitoring fracture healing and implant associated infection. She developed a liquid-level gauge with hydromechanical amplification to monitor minute changes in orthopedic plate bending in fracture healing and is working on developing a pH sensor to image implant associated infections via X-ray Excited Luminescence Chemical Imaging (XELCI). Moreover, she is working on developing a lateral flow assay to detect other analytes of interest at the fracture site with XELCI. Before enrolling in Chemistry graduate program at Clemson University, she received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Ebube Oyeka obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Nigeria and Master of Science degrees from University of Nigeria and Tohoku University, Japan. In University of Nigeria, Ebube worked on the synthesis of metal complexes for biological applications, and in Tohoku University, he worked on the design of ternary inorganic oxides such as La-doped SrTiO3 from bimetallic complexes. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Chemistry in Professor Tran’s group and his research is focused on the design and characterization of new materials exhibiting topological magnetic spin textures with potential applications in spintronics technology.
Tatiana Estrada-Mendoza
(Dr. Chumanov’s group). Originally from Ecuador, Tatiana came to Clemson via Louisiana where at McNeese State University she earned her bachelor’s and master’s in chemical and environmental sciences. Her research has varied from natural products to nanoscience. Currently, she is investigating novel synthetic methods for semiconducting nanoparticles. Another highlight of her time at Clemson has been teaching undergraduate labs, mentoring undergraduate researchers and conducting outreach.
Join me in congratulating the awardees, who have achieved an outstanding level of productivity since their arrival to our program. Each of them has earned a fellowship of $4000 that will be added to their stipends. We are thankful for their contribution and we expect that this award contributes to their professional development and success.
