Chemistry major's work pays off with graduate school admission

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting one of our more engaged students, Ryan Josefsberg. Ryan was a junior majoring in chemistry and president of the Campus Nerds student organization. His leadership skills were evident, and the geometric growth of Nerdacon at Columbus State University has been impressive. I asked Ryan about his academic plans, and he indicated his interest in chemistry research. I suggested he might want to speak with my friend Dr. Paul Neitzel, head of chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. They did. Ryan was very shortly thereafter admitted into the chemistry and biochemistry ten-week research program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. His experiences were extraordinary, only slightly enhanced by the $5,000 in financial support received for his research. Yesterday, I received a note from Ryan indicating he has been admitted into graduate school at Georgia Tech, where he will study inorganic and biochemistry. What was more compelling was, after alerting his parents, his next stop was to see Dr. Floyd Jackson, chair of chemistry and a true mentor to Ryan. Congratulations to Ryan and the faculty for a truly wonderful odyssey.