Degree: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with Specialization in Biochemistry 
Research Professor: Professor Dean Harman

Biography

As a student at the University of Virginia, Andrew Chung started his undergraduate journey attending Professor Walter D. Harman’s morning lecture, Principles of Chemical Structure. Learning from Professor Harman was an edifying experience that allowed for viewing chemistry from different perspectives. Furthermore, one of the biggest lessons taken away from Professor Harman was seeing things from a beginner’s point of view. From how this idea was simply put, Andrew was fascinated with a lifelong pursuit in not only uncovering new mysteries and curiosities but also with learning how to learn and finding ways to convey new ideas for others to better understand how to advance the well-being of those around us today and future generations. As an Echols Scholar, Andrew was invited by Professor Harman to explore organometallic dearomatization agents after finishing his class in first year and discussed potential directions for undergraduate research with Professor Harman, in which Andrew started in his second year at the UVa.

As an undergraduate researcher, Andrew collaborated with Professor Harman and three graduate students with the goal of optimizing features of synthetic pathways of important coordinatively saturated organometallic dearomatization agents using W(I) and Mo(I) transition metal centers. Through his work, Andrew had a full experience of an independent researcher by testing his hypotheses and redesigning experiments. From having a broad coverage of experimenting with different initiatives in the lab, Andrew used this well of experience to discover how to improve the reduction of W(I) and Mo(I) dearomatization agents using a magnesium reducing agent instead of a pyrophoric sodium reducing agent, which presented advantages of a more suitable chemical for both lab and industrial purposes. Working as an independent researcher, Andrew was able to publish his work on a collaborative journal article about the application of magnesium reductions on the second-row d6-transition Mo(I) metal center in ACS Catalysis.

Growing up in Yorktown, Virginia, Andrew developed his aspiration to practice medicine and pursue his interests in chemistry. Andrew was accepted into the University of Virginia’s Echols Scholar program in his senior year at Tabb High School. In addition to his research in the Chemistry Department, Andrew also serves as the head teaching assistant of the Accelerated Organic Chemistry Series at UVa and is a member of Alpha Chi Sigma, the professional co-ed chemistry fraternity at UVa. As part of his undergraduate experience, Andrew has worked as a Team Leader for the Youth Volunteer Corps Hampton Roads’ Summer of Service volunteer programs and as a Child Life Volunteer for patients at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, a regional children’s hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. In his spare time, Andrew loves to stay active and joined the Barbell Club to push himself with new workouts and a great community of fellow exercise enthusiasts. Andrew also has written a draft of a part-autobiographical musical, The Languages of Love, and has performed at open mics as a member of Flux Poetry & Spoken Word at UVa with other peers who share a passion for bringing people together through our greatest tool, communication. As a musician, Andrew also taught himself to play the guitar, learned to sing, and continues to play the piano and trumpet when he can to explore different genres and tastes in music. Andrew is also a member of the UVa Chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the national academic collegiate honor society. Completing his curriculum in the Department of Chemistry at UVa with his Distinguished Majors Program Thesis, Andrew will graduate this spring with a Bachelor’s in Science degree in Chemistry, with a Specialization in Biochemistry and with American Chemical Society Certification.