News 2018: UMassD undergraduate presents chemistry research before Congress

Junior Diego Javier-Jimenez presented his research on Capitol Hill as part of the annual Posters on the Hill event.

On April 18, Diego Javier-Jimenez, a junior at UMass Dartmouth majoring in chemistry, had the opportunity to present his research on Capitol Hill as part of the annual Posters on the Hill event.

The event is run by the Council on Undergraduate Research, co-sponsored by the American Chemical Society, and serves as a showcase for the research of undergraduate students from across the United States. The event took place at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Javier-Jimenez was one of only 60 students selected to present from more than 400 from across the country.

Javier-Jimenez presented his poster titled “Exploring Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Formation Promoted by Early Transition Metals,” which is based upon his research at UMass Dartmouth to synthesize new metal compounds to function as catalysts. The audience for the presentation included members of congress, and officials from government agencies.

“On my trip to Washington, D.C., I was able to advocate for the importance of funding undergraduate research. I was also excited to meet various members of the American Chemical Society, including UMass Dartmouth alumnus Raymond Garant '85, ACS Director of Public Policy,” Javier-Jimenez said.

For his efforts, Javier-Jimenez also received a certificate of recognition from Senator Elizabeth Warren, where the senior Senator from Massachusetts wrote: “I am pleased to recognize your important scientific research. Your hard work and dedication is an example of Massachusetts students’ many contributions to our scientific community. Congratulations, I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.”

Javier-Jimenez has received awards in support of his research from the UMass Dartmouth Office of Undergraduate Research, the National Science Foundation’s Urban Massachusetts Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and the Northeast Section of the American Chemical Society’s Norris-Richards summer research scholarship.

He will be presenting his research at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston on August 20, where he was selected as one of only 15 students from across the country to participate in the Inorganic Undergraduate Symposium Workshop.

“As a Tier 1 national research university, UMass Dartmouth supports research at all levels, including undergraduate research, offering undergraduates opportunities for in-depth study, new discoveries, and interaction with faculty researchers, as well as assistance in demonstrating their new knowledge and academic skills to external audiences,” said Professor Catherine Villanueva Gardner, Director of UMass Dartmouth’s Office of Undergraduate Research.

“Undergraduate research at UMass Dartmouth has given me the opportunity to develop essential skills needed to work in a laboratory setting. These skills will be essential when I continue my education in graduate school next year,” Javier-Jimenez said.

He plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry after he graduates next spring.

On my trip to Washington, D.C., I was able to advocate for the importance of funding undergraduate research.