Department of Chemistry Honors Doctoral Students
Heidi Opdyke
- Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications, MCS
- Email opdyke@andrew.cmu.edu
- Phone 412-268-9982
Congratulations to this year’s Department of Chemistry Graduate Award winners.
Graduate Student Teaching Award 2026
The Graduate Student Teaching Award celebrates teaching assistants who have shown consistent excellence over at least four semesters, with strong teaching in labs or recitations, creative teaching methods and a commitment to inclusive practices.
Mitch Baumer
Mitch Baumer has distinguished himself as an exceptional teaching assistant through his consistent excellence, reliability and unwavering commitment to student learning. Students consistently describe Baumer as one of the best teaching assistants they have encountered at CMU, praising his ability to make challenging material approachable while ensuring that no student gets left behind.
Baumer served as a teaching assistant for 09-331 Modern Analytical Instrumentation in spring 2022 and spring 2023 and 09-107 Honors Chemistry: Fundamentals, Concepts and Applications in fall 2025. Across every course and teaching assignment he has undertaken, Baumer hasdemonstrated the same combination of expertise, preparation,adaptability and genuine care for student success.
Baumer brings deep content knowledge, thoughtful preparation and professionalism when answering questions during recitation, supporting students in office hours or stepping into unexpected teaching situations. Faculty valuehis instructional effectiveness and his ability to step confidently into any classroom and immediately make a positive impact. His record reflects a teaching assistant who has earned the trust and respect of students and colleagues through sustained excellence.
“My only suggestion for Mitch would be to get multiple Mitches. Please clone Mitch so he can TA multiple classes.— Student, 09-107 Honors Chemistry: Fundamentals, Concepts and Applications
Savannah Talledo
Savannah Talledo has made a lasting impact on teaching and learning within the Department of Chemistry through her exceptional work in the classroom and contributions to course development. Students describe Savannah as approachable, patient and deeply supportive, creating learning environments where they feel comfortable asking questions and engaging with challenging material.
Beyond her direct work with students, Talledo played an instrumental role in the development, implementation and refinement of 09-125 The Chemistry of Chocolate, and she has taught 09-106 Modern Chemistry II; 09-107 Honors Chemistry: Fundamentals, Concepts and Applications; and 09-348: Inorganic Chemistry.
Her contributions extended beyond typical responsibilities of a teaching assistant, helping to build a laboratory experience that continues to benefit students while providing a strong foundation for future teaching assistants who will inherit the course. Through her combination of outstanding student support, instructional leadership and commitment to educational innovation, Talledo exemplifies the very best of graduate teaching.
“Savannah is the best TA I ever had at CMU!”— Student, 09-125 The Chemistry of Chocolate (Fall 2024)
Babita Aryal
Babita Aryal’s teaching journey reflects a commitment to growth, adaptability and student success. Initially recognized for her attention to detail and high-quality work as a grader, Aryal transitioned into a direct student-facing laboratory role. Moving from providing individualized written feedback to supporting students with different learning styles required the development of a new set of teaching skills.
Over successive semesters, Aryal taught 09-101 Introduction to Experimental Chemistry; 09-221 Laboratory I: Introduction to Chemical Analysis; and 09-208: Techniques for Organic Synthesis and Analysis. She reflected on feedback, expanded her knowledge of the laboratory curriculum and developed into an effective teaching assistant. Her willingness to accept challenges and continuously improve demonstrates a level of professionalism and dedication. The award recognizes not only the teaching assistant Aryal has become but also her commitment to student learning that fueled her growth as an educator.
“Babita’s willingness to embrace feedback and continuously improve transformed her into an effective and trusted teaching assistant.”— Faculty Observation
En (Jane) Zheng
En (Jane) Zheng has made exceptional contributions to teaching and learning within the Department of Chemistry through her work as a grader. Zheng is a trusted member of the instructional team for 09-105 Modern Chemistry I and 09-221 Laboratory I: Introduction to Chemical Analysis. She provides students with timely and meaningful feedback to help them reflect on their work and improve in subsequent assignments. Zheng later took on the challenge of evaluating laboratory reports, where assessment extends beyond correct answers to scientific reasoning, data interpretation and technical communication.
Across both roles,Zheng demonstrated remarkable fairness, consistency and attention to detail while helping students strengthen their understanding of chemistry and develop as scientific writers. Her professionalism, reliability and commitment to meaningful assessment made her a valued member of the instructional team and highlight the important role that thoughtful feedback plays in student learning and growth.
“Jane quickly showed exceptional consistency, timeliness, and attention to detail in her grading of exams and problem sets. It will be difficult not having her valued help after she graduates!”— Faculty Observation
Graduate Student Mentorship Awards 2026
This award recognizes graduate students who have gone above and beyond in mentoring undergraduate researchers — whether helping students complete research proposals, present at conferences or complete honors theses.
Hunter Wood
Hunter Wood is a fifth year-Ph.D. candidate in the Sydlik group whose mentorship is characterized by a deliberate, patient approach to building independence in every researcher he guides. His work centers on the synthesis of polypeptide and polymer materials for drug adsorption in overdose treatment, and he has actively involved undergraduate researchers across all his projects, with every long-term mentee earning co-authorship on his publications.
Wood is known for teaching frameworks rather than answers — gradually stepping back as mentees grow confident enough to run their own syntheses, craft manuscript figures and present at national conferences. His mentorship extends well beyond the bench, encompassing career guidance, graduate school advising and even clinical shadowing recommendations. One mentee arrived as a pre-med student and is now a Ph.D. student at MIT, while another redirected from medicine toward an M.D./Ph.D.
His advisor, Associate Professor of Chemistry Stefanie Sydlik, highlights his complete mentoring style, noting that his mentees leave not only as skilled researchers but as polished communicators.
One mentee reflected: “His ability to empathize with others allows him to meet people where they are and guide them toward success with compassion and clarity. I truly could not have asked for a better mentor during my undergraduate career.”
Rajdeep (Ron) Sarma
Ron Sarma is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Garcia-Bosch lab with an infectious curiosity and a collaborative spirit. His research focuses on the development of redox-active molecules capable of multi-proton multi-electron transformations, and he has mentored undergraduates across bench synthesis to the cutting edge of computational chemistry.
Recognizing the need for machine learning expertise beyond the lab’s existing capabilities, Sarma took recruited a multidisciplinary team of students from mathematical sciences, electrical and computer engineering, and artificial intelligence, forming and leading an independent sub-lab. The algorithms his team developed now actively guide the lab’s experimental work on PCET thermodynamics.
Sarma’s advisor, Associate Professor of Chemistry Isaac Garcia-Bosch, calls him a “visionary mentor who bridge-builds across disciplines,” noting that Ron has managed his team withvirtually no faculty oversight. What unites Sarma’s mentees across chemistry and computing alike is how he makes them feel, not as students being taught but as genuine collaborators.
One mentee reflected:“From the beginning of our time together, Ron was dead set on having me understand one thing: we are partners in the quest towards higher understanding.”
Jess Vinskus
Jess Vinskus is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Noonan group whose mentorship is distinguished by an ability to meet each student where they are. Their research centers on sustainable polymer systems, including anion-exchange membranes and disulfide-linked polyethylenes prepared via ring-opening metathesis polymerization, and they have mentored undergraduates across multiple projects within this work.
Vinskus is known in the lab for creating an environment where students can build confidence and ask questions. Their impact extends well beyond their own research group, providing peer mentorship to colleagues across the department and serving as senior teaching assistant for Lab 3, the department’s Molecular Design and Synthesis course, where their role has extended to guiding and preparing fellow TAs alongside the undergraduates in their charge.
Associate Department Head and Professor Kevin Noonan notes that Vinskus “embodies all the aspects of being a successful mentor, and they do it effortlessly across all levels of students.”
One undergraduate mentee reflected: “Jess was an incredible mentor that strengthened my passion for chemical synthesis. Beyond being an exceptional mentor and teacher, they also made the lab an enjoyable and collaborative environment to work in.”
Graduate Student Community Impact & Service Award 2026
Medha Gangopadhyay
Medha Gangopadhyay has made an extraordinary impact on the Department of Chemistry and broader scientific community through her commitment to service, leadership and community building.
Gangopadhyay consistently looks for opportunities to strengthen the communities around her whether welcoming prospective students, mentoring newer graduate students, contributing to departmental initiatives or bringing chemistry to students and the public through outreach.
A member of the Graduate Student Advisory Committee and a volunteer with the educational outreach program ChemZone, her service extends well beyond the department through leadership in the ACS CMU Graduate Student Organization and the ACS Pittsburgh Women Chemists Committee, where she has helped create professional development and networking opportunities that connect students and scientists.
Gangopadhyay helps build communities in which others feel welcomed, supported and able to succeed.
“Medha has played a significant part in my experience at Carnegie Mellon, and much of my progress in this program is a direct result of her mentorship.”
