NSM student Andie Schlather and chemistry professor Rigoberto Advincula.

It took a year before Andie Schlather found a major she liked, but when she finally discovered chemistry, she was hooked.

Schlather, who graduated magna cum laude from UH in December with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, devoted herself to chemistry both inside and outside the classroom. She was president of the UH chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and under her leadership they were among a small number of chapters nationwide recognized as “commendable” by ACS.

In addition to their outreach activities – such as chemistry demonstrations to elementary children and mentoring a high school chemistry club – the group under Schlather was also honored for its environmental initiatives.

She also worked under chemistry professor Rigoberto Advincula where she did research related to synthetic nanoparticles. Schlather plans to continue her research and pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry this fall and hopes to work in alternative energy research. She has already been accepted into the University of Texas, Rice University and other top programs, and is considering her options.

Schlather credits her education at UH and supportive chemistry faculty for preparing her for the rigors of graduate chemistry studies. She counts Advincula and Simon Bott, the ACS faculty advisor, as key mentors.