Led by Dr. Soon Mi Lim, REACT gives students the opportunity to learn research trends in chemistry and advanced technical skills through lectures, demonstrations and interactive lab sessions. The program was made possible through outreach funding and resources provided by faculty and research groups in the Department of Chemistry. Dr. Karen Wooley, her research group, and the Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions spent a year preparing the required paperwork, developing science activities, and setting up online platforms — thanks to major contributions from Dr. Sivaranjani Kumar Srinivasan, Justin Smolen, and Anna Cole.
Students began each day with research talks and interactive learning activities led by Dr. Ashlee Jahnke, Dr. Saranya Pullanchery, Mr. Justin Smolen, Dr. Lauren Hagler, Dr. Emily Pentzer and Dr. Arkajit Mandal.
“What is unique about this program is that it gives students real exposure to techniques that most won’t see until college or even graduate school and help them for years to come,” Dr. Lim said.
Throughout the two-week program, students rotated through technical training sessions developed by faculty and research staff:
- Quantitative solution preparation: Dr. Lim and Dr. Wooley’s group
- UV/VIS spectroscopy: Dr. Amrita Chakraborty, Dr. Sivaranjani Kumar Srinivasan, Dr. Edward Lee, and Dr. Pullanchery’s group
- FTIR microplastic analysis: Justin Smolen and Dr. Wooley’s group
- PCR and gel electrophoresis: Dr. Chris Weitzel, Dr. Sungyub Han, and Dr. Abigael Songok
- NMR spectroscopy: Dr. Senthil Kumar Boopathi and Dr. Wooley’s group
- Literature research skills: Lynsey Eames, Texas A&M Librarian
Lim said the ILSQ building provided a safe and efficient setting for the program, with support from the ILSQ team: Dr. Lee, Dr. Wayne Scott, Kelley Brown, Kaitlyn Gonzales and Noah Downey.
Applications for the 2026 REACT @ TAMU Chemistry program will open on January 5, 2026, and interest is expected to be high.
