Formulating a Future

Lauren Moon in the lab

Lauren Moon is a senior chemistry major who has been conducting undergraduate research with the Berkowitz Group for two years. The lab works at the interface of chemistry and biology—using enzymes for chemical reactions.

Biochemical pathways poster

My work focuses on alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes (ADHs) and using them to set stereocenters via Dynamic Reductive Kinetic Resolution (DYRKR). On two separate projects, I have explored two ADHs with carbonyl-containing substrate classes for the eventual synthesis of drug precursors.

The title of my research is "Harnessing Biology for Smarter Synthesis: Using Enzymes in Asymmetric Organic Synthesis." My time is spent on method development and proof-of-concept rather than making the final drug products since I leave the total synthesis to my colleagues and drug development to other research groups and pharma companies.

Put simply, we are more interested in revolutionizing how small molecules are made than in making them.

Image: Biochemical pathways poster. Understanding how these systems work is what has allowed us to co-opt them in our research.

Sample


Image: Observing NADPH in cuvette using UV lamp and monitoring fluorescing blue light to qualitatively judge the speed at which the fluorescence decreases, directly relating to the enzyme's activity. To use enzymes in reactions, you first have to evaluate how fast they are working and how many are in your sample.

When I first started, I was shadowing a post-doctoral fellow and a grad student, but after getting the hang of the ropes, I was cut loose to work on a project in conjunction with a grad student.

At this point, it became really gratifying because I could provide input on what I thought was interesting and suggest directions for the project.

Later on, my PI had a theory that sparked my interest: a one-pot hybrid catalysis reaction that proceeds sequentially using both enzymes and organometallic catalysts to reach the final product.

The challenge here is that enzymes need water since they come from living systems, but typically, organometallic catalysts do not like water and prefer organic solvents.

We've all heard the saying, "They mix like oil and water," meaning that they don't, and this is true in both a metaphorical and literal sense with these components.

This tricky hybrid catalysis idea became my project and the subject of my undergraduate research poster I gave at the American Chemical Society's (ACS) national meeting in San Francisco in August of 2023.

Taking this challenge on taught me how to work independently by designing experiments and interpreting my results to explore the potential of this hybrid approach.

Once I finish my proposed experiments, I will round it out as an interesting story and write it up in an undergraduate thesis.

Next Stop: PhD

The most direct, non-lab skills benefit of doing undergraduate research is that it has been a springboard to a Ph.D program for me. I knew I was interested in pursuing graduate school early in my college career, but this has been reinforced by my time and experiences in the lab.

Dr. Berkowitz likes to call his students triple threats because we can do pure organic synthesis, enzymology, and analytical chemistry. Having grad students and Dr. Berkowitz as mentors has helped me evaluate what I want from a career in chemistry, and they have had a lot of helpful advice on how to achieve it: vetting my list of potential grad schools, suggesting professors who have research focuses that align with mine, and preparing me for the rigor of a Ph.D program.

I am the first scientist in my family, so having people in my corner cheer me on and tell me what to expect has been reassuring as I've been applying for graduate programs this semester.

Image: Using a micropipette to ensure the enzymatic assay solution is adequately mixed in the cuvette.

Lauren Moon using a micropipette

As I briefly mentioned above, I have had the wonderful opportunity to attend ACS meetings with my group, which has exposed me to unique niches of chemistry and enabled me to network with chemists in academia and industry. Talking to company reps may lead to future internships or post-doc positions.

ACS Denver

Image: ACS group in Denver, CO.

Presenting at the 2023 meeting taught me how to organize information and graphic design when creating my poster. It improved my public speaking and science communication skills as I explained my work and its significance to curious attendees. This highlighted how, without clear and thoughtful communication, your breakthroughs would fall on deaf ears.

Also, because Dr. Berkowitz is an established and well-known member of the international chemistry community, he has introduced me to a plethora of scientists in a wide variety of posts when I tag along with him at national meetings. Just this August, I got to meet Dr. John Babcock, one of the founders of the Warner-Babcock Institute and the proponent of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, who inspired me to be a chemist in the first place!

ACS group in San Francisco

Getting involved in undergraduate research during my first semester not only gave me something to work on that I viewed as having a larger purpose. It also inspired me to pay close attention in class, take advanced courses in chemistry with my graduate students, and challenged me to connect what I was learning in lectures with what I was doing in the lab.

Even though the research is exciting, what has kept me doing undergraduate research all this time is my colleagues. We often have group outings together, like attending department events or just getting lunch, and we show up to support each other outside of work. I would easily say that being involved in this group has made me feel like a part of the chemistry community at UNL, and I'm glad to call them my colleagues and friends.

Image: ACS group in San Francisco, CA.

“Overall, the opportunities offered by the chemistry department at UNL working on these projects as an undergraduate researcher have prepared me for a career in chemistry and allowed me to contribute to scientific knowledge as a budding chemist while also finding a place in the academic community here and nationally.”

Toward a Fulfilling Future

I’d like to thank Dr. Berkowitz and the Berkowitz group for their kindness and patience through my learning process and for being welcoming. I also owe thanks to UNL since, as an R1 research institution and a member of the Big 10 Research Alliance, it has made an experience like this possible.

This experience has been a throughline during my college experience that has shaped me as a researcher, student, and person, and I look forward to striving toward a fulfilling future with these skills and wisdom under my belt.

Lauren Moon

Image: Organic reaction proposed mechanism on the group whiteboard. One of my grad students likes to put these up as a challenge. Another one of my grad students and I had tried to solve it earlier that day. Working on these problems keeps our chemistry skills sharp and fosters collaboration or competition among us while we try to solve them.

Whiteboard with organic reaction proposed mechanism