Chloe Fiveash is earning a Baccalaureate of Science in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, as well as a minor in Biology. She is planning to graduate cum laude in June 2025.
Chloe is beginning to explore research options to pursue her interest in Medicinal Chemistry. Her first exposure to the world of research was during the summer of 2022. The research experience was an independent internship characterizing the suitability of fipronil and fipronil sulfone with gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy in field mustard over a five-week growing period. To understand the health impacts of the insecticide, as well as fipronil’s ability to adhere to and be absorbed by field mustard. She ended the summer with her first publication on "The accumulation of fipronil and its degradation products in Brassica rapa” and presented it at the SOU McNair Summer Research Symposium June 21, 2022 - August 10, 2022, SOU Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Summer Research Internship, under the supervision of: Dr. Chris Babayco Assistant Professor of Chemistry. From this research, she was able to receive two publications, and the second publication was extended to determining if field mustard could serve as a method of phytoremediation. “The accumulation of fipronil and its degradation products in Brassica rapa and soil”, McNair Association of Professionals, Summer 2023, Vol. 2.
Chloe’s research experiences have grown into more relevant subjects for her graduate school studies. Her current project is on natural product synthesis. Specifically, the natural product aspernigrin is found in Aspergillus niger and is isolated from Axinella damicornis. It is the target product for its ability to inhibit glutamate excitotoxicity in rat cell cultures. Aspernigrin has two distinct ring structures, and the second ring structure is currently being synthesized from S phenylalanine. Currently, the reactions have included a Claisen-Condensation reaction, N,N- allylation reaction, hydrolysis, formation of an amide, and an alkylation reaction. The synthetic scheme of the final product of aspernigrin is yet to be discovered. She is also working on her third publication for a Hauser-Kraus annulation scheme for the formation of dimethyl-1,4-dihydroxynaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxylate because it serves as a useful project for undergraduate organic chemistry students. This is due to its use of adduct chemistry, Michael addition reactions, and aromatization chemistry via Hauser-Kraus annulations. She hopes that this project will provide synthetic methods for students to broaden their organic chemistry laboratory techniques under mild conditions.
Chloe has spent many hours across Oregon lending a hand in community service activities. Chloe has spent 250 hours during the summer of 2020 volunteering at Mountain View Adult Foster Home as a caregiver. Gaining firsthand knowledge of the administration of medications, and their specific uses. She also has volunteered her time with SOU’s OSPRIG group to assist voters with registration, as well as volunteering her time to clean up her local cemetery. She is also a proud member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars as well as the National Society for Leadership and Success.
She has many awards and accolades for her hard work and dedication to her educational career. Some include being a Goldwater awardee, an Undergraduate Biochemistry awardee, and being on the honor roll. Chloe’s education is being supported by the Barry Goldwater Foundation, Ashland Rotary, Lloyd & Hazel Pennington Memorial Chemistry Scholarship, Churchill Freshman Scholarship, as well as many Pell grants from the state of Oregon, and the Crater Foundation Continuing Education scholarship funded by the Kellogg family and Oslurd family.
After Chloe finishes her Baccalaureate of Science degree in Chemistry with an emphasis on Biochemistry, Chloe will be continuing her education by pursuing a doctoral degree in Medicinal Chemistry. She is excited to explore the synthetic world of pharmaceuticals and to further her research in the biomedical field.
McNair Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ashley Robart, Assistant Professor of Biology
Scholar Curriculum Vitae
