Chemistry major honored with prestigious American Chemical Society award

Radford University chemistry and geology major James Kreck is the recipient of a student award given annually by the American Chemical Society's (ACS) division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry.

Kreck received the honor at the society’s division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry Spring Meeting and Expo in San Diego, California, in late March. 

Radford Professor of Chemistry Francis Webster nominated Kreck for the award, leading to the senior from Fredericksburg, Virginia, presenting his research at the meeting’s nanomaterials symposium.

The session is “usually reserved for graduate students, postdocs and professors,” Webster explained.

Every year, the ACS gives PUI (primarily undergraduate institutions) awards to undergraduate students whose research contributes to scientific knowledge of chemistry in different categories. Kreck submitted his research on “Preparation of a glycerol-based carbon/cobalt ferrite nanocomposites for the removal of emerging contaminants in aqueous systems.”

Radford University's emphasis on undergraduate research, “and our highly involved chemistry lab classes,” Kreck said, propelled him to a level at which he could compete for the prestigious award and present his research at the ACS meeting.

“Dr. Webster, in particular, offers great opportunities for students to work on applied chemistry projects at a similar caliber to those seen at R1 institutions, using the same techniques and instrumentation,” Kreck said. “He is happy to recruit any student who is enthusiastic about chemistry.”

The Radford chemistry program “makes it possible to work every day of the week in a chemistry lab doing meaningful research,” said Kreck, an enthusiastic chemist, “and it gives students the opportunity to develop their skills to the point of publishing research or presenting at a professional research symposium.”

Kreck is no stranger to presenting his work at major conferences. In the spring of 2024, he spoke about his research at the ACS annual conference in New Orleans.

After graduating from Radford at Spring Commencement 2025, Kreck will continue his education at the University of Arizona, studying methods for extracting copper from chalcopyrite with the university’s Department of Mining and Geological Engineering.

“James has demonstrated exceptional initiative and scientific curiosity, achieving a level of productivity and national recognition rarely seen as an undergraduate,” Webster said. “He exemplifies the best of what undergraduate research can be.”