Junior Bryanna Lies selected to attend prestigious fellowship in New York
Bryanna Lies of Jonesboro, a junior chemistry major at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro has been selected for an undergraduate summer fellowship in nuclear and radiochemistry at the prestigious Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island in Upton, N.Y.

Lies is a chemistry major with a math minor and plans to pursue a doctoral degree in nuclear chemistry following completion of her bachelor’s degree at ASU.

Brookhaven is a not-for-profit national science laboratory conducting work for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, applied science and advanced technology with more than 3,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and staff. More than 4,000 guest researchers from around the world visit Brookhaven annually. Six Nobel Prizes have been awarded for discoveries made at Brookhaven.

Each summer, the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the DOE sponsor two summer schools in nuclear and radiochemistry as undergraduate fellowships. One program is offered on the West coast at San Jose State University while the other is offered at Brookhaven on the East coast.

Her research advisor, Dr. Mark Draganjac, professor of chemistry at ASU, recommended her for the summer fellowship.

“Of all of the students who have done research for me, I would rank her in the top one percent. Bryanna is very intelligent and very driven. She is determined to complete her degree and would like to do nuclear chemistry. Bryanna has shown the ability to work independently, and when reactions haven’t worked as described in the literature, she is always thinking of reasons why,” he said.

Admission to the intensive, six-week long summer school fellowship is competitive. According to the ACS, this year, more than 80 qualified applicants applied to the 24 slots available on the West and East coast sites.

Selection into the fellowship is based upon grade point average, research, an essay and letters of recommendation. 

As one of the 12 students selected to Brookhaven, Lies will participate in seminars and labs, guest lectures, and meet and interact with prominent scientists working in nuclear and radiochemistry. Lies will receive a stipend and six hours of college credit in nuclear chemistry with all of her expenses paid. Her fellowship begins June 12 at Brookhaven.

Lies, a 2002 graduate of Jonesboro High School, is the daughter of Vernon and Gail Lies of Jonesboro.    

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