
Sam Prakel
Majors: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Hometown: Versailles, Ohio
Class: 2018
Reflecting on his decision to become a Duck, Sam says he fell in love with Eugene and the campus. Clark Honors College was a huge factor, as well as his belief that he could “write his own story” with the UO track team. His honors thesis—new chemical tools to detect hydrogen sulfide in the human body—passed with distinction, the highest honor possible. He envisions medical school in his future, but his current focus is running professionally.
Geri Richmond
Presidential Chair, Professor of Chemistry
National Medal of Science, Linus Pauling Legacy Award, Priestley Medal of the American Chemical Society—you’d be hard-pressed to find a scientist more decorated than Geri working with undergraduates. Because she’s passionate about helping students fall in love with science, she makes time in her busy schedule to lead two programs for undergraduate researchers.