Undergraduate students at Penn State Brandywine developed an environmentally friendly and easy method to synthesize compounds from plant-derived molecules for potential use in therapeutics. Their work, conducted under the supervision of Penn State Brandywine Assistant Professor of Chemistry Anna Sigmon, was published in a special issue of the journal ACS Omega titled “Undergraduate Research as the Stimulus for Scientific Progress in the U.S.”

Co-author Maria Englert, who graduated from Penn State in 2025, became involved with Sigmon’s research on the recommendation of another mentor and said she learned far more than she expected.

“The more we worked through the reactions and discussed methodologies with each other, the more chemistry felt like an art form—something that requires creativity, intuition and a tenacious approach to problem-solving,” she said. “This experience taught me that progress in research is shaped by collaboration, careful observation and a willingness to rethink your approach.”