The Keaffaber Scholar Award recognizes the overall excellence in research and academic scholarship of one of our senior chemistry majors. To be eligible for the award, the undergraduate must be research active within the Department of Chemistry and committed to pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry.
This year, the recipient of the Keaffaber Scholar Award is Caroline Coxwell. Caroline is a senior chemistry major with a minor in communications studies. Caroline decided she wanted a career in chemistry after taking organic chemistry in her sophomore year of college. In the fall of her junior year, Caroline joined Dr. Stephen A. Miller’s research group in polymer chemistry. Her specific project studies the effects of acetalization of polyvinyl alcohol with ketones and aldehydes to increase the functionality and thermal properties of the polymer. Caroline was accepted into the UF’s international REU in France for the summer of 2020 but could not attend due to COVID-19. Beyond academics, Caroline enjoys running stadiums, watching movies, and hanging out with her research group. After she graduates, Caroline plans to pursue a Ph.D in Chemistry with an emphasis on polymer chemistry.