Two ChemBE Hopkins students, Derek van Dyke and Philippe Baron have won ARCS Foundation Metropolitan Washington Chapter (MWC) Scholar awards for 2021 for their contributions to advance science. ARCS/MWC supports five top area universities: JHU, GW, Georgetown, U. Va and U.MD. They have provided over $7.6 million in over 600 Scholar awards since their founding.
Derek van Dyke was named as an ARCS/MWC PhD Scholar. His Ph.D. research in the Spangler lab focuses on combining structural biophysics, molecular engineering, and translational immunology to engineer antibodies that can be used as targeted therapeutics. His current focus is on the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis. This research has broad translational impacts and aims to overcome the drawbacks of current therapies and significantly improve quality of life for patients.
Philippe Baron was named as an ARCS/MWC UG Scholar. His undergraduate research in the Bevan lab focuses on understanding how to form highly ordered nanostructures without any topological defects. The goal is to produce photonic materials that can interact with light in a controlled way. This ability makes them useful in many products, e.g., improving solar cells that will help combat climate change, or developing color-changing consumer products such as coatings.