Shikufa Mousavi (Ke Group) was honored with an Outstanding Student Poster Award at the Spring 2025 American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting in San Diego, California.
The award was presented by the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry (COLL) during the division’s luncheon on March 25, 2025. Shikufa received a certificate and an honorarium in recognition of her exceptional research and presentation.
Her poster, titled “Microscale Cross-stacked DNA Brick Crystal Assembly with L-shaped Connectors,” was featured in the symposium on Biomimetic and Bioinspired Design and Assembly of Nanostructures, Materials and Devices. The work highlights innovative approaches to nanoscale assembly using DNA as a programmable material, contributing to the broader field of bioinspired materials science.
Reflecting on the experience, Shikufa shared, “I had a great time and absolutely loved San Diego. I’m glad I explored the city a little bit.” She also noted that attending the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the ACS (SERMACS) previously helped her navigate and enjoy the larger national conference more confidently.
“Shikufa is a brilliant Chemistry PhD candidate whose projects focus on novel nanomaterials made of DNA and proteins,” says Dr. Yonggang Ke. “Her research work on two-dimensional, self-assembled crystals with ‘DNA bricks’ – modular building blocks – improved our knowledge of design DNA-based nanomaterials, and attracted strong interest and praise at the 2025 ACS Spring meeting.”
Congratulations, Shikufa!