Class of 25 Sam Derning: Cohesive Chemistry Connections

Cohesive Chemistry Connections

Sam Derning ’25 has earned his place in the nation’s top-ranked graduate program for pharmacy — the University of North Carolina. That’s an amazing accomplishment, especially when you consider his relative naivete about in-depth scientific studies when he arrived at Simpson.

“I didn’t have a clue about what research was,” he said. “As a sophomore, I attended an REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) session on campus, where I learned that research is super important for resume building and scientific discovery.”

So, Derning sought out Dr. Derek Lyons ’07, associate professor of chemistry and physics at Simpson, to see if he could get involved in research. His response was an enthusiastic, “yes.”

“What inspired me to take on Sam as a research student was his love for science and his interest in building the community around that,” said Lyons. “We had a senior project running and pulled in Sam to just jump in and be extra hands while getting mentored not just by me, but by the senior-level students.”

Big-Time Research Opportunities

From that moment, Derning was hooked on research and the rest, as they say, is history — or more accurately, science. Dr. Lyons helped Derning secure summer research opportunities at the University of Kansas Medical Center and the University of Colorado Medical Center, while also working side by side with him on multiple projects at Simpson.

Those prestigious experiences focused mainly on research surrounding life sciences, drug metabolism and prevention of overdose, and the like. This year, he continued his longitudinal research at Simpson related to enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs. Also, this year, Derning enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something totally different, a research study he says that was “completely out of my wheelhouse.”

Led by Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Aswati Subramanian, Derning teamed with classmates Layna Depping ’25, Sam Derning ’25, Paul Llamas ’25 and Maddy Streicher ’25 to conduct astrobiology research for NASA, funded by a grant from the space agency. Derning and the others had the rare privilege of collaborating with two NASA scientists in examining how microorganisms called tetrahedra can grow at hyper gravity.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much these experiences have impacted not only my growth as a scientist, but also as a person,” said Derning. “What you face in the lab challenges you both physically and mentally. Being able to get over those hurdles and fight through adversity, I think sophomore Sam would look at me now and be like, ‘Who is this guy?’”

Dream Destination

And it figures to only get better for Derning, when he begins his studies at UNC next fall. His dream is to become a pediatric oncology specialty pharmacist.

“Being a first-generation college student, I never imagined I would be able to attend the #1 pharmacy school in the nation,” said Derning. “It really means the world to me.”

No one is more impressed by his transformation from unsure sophomore to supremely confident Simpson graduate than Dr. Lyons. He’s eagerly anticipating what Derning will accomplish next.

“Sam has found his passion,” said Lyons. “And the community there in the [North Carolina] Research Triangle has everything a scientist would want to grow while doing projects that are going to impact society. So, this is big-time stuff. I’m excited to see where he goes.”