Two students in the laboratory of Professor Tran Nguyen have received prestigious awards for work on e-cigarette vaping products. This increasingly popular practice among youth was responsible for a recent epidemic of acute lung damage and remains a serious potential threat to lung health in the future for vapers. Cassandra Padilla won a fellowship from Pfizer to study effects of pH on cannabidiol conversion to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive form) during vaping. Lillian Tran won a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research for her work on vaping chemistry and composition, including characterization of vitamin E acetate and THC reactions and the oxidation of aerosol components.

Students Cassandra Padilla (left) and Lillian Tran (right).