The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry would like to express its congratulations to our very own Professor Heather C. Allen, who was named as the 2017 Saddleback College Alumna of the Year! Originally from Southern California, Dr. Allen attended Saddleback College from 1989-1992, where she began undergraduate science and general education coursework before transferring to the University of California, Irvine in 1992. While in her second year at Saddleback College, Dr. Allen focused mainly on science related fields, deciding on chemistry as her major, and ultimately winning a Saddleback College Science Scholarship Award in order to continue her academic journey towards a chemistry degree.  Dr. Allen says that the time she spent at Saddleback College, and the inspiring professors she worked with, all help to lay the groundwork for her future scientific success.

After completing her B.S. in 1993, Dr. Allen then went on to receive her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 1997 at the University of California Irvine. While there she was able to work with notable professors such as Nobel Laureate F. S. Rowland, Professors D. Blake, J. Hemminger, and B. Finlayson-Pitts. Starting in 1997, Dr. Allen spent her postdoctoral studies at the University of Oregon where she was advised by Professor G. L. Richmond. As a dedicated student and postdoc researcher, Dr. Allen was made the recipient of many more awards following the Saddleback Science Scholarship such as the Fannie and John Hertz Fellowship, EPA, NSF Traineeship, and a NO A Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Climate and Global Change.

Since she began teaching at The Ohio State University in 2000, Dr. Allen has continued to be recognized for a slew of research and mentoring awards as well. They include, but are not limited to, the Research Innovation Award from Research Corp., NSF CAREER Award, Beckman Young Investigator Award, Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow Award, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Ohio State Office of Minority Affairs Mentor Award, and the American Chemical Society National Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences. With all of her great achievements, Dr. Allen seems like the obvious choice for Alumna of the Year. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Allen once again!