Chemistry undergraduate Yining Yang wins 2015 SAB Miller prize

Chemistry undergraduate Yining Yang has been awarded a 2015 SAB Miller prize, for achieving overall first place in her second-year Part IA exams. This was the latest in a series of achievements for Yining, who has previously picked up a 2014 Bruker Prize for achieving overall first place in her first-year preliminary exams, and the 2014 Wiley Prize and 2015 Turbutt Prize for her practical work in the laboratory.

Yining expressed her surprise and delight at receiving the award, and her gratitude both to her tutors and to her peers, saying, "I could not have achieved any of this without help from all of them."

She continued:

"The most amazing thing about studying in Merton is its academic vibe, and a strong desire to achieve excellence.

"In Merton, our tutors encouraged us to think independently and creatively, not restricting ourselves to just the syllabus. The greater extent of exposure gives us a better foundation in subsequent topics.

"Chemistry is, in general, a fact-based subject. Therefore practice is an essential part in the learning process, but it can easily become quite tedious. The tutors are incredibly patient with us, especially towards the end of Trinity term, when we usually discuss two or three past-year papers each week."

Regarding her future aspirations, she says:

"I have not ventured enough in different fields of chemistry, and I am open to a number of possible pathways in careers as chemists, but organic chemistry is why I chose to study chemistry in the first place. I hope I could work in the fields of pharmaceutical development, particularly in research. I am still unsure where I would go after graduation, just because there are so many possibilities, but I will welcome all of them with open arms."