VSU Honors Nathan Hart With Outstanding Student in Science and Mathematics Award

VALDOSTA — Nathan Tobias Hart of Valdosta, Georgia, is the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Student in Science and Mathematics Award at Valdosta State University.

“Winning this award is a huge honor for me, as I have seen firsthand the dedication that my graduating peers have shown throughout my four years of college,” he said. “To have won this award shows me all the long nights spent studying have paid off and assures me that I am on the right path.”

The Outstanding Student in Science and Mathematics Award is presented to the College of Science and Mathematics student with a record of academic excellence and distinguished service inside and outside the classroom.

Hart will graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Minor in German during VSU’s 231^st Commencement at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. He will continue his education this fall at the University of Florida, where he will pursue a doctorate in analytical chemistry.

Hart hopes to work in the field of education at the college level or in chemical research at the industrial level. His supportive family includes parents David Hart and Susanne Hart.  

As a student at VSU, Hart was a member of Student Members of the American Chemical Society, where he served as secretary for one year, and the German Club. He also volunteered his time to support the Department of Chemistry’s Science Saturday events.

Hart presented research conducted with Dr. Linda de la Garza, associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. Gopeekrishnan Sreenilayam, assistant professor of chemistry, at VSU’s 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium and at the 2020 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference. He co-published an article in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Chemical Education with de la Garza.

Hart’s commitment to academic, research, and leadership excellence resulted in him earning repeated Dean’s List honors, the Georgia Power Recruitment and Retention Scholarship, the 2020 Department of Chemistry Outstanding Chemistry Senior Award, the 2021 American Institute of Chemists Award, as well as other undergraduate awards. He was named the Spring 2021 President’s Award for Academic Excellence recipient for the College of Science and Mathematics, which is presented to a graduating student with the highest grade point average in each of VSU’s six colleges.