An ISU graduate student has been chosen to represent the university at a convention featuring the top scientists in the world.

Deborah Zorn, graduate student in chemistry and researcher at Ames Lab, is one of 25 American researchers selected to attend the 54th International Convention of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany.

Zorn was chosen based on overall merit in academic performance and contributions in scientific research. She will spend a week meeting with Nobel laureates and many university students from around the world.

“Deb is very innovative in her research,” said Mark Gordon, distinguished professor of chemistry and applied mechanics researcher at Ames Lab. “Unlike some students who need their hands held every step of the way, she dives right in and is very creative on her own.”

Zorn researches theoretical and computational chemistry. One of her projects with Ames Lab involves using quantum mechanics to study the behaviors of certain metals on a silicon surface. This may lead to the development of atomic wires one atom wide for nanotechnology applications.

In another project, she’s creating and using computation models that will simplify the process of identifying the properties of new materials being developed for catalytic systems.

“Due to [this type of] calculational chemistry, I’ve been able to see the world turn around,” said Thomas Barton, director of Ames Lab. “When I was a grad student, it was not up to that level. Now we rely on theoretical chemistry to direct our experiments.”

Zorn is not a traditional chemist. She insists that, despite stereotypes about her profession, she doesn’t run around a lab holding Erlenmeyer flasks filled with neon-colored liquids.

“Everything we do is completely computational, so we don’t sit in a lab mixing chemicals,” she said.

“There aren’t any white coats or goggles in our lab.”

Although research is her passion, Zorn is also an accomplished golfer and was an NCAA Division III All-American and Academic All-American athlete at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake.

She said her problem-solving skills work the same on the fairways as they do in the lab.

“When I played golf, it was all about problem solving,” she said. “You have to constantly make decisions and break down the problems until they are similar to something I’ve seen before.”

Meeting the Nobel laureates is an exclusive event. Each university president in the United States nominates only one person, Gordon said. From those nominations, only 25 from the United States are chosen to attend.

Zorn expects meeting with the top scientists in their field will give her a greater understanding of what she wants to do with her life.

“I’m hoping to gain a broadening of my horizons,” she said. “Although [the conference] is on physics, and I’m a chemist, I’m hoping to learn new things from legends in the field.”