How to Foster Diversity in the Chemical Sciences: Lessons Learned and Taught from the Stories of Recipients of the Stan Israel Award
Activities and Outreach
CMA and Diversity events at Spring 2016 National ACS Meeting San Diego
Events in bold are sponsored or co-sponsored by ACS Committee on Minority Affairs. All other events are our best effort to highlight events that might be of interest to the diversity and inclusion community.
Sunday March 13, 9:30-10:30
Project SEED Open Meeting
Omni San Diego Hotel, Balboa 1
Sunday March 13, 5-7 pm
ACS Diversity Reception
Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Aqua Salon D
Sponsored by the ACS Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board
Sunday March 13, 8-10pm
PRES: My Experience with & Advice for Improving Diversity in Chemistry
Hall D – San Diego Convention Center
Organizers: Debbie Crans, Donna Nelson
Cosponsored by: BIOL, CELL, CHED, CINF, COLL, COMSCI, DAC, GEOC, I&EC, INOR, MEDI, ORGN, PHYS, POLY, PROF and WCC
Monday, March 14, 8:30-11:40 am
PRES: How to Foster Diversity in the chemical Sciences: Lessons Learned & Taught brom the Stories of Recipients of the Staley C. Israel Award
Room 5A – San Diego Convention Center
Organizers: Kishore Bagga, Christopher Hobbs
Presiders: Kishore Bagga, Christopher Hobbs
Cosponsored by: CMA and PROF
Symposium Details
Monday, March 14, 10:30am-12:00pm
Women Chemists of Color Networking Event (ticketed)
Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Aqua Salon A/B
Monday, March 14, 11:30am-1:30pm
CMA Luncheon (ticketed)
Speaker: Dr. Willie E. May Undersecretary for Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Sapphire Ballroom A/B
Monday, March 14, 1:30-4pm
PRES: Diversity Quantification Success?
Room 3 – San Diego Convention Center
Organizers: Debbie Crans, Donna Nelson
Presiders: Elizabeth Nalley
Cosponsored by: BIOL, CELL, CHED, CINF, COLL, COMSCI, DAC, GEOC, I&EC, INOR, MEDI, ORGN, PHYS, POLY, PROF and WCC
Symposium Details
Monday, March 14, 8-10pm
PRES: Sci-Mix
Hall D/E – San Diego Convention Center
Organizers: Debbie Crans, Donna Nelson
Sci-Mix Details
Tuesday March 15, 8:15-11:55am
Successful REU Programs
Mission Hills – Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
Organizers: Linette Watkins
Presiders: Karen Buchmueller
Cosponsored by PROF, CMA, CHED
Celebrating the Success of 20 Years of ACS Scholars
In the September 7, 2015 issue of Chemical & Engineering News (Volume 93 Issue 35, p. 45, ACS Comments), Committee on Minority Affairs Chair Madeleine Jacobs shares her excitement about 20 years of the ACS Scholars Program and the impact it has had on more than 2500 underrepresented minorities pursuing their education in chemistry. Jacobs is also the Honorary Chair of the ACS Scholars 20th Anniversary Appeal, an effort that has raised $1M in donations and pledges this year to support the program.
Madeleine asked many ACS Scholars what they wanted donors to know about the program, and they told her that it…
“Changes lives, one life at a time.
Opens doors.
Provides opportunities, personally and professionally, that would not otherwise have been available.
Gives a competitive advantage by providing meaningful undergraduate research and internships.
Provides mentoring in a way that no other program does.”
Although no longer taking applications for 2015, you can find out more about the ACS Scholars Program for the next round of applications. And your donation to support the program is always welcome. No amount is too small.
Follow this link to read Madeleine’s full article. No log-in required.
Diversity Programs Roadmap
2015 ACS Fall National Meeting, Boston
Sunday, August 16
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Committee on Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) Open Meeting
Boston Sheraton, Commonwealth
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) Open Meeting
Boston Sheraton, Republic B
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) Open Session
Boston Sheraton, Back Bay C
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) Open Meeting
Boston Sheraton, Independence West
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
ACS Diversity Reception – Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Committee on Chemists with Disabilities and the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Boston Sheraton, Independence West
Monday, August 17
7:30 am – 9:00 am
Women Chemist Committee Women (WCC) in the Chemical Enterprise Breakfast
Boston Sheraton, Commonwealth
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Women Chemists of Color (WCOC) Social
Boston Sheraton, Commonwealth
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) & Corporate Associates (CA) Luncheon Honoring ACS Scholars 20th Anniversary (Ticketed Event)
Boston Sheraton, Republic A/B
Tuesday, August 18
7:00 am – 9:30 am
Silver Circle Breakfast (Ticketed Event)
Boston Sheraton, Republic A/B
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
WCC/Eli Lilly Travel Award Poster Session and Reception
Boston Sheraton, Republic A/B
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Women Chemists Committee (WCC) Luncheon (Ticketed Event)
Boston Sheraton, Republic A/B
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Women Chemists Committee (WCC) ‘Just Cocktails’ Reception & Open Meeting
Westin Boston Waterfront, Stone
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Presidential LGBT Reception
Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Plaza Ballroom C
ACS Scholars Program is Rising Stars
The ACS Committee on Minority Affairs is honored to present a symposium dedicated to the ACS Scholars Program. The ACS Scholars Program is celebrating its 20th year anniversary impacting students from underrepresented minority groups.
Event Details:
Back Bay A Sheraton Boston Hotel
Monday, August 17
ACS National Meeting Fall 2015
Rising Stars in Academe: from 8:30am to 11:35am
1. Nicholas D. Ball: Pomona College
Dr. Nicholas Ball is an organic chemist with a B.S. from Macalaster College and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. After completing a post-doctoral appointment at the California Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty at Amherst College in 2013. Nicholas was in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate at Macalaster College from 2001 to 2005. Currently an Assistant Professor in Chemistry at Pomona College, his research with undergraduates focuses on the development of new metal-catalyzed reactions that incorporate greenhouse gases (CO, CO2, SO2, etc.) into organic molecules. The goal is to develop new methodologies to convert pollution into useful organic products.
2. Lesley-Ann Giddings: Middlebury College
Dr. Lesley-Ann Giddings is a natural products chemist with a B.A. from Smith College and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While completing a post-doctoral appointment in the Natural Products Branch of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the National Cancer Institute, she was a visiting professor at Hood College (2012) and Carleton College (2013), where she taught introductory courses in Biology and Chemistry, respectively. Lesley-Ann recently joined the faculty at Middlebury College as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in January 2015. Her research interests lie in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of microbial natural products as well as using microbial cocultivation to produce unique, bioactive metabolites. She is an active member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy as well as the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. Lesley-Ann was in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate at Smith College from 2001 to 2005.
3. Fatima Rivas: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Dr. Fatima Rivas is an organic chemist with a B.S. from California State University Dominguez Hills and a Ph.D. from the University of California San Diego. After completing a post-doctoral appointment at TSRI, she joined the faculty at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2010. Fatima participated in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate from 2000 to 2001.The Rivas research laboratory discovers and uses natural products as chemical probes to identify potential biological targets in drug resistant cancers, particular in glucocorticoid resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We isolate, synthesize, and study naturally occurring molecules that possess unique structural and medicinal properties. Our natural product screening campaigns generate lead matter and useful information against therapeutically relevant, yet challenging, biological targets. Our fundamental goals are the following: (1) identify unique natural products (2) establish synthetic protocols for those molecules (3) evaluate their structure activity relationship, and identify their biological targets. Our natural and synthetic molecules are designed to provide basic mechanistic information regarding their mode of action and eventually progress from hit to lead.
4. Fikile Brushett: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Fikile Brushett is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he presently holds the Raymond A. & Helen E. St. Laurent Career Development Chair. He obtained his B.S.E. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 2010. After completing a postdoctoral appointment at Argonne National Laboratory, he joined the faculty at MIT in 2013. His research group focuses on advancing the science and engineering of electrochemical energy systems with an overarching goal of enabling sustainable technologies. Fikile was in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate from 2002 to 2006.
5. Joshua S. Figueroa: University of California San Diego
Dr. Joshua S. Figueroa is an inorganic chemist with a B.S. from the University of Delaware (2000) and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2005). He was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University from 2005 to 2007. Josh joined the faculty at the University of California, San Diego in 2007 and developed a research program focused on synthetic inorganic and organometallic chemistry, as well as homogeneous catalysis. He was promoted to Associate Professor, with tenure, in 2013. Josh was in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate at the University of Delaware from 1998 to 2000.
Rising Stars in Industry from 1:45pm to 4:50pm
1. Jalonne L. White-Newsome: Director of Federal Policy
Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome is a chemical engineer with a B.S. from Northwestern University. She subsequently earned her M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Southern Methodist University, and her Ph.D. in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2011. Jalonne is currently the Director of Federal Policy for a non-profit, community based organization, WE ACT for Environmental Justice (WE ACT), managing the DC policy office. Jalonne’s expertise is in climate change, public health, and environmental management. Jalonne was in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate from 1995 to 1999.
2. Amber O. Evans: BASF Corporation
Dr. Amber Evans is a Development Scientist in the Care Chemicals business unit of BASF Corporation and is responsible for the development of new technologies for personal care products. Prior to joining BASF in late 2012, Dr. Evans earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with an emphasis on Cosmetic Science from University of Cincinnati. Her dissertation work focused on investigating the interaction between water hardness metals and human hair. Dr. Evans has also worked on multiple projects ranging from upstream research for hair colorants to bioengineering and clinical testing for shave care applications through The Procter & Gamble Company’s internship program. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, where she was an American Chemical Society Scholar from 2004 to 2005. Dr. Evans is an active member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS).
3. Tashica Williams Amirgholizadeh: Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Dr. Amirgholizadeh was an American Chemical Society Scholar from 1996-1998. Dr. Amirgholizadeh received her undergraduate degree in chemistry (A.C.S. certified), with a minor in mathematics, from Baylor University in May 1998. Dr. Amirgholizadeh received her Ph.D. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in June 2004 in the laboratory of Dr. Jacqueline K. Barton. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law in May 2007. From 2007-2013, Dr. Amirgholizadeh was an Associate in the Intellectual Property Law and Patent Litigation group in the Los Angeles office of Sidley Austin LLP. Her practice at the firm primarily focused on patent infringement litigation involving a wide variety of technologies, including biotechnology, medical devices, computer processor architecture, and plasma display panels. Dr. Amirgholizadeh is currently Patent Litigation Counsel for Gilead Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company located in Foster City, California.
4. Antonio Ubiera: GlaxoSmithKline
Antonio R. Ubiera earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University (1999), and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia (2001, 2004). As an undergraduate at NCSU, Antonio was a member of the American Chemical Society Scholars Program from 1995 to 1999. For his doctoral work, advised by Professor Giorgio Carta, Antonio focused on the experimental characterization of industrial ion-exchange chromatography media and on the development of physical and mathematical models to describe diffusion and transport in these types of adsorbents. Antonio is currently Director of Process Technology for BioPharmaceutical Manufacturing Operations at GSK (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania). In this role, he leads a group of scientist and engineers in process transfer, scale-up, manufacturing support, and novel technology introduction for the production of monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutic proteins in clinical development. Prior to joining Manufacturing Operations, Antonio managed a team within the Downstream Process Development group at GSK, where he was responsible for design, optimization, scale-up, and technology transfer of various early and late-stage biopharmaceutical purification processes. Lastly, prior to joining GSK in 2008, Antonio worked in the Process Biochemistry group at MedImmune (Gaithersburg, MD), where he focused on purification process characterization and transfer for monoclonal antibody production.
5. Kimberly Ortiz: Dow Chemical
Kimberly Ortiz is a chemical engineer with a B.S. from Louisiana Tech University. She joined Dow Chemical as a Process Automation Engineer in June 2007. Kimberly was in the American Chemical Society Scholars Program as an undergraduate from 2001 to 2005. She currently serves on the Louisiana Tech University Industrial Advisory Board for Chemical Engineering. As a chemical engineer, Kimberly uses process dynamic knowledge to aid in the design of control system solutions for her clients and is passionate about delivering safety instrumented functions for those systems.
This is a Presidential Event! And you don’t want to miss it!!!
Presenting at ACS Boston? Toot Your Horn!
Are you presenting a poster or talk at the Fall 2015 ACS Meeting in Boston? Follow ChemDiversity on LinkedIn for professional networking, and add a comment the ACS Boston discussion on our LinkedIn page to tell us the title of your presentation and when it will be presented.
Why? We want to promote visibility, facilitate networking with, and celebrate chemists who are underrepresented minorities. And we need your help to do it!
C&E News Cover Story: Willie May is the US Government’s Top Ranking Chemist
Willie May, who served as 1996-1998 Chair of the ACS Committee on Minority Affairs, is now the US Government’s top ranking chemist as Director of National Institute of Standards and Technology. This story is the cover feature in the June 15, 2015 issue of Chemical and Engineering News. Read all about it here. (ACS log in required)
CMA Symposium at the 2015 ACS Northeast Regional Meeting: Legacy of Minority Institutions
Thursday, June 11, 2015
2:00 P.M. – A community-based learning archetype for science: Native American health and medicine
David Hilmey, St. Bonaventure University, Allegany, New York, United States
Abstract:A general education college course was developed and implemented, bringing together Native American leaders, undergraduates, an Iroquois medicine man, high school students, and concepts of chemistry and science. The resulting class was profound in both student and community learning. Science students experienced, firsthand, the teaching of the Seneca Nation of Indians and learned of their traditional medicines and culture. The students then investigated the chemical and biological science in some of the Seneca medicinal sources and presented them to the Seneca community leaders and high school students in Salamanca, NY. The class was envisioned to be a part of the Seneca mission to validate their traditions, but it evolved into something far more profound. The group experienced the Seneca people in a powerful and intense series of events.
2:20 P.M. – Engaging and mentoring STEM-focused students transitioning from tribal colleges to universities
Joslynn Lee, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Med School Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota, United States
Abstract:Native American students who major in STEM-focused fields do not have the same access to advanced courses and research at tribal colleges. Tribal colleges offer AA and AS degrees in generic science fields due to the limitations of coursework. Students transferring from tribal college to universities encounter a different culture when moving to and living on college campuses. Native American students need institutional support, with community events, tutoring services and academic support to succeed. This session will introduce ways that faculty and adminstration can do to interact with students, their local community and home communities.
2:40 P.M. – Beyond Percy Julian: Howard’s chemical history as America’s chemical history
John Harkless, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Abstract:The Department of Chemistry at Howard University is the first program at any Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to award the PhD. In addition to this historical fact, faculty and alumni of the program have been integral contributors to the chemical enterprise in America. From the notable early career of Percy Julian, to the large numbers of alumni over the years with careers in academia, government and the private sector, the story of Howard’s Department of Chemistry is a part a larger national story. It is within this context that this talk and its associated remarks will give an overview of the place of this program in historical and modern times.
3:20 P.M. – A legacy fulfilled: Spelman College’s impact in the chemical sciences
Albert Thompson, Kimberly Jackson, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Abstract:Spelman College has sustained a strong record of educating African American women in the sciences and mathematics who earn the doctorate degree and pursue professional scientific careers. While Spelman is exceptional in carrying out its mission to educate talented women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the national racial disparity among individuals who earn doctoral degrees is stifling — less than 3% of the STEM doctoral degrees awarded each year are to African American women. For almost forty years, the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Spelman College has created an environment that prepares women of African descent to excel in the biomedical and chemical sciences. Spelman has been able to overcome its once marginalized position as an historically Black college and women’s college in the South to become one of this country’s top baccalaureate producers of African American women in STEM. Alumnae have attained more than two hundred PhD degrees in the natural sciences and mathematics, with more than a third in the chemical sciences. The transformation has been dramatic, from an average of one student pursuing a degree in chemistry in the 1970s to an average of 100 students pursuing the degree today. This presentation will highlight the beginnings and successes of a very young department to now being one of the top baccalaureate producers of African Americans who earn PhDs in the chemical sciences.
3:40 P.M. – University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES): Best graduate and undergraduate material research practices to help sustain local rural communities
Deborah Sauder, Victoria Volkis, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Maryland, United States
Abstract:1890 Land-Grant Universities have historically been a key resource for the best scientifically based agricultural and environmental research. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is situated on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a critical rural area, with small farms and underserved farmers. This unique location encourages interactions among University researchers, farmers and local rural communities. Small farms cannot generate enough income from commodity corn and soy crops alone, and need alternatives for extra income. At UMES agricultural, chemical and material research specialists formed a special research and training cluster in which they work jointly on specialty crops and their non-food related applications in the field of material research, as well as environmental and marine projects addressing problems of pollutions and waste in local communities. Examples of such research are: (i) blending natural specialty crops extracts with polymers to develop natural and effective anti-foaling coating to prevent biofilm formation on objects including military ships, platforms etc.; (ii) using biocompatible polymeric chitosan-based blends as sorbents for reversible carbon dioxide capturing and controlled release in algae-growing reactors and in the process of transforming biomass into alcohol by fermentation to increase the effectiveness of biomass use. Only about 20% of students-researchers in the cluster are graduate students and the rest are undergraduates. At UMES, the material cluster focuses on supporting students in performing outstanding research through their undergraduate and graduate education. Working on the material research projects described above, our material cluster has developed some educational practices for effectively involving undergraduate students into research and supporting their interactions with graduate students. The practices include early involvement, development of special workshops and training settings allowing fast project starts, working in small groups lead by more experienced students, picking projects that can be easy divided into small tasks suitable to undergraduate student’s schedules, traveling to conferences and collaboration sites for undergraduate and graduate participants. In this presentation we will review the material research projects conducted by undergraduate students, as mentioned above and will show how our best practices are implemented in each of these projects.
Crossing the Road: Risk and Opportunity – CMA Luncheon @ ACSDenver
The American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs is glad to present Dr. Dorothy Phillips, an ACS Board Member, as the CMA Luncheon Speaker at the 249th ACS National Meeting in Denver, CO.
Dr. Dorothy Phillips will speak about the roads she crossed on her professional and personal journey, always moving forward although not always sure of the outcome. She will talk about the courage that came from her parents, role models, and mentors. Her early education during the 1950s and 60s was in the segregated school system in Nashville, TN. In the 1960s, she crossed a road to help integrate a university. Dr. Phillips will tell her story of being the first African-American woman to achieve an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. Her journey was filled with several unexpected achievements that she will highlight. As a child, she played the game of digging to China; later as an adult she flew to China to do business and give lectures. She will close with an encouraging message for ACS Scholars and other young chemists.
Please join us at the Centennial E Room of the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center on Monday, March 23rd from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased when registering for the meeting. It is event SE07. If you are not registering for the meeting but would like to attend the luncheon, leave us a comment and we will get back to you!
CMA Symposium at the ACS national meeting: Uniting through our Differences for a Brighter Scientific Future
This symposium will demonstrate how faculty, postdocs, and graduate students are working together to promote inclusivity and diversity in the chemical sciences across the United States. The speakers will adress how they are actively increasing the participation of historically underrepresented students in their own laboratories and/or departments. New organizations such as oSTEM and ADSE will be showcased to demonstrate their early successes. An interactive Q & A panel will follow the presentations to facilitate discussion between the audience and speakers based on the topics presented during the symposium. It will take place in Mineral Hall F at the Hyatt Regency Denver convention center on Monday March 23, 2015 8:00am–11:45am.
Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering: A graduate-student centered approach to diversify STEM Charles Frazier, University of California,Santa Barbara
The Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program: Adapting the Meyerhoff Model to UNC-Chapel Hill Joseph L. Templeton, . UNC Chapel Hill
The Future Faculty Workshop Timothy M. Swager, MIT
Peer-Led Activities in STEM based on Values Affirmation Luis M. Campos, Columbia University
I STEM Posse: Recruiting and Retaining Underrepresented Students in the STEM Disciplines Irving R. Epstein, Brandeis Univ
Building a STEM community for the next generation Eric Patridge
The NSF AGEP California Alliance: A Community of Practice to Increase Diversity in the Physical Sciences and Engineering
Robin L. Garrell, University of California, Los Angeles