ACS Scholars |
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Shaymus Hudson is a self-proclaimed
science nerd. Growing up, he watched “Bill Nye the Science
Guy” on television. He studied math and science at a Governor’s
School for Science and Technology in rural Virginia, and
did a science project at a local community college during
his junior year of high school. When it was time for him
to apply to college, he applied to a variety of science
and technology schools, including Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and Rochester Institute of Technology. Although
he applied to MIT, it seemed like a stretch, both geographically
and financially. Then he received a scholarship from the
American Chemical Society through the ACS Scholars program,
which helped him join the MIT class of 2012. “I’m very,
very grateful to the American Chemical Society,” Mr. Hudson
said. “Every little bit helps.” |
Many of the Scholars interviewed
agreed with Mr. Hudson that the ACS Scholars program helped
them attend a university that would have been otherwise
inaccessible. Merricka Livingstone was planning on attending
the University of Florida. Alden Williams thought she would
go to Columbia University. Thanks in part to the ACS
Scholars program, both of them are currently freshmen at MIT. “I really appreciate
being here, and the opportunities I have,” Ms.Williams said. |
Program Structure
The ACS Scholars program was established in 1995 to provide
scholarships to college students from historically under-represented
minority groups. “The goal is to have the students enter
the chemical sciences, and to change the face of a field
that historically has been dominated by white males,” said
Mr. Robert Hughes, manager of the ACS Scholars program
since 1998. |
| Each year the program receives
approximately 600 scholarship applications, from which 100-120
scholarships are awarded. The 20 members of the selection
committee award the scholarships based solely on academic
merit, with awards ranging from $1,000-$5,000 per year. Students,
who are selected either during their senior year of high
school or during college, major in a chemistry-related field
– for example, chemistry, chemical engineering or biochemistry. |
Funding Sources
The majority of the funding for the ACS Scholars program
comes from the ACS itself, although some corporate and
private donors contribute. More recently, the current economic
climate has made it difficult to attract potential donors.
Because the ACS covers all administrative and overhead
costs, all donations are used directly for student scholarships. |
Mentoring
Mr. Hughes partners with mentoring consultant Ms. Zaida Morales-Martinez,
emeriti professors at Florida International University,
to identify mentors for the program participants. “I look
for people who have the three C’s – committed, caring,
and concerned,” said Ms. Morales-Martinez, or “Mama Z,”
as she is known to program
participants. “I am like a mother to the students,” Ms. Morales-Martinez
said. “Sometimes my own kids get jealous.” |
| Ms. Morales-Martinez is extraordinarily
successful in finding mentors for the Scholars by the time
they graduate from college. Of the Scholars who graduated
in 2008, for example, 91% had mentors by the time of graduation.
Most of the mentors are faculty members at the Scholar’s
college, although there are some corporate mentors as well.
“The mentors are not necessarily from under-represented groups.”
She believes that “You don’t have to be a minority to mentor
a minority.” |
Follow-up
A key component of the Scholars program is the detailed set
of records Mr. Hughes maintains on all alumni of the Scholars
program. Currently, Mr. Hughes has information on 89% of
the program alumni. Of the approximately 2,200 alumni,
70 have received Ph.D.s in chemistry-related fields, and
an additional 180 students are enrolled in Ph.D.-granting
programs. Dr. Robert Lichter, of Merrimack Consultants,
LLC, who has been heavily involved in the ACS Scholars
program since its inception, reported that 9 alumni are
currently faculty members in the chemical sciences. This
detailed information allows Mr. Hughes and Ms. Morales-Martinez
to facilitate networking and communication between current
and former ACS Scholars. |
Event Planning
There is a limited amount of formal programming for ACS Scholars,
although the Scholars are invited to attend national ACS
meetings. The program provides the Scholars with a free
first-year membership in the ACS, which includes a subscription
to Chemical and Engineering News. Several of the ACS Scholars
talked about how interesting they find the publication.
“I read it,” said Ms. Williams, “and it’s so much fun.”
Dr. Harry Bermudez, assistant professor of chemical engineering
at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and alumnus
of the ACS Scholars program, spoke about the advantages
of being a member of the ACS. “There were a bunch of doors
that opened just by being a member of ACS,” Dr. Bermudez
said. “It got me on the road to thinking about research
opportunities.” |
All of the local ACS Scholars
interviewed attended the NESACS-NIBR Town Hall Forum entitled,
“The Prospects for Chemistry in the Future U.S. Economy,”
on February 18th. For the college freshmen, it was their
first experience at a local ACS event. Nathan Nakatsuka,
Harvard class of 2012, has had more opportunities to interact
with the local ACS section during his almost two years
as an ACS Scholar. “The Northeastern Section of ACS is
amazing,” Mr. Nakatsuka said. “The ACS Scholars program
gives us lots of opportunities.” |
| Many ACS Scholars expressed an
interest in more programming and networking events. “I would
be interested in having people from companies come and talk
about what they do,” said Ms. Livingstone. “Talking to people
in graduate school would be helpful. So would a mixer with
local ACS Scholars.” |
Anniversary Celebration
The ACS Scholars program will mark its 15-year anniversary
in 2010. There will be anniversary events at both the spring
ACS meeting in San Francisco and the fall ACS meeting in
Boston. A technical symposium in San Francisco will include
scientific presentations by alumni and current participants
of the ACS Scholars program. In Boston, there will be a
symposium that focuses on the success of the ACS Scholars
program. |
Future Directions
The ACS Scholars program had hoped to double the number of
participants over the next five years, explained Dr. Hughes,
but that plan was derailed by the difficult economic climate.
“Right now the goal is just to maintain current participation,”
said Mr. Hughes.
“Hopefully, as the economy improves, we can reevaluate things.” |
Dr. Bermudez is hoping to implement
a research component to the program. “Now that I’m in a faculty
position, I have the resources to open doors in my own research
laboratories,” said Dr. Bermudez, “and to invite ACS Scholars
and other minority students.” “There is a long way to go
until minority groups are adequately represented,”
Dr. Bermudez said. “Until the time that ACS decides that
we’ve done all that we can do, there will continue to be
a need for the Scholars program.” |
| Download this article [PDF] |
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Applications Open for ACS Scholars |
| The ACS Scholars Program is now accepting online applications
for awards beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year. The
program is targeted at minority groups considered by NSF
to be underrepresented in the sciences. It is open to graduating
high school seniors, college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors
majoring in a chemical science. |
| Go to
<www.acs.org/scholars> for complete
information and the link to the application. |
| Potential applicants can also call 202-872-6250 or send
an email to scholars@acs.org. |
| The application deadline is March 1, 2013. |
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