Meet Dr. Chris Miller, an avid soccer fan currently based in San Francisco and member of the National Younger Chemists Committee. Chris is chair of the YCC’s Governance Interface and Outreach subcommittee and the Division of Professional Relations (PROF) Younger Chemists Subdivision. Chris’s profile is part of “Meet the YCC”, a new series of blog […]
Voices from the YCC
Meet the YCC: Tabbetha Bohac
Meet Dr. Tabbetha Bohac, a senior research analyst at Numerof & Associates Inc. and member of the National Younger Chemists Committee. Tabbetha is also involved in her local section, the St. Louis Section. Tabbetha’s profile is part of “Meet the YCC”, a new series of blog posts highlighting YCC members and associates and what they […]
Meet the YCC: Kayla Kasper
Meet Kayla Kasper, a scientist at Owens Corning in Ohio and member of the National Younger Chemists Committee. Kayla’s profile is the first feature of “Meet the YCC”, a new series of blog posts to highlight YCC members and associates and what they do both in and outside of ACS. Kayla Q. Kasper (she/her/hers) YCC […]
A Younger Chemist’s Guide to Overcoming “Impostor Syndrome”
You’re a first-year graduate student and have gathered in a conference room with your colleagues. As everyone has been asked to present their research, you wait for your turn, feeling queasy and wondering why you’re even there, believing there is no way what you have to say can compare with what your colleagues have presented. […]
5 Important Criteria to Consider when Selecting the Right Biotech Company to Work for
Many sources would agree that the biotech industry is growing rapidly. Biotech had a record-setting year in terms of funding with $7.3 billion, and raised $9.3 billion across 471 deals in 2017, making it the best year out of the last seven[1]. Another indication is the Nasdaq Index of the industry, which jumped more than […]
How to Select the “Right” Graduate Program
General Graduate School Advice When examining potential graduate schools, only consider ones in which there are at least three professors you might like to work with. It is fine to have not settled on an exact research topic, but it is important to have a general idea of what you might like based on previous […]
Two Heads of the Same Coin: Traditional and Non-traditional Science Careers
A few short days into my non-traditional science job, I was sitting in a meeting expecting some continued on-boarding. The goal of the meeting was to continue vetting plans for a new digital tool. A proof-of-concept webpage had already been created and feedback from scientific researchers who tested the site had been returned to the […]
Life’s Not Linear-Switching Graduate Schools
When I was a senior in college the realty of graduation was dawning on me. I knew I wanted to teach at the college/university level, so I would need to go to graduate school. I haphazardly took my GREs and began applying to different schools. I was accepted into a Ph.D. program that was very […]
Curiosity in Chemistry
Finding joy in research is not something that every young scientist experiences in the setting of a chemistry laboratory course or lecture, yet many undergraduates take the next step of their early career by investing the next few years of their life in graduate school. In 1939, Abraham Flexner expressed the importance of spiritual and […]
The Power of Your Network and Tips to Start and Maintain It
“A degree will give you a key, but your network will open the door.” –S.R. What is your biggest asset? Take a moment to think about it. Did you think about your savings account or the house you will one day own? Maybe you thought that you are just starting out and do not really […]
Navigating your professional career with purpose rather than a plan
What do you want to be when you grow up? I’m sure we’ve all been asked that at some point in our lives. The reality is, do we really need to know? Certainly not at age 5. What about age 25? 55? I’ll admit, I’m an overplanner. I pick out my clothes for work the […]
Lab to Office: Advice for Your Professional Transition
Whether you have made up your mind, are curious or just stumbled here, reading this article will provide you with more insight about how to transition from chemistry to business. Once you make that decision to leave lab, prepare yourself for the next steps to ensure an easy and efficient transition. UTILIZE YOUR RESOURCES & […]
Finding and Measuring Success During Your First Year of Graduate School
Transitioning to graduate school can be a really difficult time. You have probably moved to a new city, are in an unfamiliar environment, and must somehow manage to study for classes, prepare lesson plans, and be productive in lab. What does it mean to be successful in your first year, and what can you do […]
Tips and Tricks for Navigating Transitions
Congrats! Your hard work paid off! You’ve just been accepted to grad school. You’ve just been selected for a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship. You’ve just landed your first industrial job. You’ve just been awarded an international travel opportunity. Take some time to celebrate your accomplishment with family, friends, labmates, and pets (not necessarily in that order). […]
Advice on How to Increase Productivity when you are Overwhelmed
Have you ever noticed how your talent to procrastinate increases at the most inopportune time, such as a heightened workload, incoming due dates, and increased responsibilities? Do you suddenly have the urge to clean your house or continuously refresh your email inbox when you have a million things to do? Instead, you are unconsciously engaged […]
Creating International Bonds Through the Catalyst of Conversation
The importance of international collaborations came to me not in the form of chemistry at first, but in the form of a stranger on a bus. I was 16 years old and living in a suburb of Shanghai when a woman sat down next to me. We didn’t have much in common but what she […]
Finding Your Path to Improved Time Management
Time. It is an elusive and fickle beast. We all need more of it, and it never fails that the moment you think you have a breather, you’re sitting in your office at the end of the day, scratching your head and wondering where on earth the hours went. Time management is a surprisingly difficult […]
Leading When You Are the Least Experienced Person in the Room
Many young professionals are asked to assume leadership positions, even when they are one of the least experienced people on the team. This can happen to a new volunteer who thinks they are volunteering to “help” with something and suddenly find themselves in charge, a new faculty member on a college or university committee, a […]
Maintaining that Ph.D. Work/Life Balance: Why it Matters
Let’s face it, grad school can be consuming. You start getting good results and the next thing you know, you’re pulling all-nighters in lab, sleeping on the grotesque sofa in the basement next to the liquid nitrogen fill station, and waking up everyday at 5:30 AM with the fear that the heating elements in your […]