American Chemical Society Chemistry Club at SHU Goes Virtual  

ACS officers holding up their recent awards. From left to right: Ruby Pasupuleti (Event Coordinator) Dr. Cosimo Antonacci (Advisor).

Seton Hall's American Chemical Society has received "Honorable Mention" several years running as one of the top student-run chapters in the country. In support of upcoming events, the ACS at SHU was recently awarded a generous grant from the American Chemical Society National Organization to fund its virtual meetings and activities.

Ashley Robert (Chemistry, B.S.) at the Virtual Periodic Table Brownies event, September 2020.

During the past several months the ACS Student Affiliate Chapter had to inevitably place many events on hold. However, the organization is eager to provide an innovative and collaborative learning environment for the students of SHU interested in chemistry in a virtual setting. Throughout the years, Seton Hall's ACS Chemistry Club has shed a light on opportunities and events available to the university's scientifically inclined community. Despite the recent roadblocks endured because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACS has adjusted to remain interactive with its members through virtual meetings. For the Fall 2020 semester, the society is offering creative ways for students to stay involved virtually such as making periodic table brownies, celebrating National Chemistry Week with slime, and taking a virtual tour of a local brewery. The group is also holding online chemistry tutoring sessions, as well as research and internship workshops. "These virtual events provide members with a surprising number of opportunities to gain experience and network through a laptop," said ACS President Anne Pino (Chemistry, minor).

2020 Project SEED Virtual Bootcamp run by SHU graduate student Jason Saway (middle left) of the Badillo Lab.

In the past, the organization hosted a plethora of activities on campus such as ornament decorating, fundraisers such as bake sales and the selling of plants in biodegradable pots, in-person research workshops, and information panels from alumni and industry representatives such as the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. The club has also strived to aid in community volunteer efforts to educate local youth on STEM topics, and it ran a successful blood drive this past February. Also, the SHU ACS rose above other NJ universities such as NJIT, Stevens, and Princeton at the 2019 ChemExpo held at the Liberty Science Center, taking first place in a competition to engage K-12 students in STEM. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic over ten students missed an opportunity to represent Seton Hall at the ACS Spring National meeting in March. Students interested in more information should contact [email protected] to speak to an ACS executive board member.

SHU has been hosting the annual ACS Project SEED Symposium on campus for over 20 years. Bringing to campus over 75 high school students from a variety of NJ/NY area universities including Rutgers, Montclair State, William Patterson, and many others (overall over 19 schools are represented). The mission of the ACS Project SEED is to facilitate quality research experiences for local High School students. Since on-campus programs were shut down in the summer of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NJ ACS Project SEED quickly launched the Virtual Summer Bootcamp. This year's program was focused on helping high school students prepare for the college application process. Students created resumes, personal statements, and talked about what to look for when choosing the right college. "Some of the students were first-generation students, so some of the questions they asked were similar to the ones I had when I was applying, and hearing my experiences helped them realize that they are not alone during this process," Said: ACS SEED Cabin Leader, Jason Saway (graduate student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry).

Categories: Education, Science and Technology