Outcomes of Student Professional Development Experiences

This past week, a crew from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry traveled to Denver, Colorado to attend the 249^th Annual Meeting of the ACS. There were four students (myself included) and three professors who attended the meeting. It presented the unique opportunity to not only hear about the many different projects being carried out in the multifaceted world of chemistry, but also gave us the change share our own research to peers and graduate level chemists.

There were research presentations going on during the day focusing on different research projects. It was interesting to see how many different kinds of research projects there were and how broad a field chemistry really is. Since I hope to one day obtain my PhD, it was motivating to hear about all the different areas of chemistry, and will help me make an informed decision on which field I want to enter. The presentations covered such topics as renewable agricultural and food chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemical technology, catalysis science and technology, chemistry and law, and environmental and geochemistry. In the evenings, there were poster presentations by graduate level chemists. These presentations gave us new ideas and insights into our own projects on campus that will, no doubt, prove useful in our future endeavors.

Poster Presentation

We also had the opportunity to present our current research at the Undergraduate Research Poster Presentation. I presented the research  I conducted at the Cleveland Clinic over this past summer, and it was really interesting to see all the different posters and talk to the other students about their research. It was also good experience for my future in scientific research to present my poster to others. I also had the chance to share with some professors and graduate level chemists, which provided networking opportunities for the future.

From March 21-25^th, 2015, I was given the opportunity to attend the 249^th American Chemical Society National Meeting in Denver, Colorado.  The theme of the meeting was National Resources.

My certification from the poster session, and my American Chemical Society National Meeting I.D. 

Also, throughout the duration of the meeting, I was able to attend several different talks and lectures focused on subjects such as organic chemistry, biotechnology, environmental chemistry, chemistry education, and polymer and colloidal chemistry.  From these talks, I was able to gain insight into what work these different fields of chemistry entail, and new research happening in each field.  Through the lectures and the poster session, I was able to connect with several of the speakers, as well as connect with other undergraduates across the United States.

The representatives from Messiah College’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department under the iconic bear at the Colorado Convention Center.

Messiah students, Lauren Martin, Sarah Zwart, and Anna Love (from left to right), at Denver’s capital building.

I have been involved with research at Messiah since the summer of last year,and as part of this conference I had the privilege of presenting a poster at an undergraduate poster session based on my research.

My poster on “Characterization of Self-Assembling Monolayers on Zinc Selenide” at the undergraduate poster presentation.

Beyond networking, the poster session allowed me to practice the valuable skill of presenting my research to professionals in chemistry.  It also was advantageous because of the valuable insight and suggestions my peers and other professors were able to give me about the work that I had completed.

This year I was able to attend the prestigious American Chemical Society National Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Our first day there was filled with exploring the convention center, and listening to interesting talks given by leading scientists in many different fields of chemistry research. One talk that I found incredibly interesting was discussing different tracers they were using to better identify abnormalities in the brain.

The next day we were able to attend more talks, and I was lucky enough to see one of my professors give a talk to his colleagues. It was interesting to see him in a different context than the classroom. He did a fabulous job giving his talk, and representing Messiah College and what we stand for.

Enjoying the poster presentation with Lauren Martin (’15) and Dr. Anne Reeve!

On the third day the group went to the Expo. The Expo had hundreds of vendors selling the newest instruments and technology in chemistry. There was also lots of free stuff to be had, and we all had a blast seeing the new instruments and  collecting as many free tee shirts as we could. After the Expo it was time to get ready for our post presentation. Lauren Martin and I made our way to our poster spot, and began our afternoon of discussing our research with other scientists. It was a great learning experience, and I enjoyed gaining new ideas from the other students and faculty members.

Our final day was spent listening to more talks, including another one given by our very own Dr. Noble. She gave a great talk discussing the difficulties of teaching Physical Chemistry. That night we were treated to a nice group dinner courtesy of the Chemistry Department. It was great to get to interact with my professors outside of the normal classroom setting.

Overall this trip was incredibly educating for me. Not only was this my first national meeting ever, but also I was also able to present my research there, and learn from the other ACS members. I learned a great deal about cutting edge chemistry listening to the talks, and had a great time getting to know my professors and the other students better.

Phil Roth

The 249^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society was beneficial from both the perspective of a student and as an accepted PhD student. As a student, I was able to listen to various talks on a wide variety of topics in chemistry. Some of these talks covered to topics of biofuels, gas hydrates, and drug discovery. I learned about current information and breakthroughs in chemistry and drug discovery by listening to these talks. Knowing this information is crucial in science and I am expected to understand what other chemists are doing. In the fall, I will be attending school to obtain my PhD in chemistry.

This meeting was advantageous to attend since I was able to listen to the talk of a future professor and interact with professionals who have research interests that align with my own. Presenting my research at this meeting provided me with additional skills to use in the future.  I was required to have extensive knowledge about my research and support my data and reactions to those who questioned it. This experience was a highlight of my chemistry education, and it helped me grow as a future research chemist.