The Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois

A Note from the Head of the Department of Chemistry:

In 1916 in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois a graduate student named St. Elmo Brady became the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. degree in the U.S. He went on to have a very successful career serving several historically black universities and colleges. Years later he said of his time in graduate school: "they began with 20 whites and one other and ended, in 1916 with six whites and one other." Much has changed in the intervening years, but many challenges still exist.

Our leadership role in bringing underrepresented groups into chemistry has continued, and we remain dedicated to achieving a diversified graduate student body while encouraging and advising women and underrepresented groups in all areas of research. For example, in 1993 we started our Merit Workshops for Emerging Scholars in response to the lower retention rate of Latinos, African-Americans, women, and other underrepresented groups. The merit workshops are special discussion sections of undergraduate lectures that utilize the pioneering methods developed by Uri Treisman in the 1980s to create challenging collaborative learning environments where social bonds mutually reinforce problem solving exercises.

Currently, the Department of Chemistry is implementing a multi-tiered teacher-mentor system for the graduate program which is modeled after, and linked to, the Merit Program. Professor Martínez and I are serving as faculty advisors to the program. There are many special programs and resources available at the University of Illinois and more information on these can be found by exploring the links below. If you have questions about any of the programs outlined here, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We are committed to the idea that true gender and racial equality in the field of chemistry will not be achieved until the "pipeline issue" is solved: women and underrepresented minorities must obtain B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the top chemistry programs and in proportion to their representation within the population.

Sincerely,

Steven C. Zimmerman

Below are organizations and programs specifically for underrepresented minorities interested in pursuing a career in chemistry.

Chemistry Merit Program for Emerging Scholars

The Merit Program is a challenging program for a select group of undergraduates. The program targets students with high potential who are members of groups, such as ethnic minorities and women, who tend to be underrepresented in the areas of science, mathematics and engineering. The program also targets students from small high schools. The Merit Program is not a remedial program. To be invited into the program, students must have high academic potential and be committed to excellence. One of our main goals in the Merit Program is to develop a community of scholars among the Merit students. The students in our program work together to solve difficult course problems, develop friendships based on common academic interests, and inspire each other to maintain a high level of commitment to excellence.

Office of Minority Affairs

MERGE - Multi-Cultural Engineering Recruitment for Graduate Education
MERGE brings promising minority engineering and chemistry graduate school prospects to the campus for expense-paid, in-depth view of the outstanding programs and facilities available for graduate study at the University of Illinois, U/C. For information on eligibility, the application procedure, etc., please go to the MERGE web site.

The Committee on Institutional Cooperation provides programs that are of benefit to minority and female students.

SROP (Summer Research Opportunities Program)
A program to interest talented undergraduate minority students in academic careers and to enhance their preparation for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors.

Directory of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE)
The mission of the WISE Directory is to assist colleges, universities and other potential employers in the recruitment of highly educated women in the sciences, engineering and mathematics. Women can be included in the directory if the are Ph.D. candidates and pursuing degrees in the sciences, engineering or mathematics at one of the Big Ten universities or the University of Chicago.

Women in Chemistry Programs
Women in Chemistry (WIC) programs encourage and foster the educational and professional success of women at all levels in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois.

Women Chemists Committee (WCC)
The Women Chemists Committee serves the membership of the American Chemical Society by attracting, developing and promoting women in the chemical sciences.

Women in Mathematics Science and Engineering (WIMSE)
WIMSE is one of the Living/Learning Communities in the University Residence Halls at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

WIMSE provides 135 women majoring in mathematics, science, and engineering curricula with resources, activities, and programs to enhance their academic and social experiences. The goal is to unite classroom and residential experiences to build a positive foundation for a future career.

National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCCHE) was established to maintain and support programs that assist minority scientists in realizing their academic and professional potential. Number of current members.

McNair Scholars
This program encourages talented minority and disadvantaged students to pursue advanced degrees in the sciences through funding their summer research experience.

Graduate College's Educational Equity Programs Office - The mission of the Graduate College Educational Equity Programs Office is to address issues of access to and participation in graduate education by individuals from U.S. populations traditionally underrepresented in graduate study and research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.