Grad Students plan ACS Seminar

2016-02-25

Writer(s): Steve Scherer

For six Purdue Chemistry graduate students, more than a year of planning will culminate at the upcoming 251st American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting.

The Graduate Student Symposium Planning Committee (GSSPC) has organized a symposium on advances in molecular imaging and the group is ready to travel to the San Diego conference and execute their seminar.

“We have been sorting out all the logistics of the symposium, working closely with the ACS Division of Chemical Education, including making travel arrangements, designing programs, submitting speaker abstracts, and arranging food and networking sessions,” said Carly Schnoebelen, a graduate student in Professor Christine Hrycyna’s research group.

The symposium, “Resolving the Big Picture; Bringing Molecules into Focus,” will feature eight speakers including 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Roger Y. Tsien, and Purdue faculty members R. Graham Cooks and Ji-Xin Cheng.

“In November 2014, we went through an application process where we submitted a symposium proposal,  while also providing a mission statement and our resumes. This application was then reviewed by the current GSSPC at the time (Notre Dame) and they selected us as the next committee,” said Anthony Tomaine, a graduate student in Professor Arun Ghosh’s research group.

The Purdue group observed Notre Dame University  as it executed its GSSPC at the March 2015 ACS meeting, and since then has met weekly, starting with drafting a budget and searching out funding sources including ACS divisions, corporations, Purdue alumni, and grants.

“I have learned a lot about how to plan and coordinate an event like this symposium, especially the process of applying for and obtaining funding. Being a member of the GSSPC has also allowed me to expand my professional network, both at Purdue and within the ACS,” explained Schnoebelen.

“I expect that we are able to execute our symposium as smoothly as possible. I also hope that various individuals take the opportunity to enjoy our symposium, as I know that is something we will be doing,” added Tomaine.

Group photo L to R: Kristen Gettys, Anthony Tomaine, Heather Schoonover, Susannah Cox, Carly Schnoebelen, Stephen Ayrton.