▸ Applications open for SCI Scholars Program
CREDIT: CHRISTINE SCHMIDT (HINKS); LINDA WANG/C&EN (FACULTY WORKSHOP)
The SCI Scholars Program is accepting applications for its 10-week industrial internships. The SCI Scholars Summer Internship Program was developed by the American Chemical Society, the Society of Chemical Industry, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers to introduce chemistry and chemical engineering students to careers in the chemical industry. Participants receive a $6,000 to $10,000 stipend and a certificate. An additional $1,000 is provided to support further professional development. Participants also have the opportunity to recognize an influential high school science teacher, who receives a certificate and $1,000. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, college sophomores or juniors, and chemistry or chemical engineering majors and have at least a 3.5 GPA. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 30. For more information, visit www. acs.org/sci.—LINDA WANG
▸ ACS hosts new faculty workshop More than 70 first-, second-, and thirdyear faculty from 58 institutions gathered at the American Chemical Society’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 4–6 for the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative New Faculty Workshop. During the workshop, faculty facilitators provided guidance on teaching, running a research lab, and managing the many responsibilities required of new faculty. Now in its fifth year, the workshop builds a cohort of young faculty who will continue to interact through This year’s new monthly webinars faculty workshop supported by the participants. ACS Education
ACS NEWS
Meet Mallory Hinks, 2016 ACS Chemistry Champion Mallory Hinks, a fifth-year chemistry Ph.D. student at the University of California, Irvine, was crowned the winner of the 2016 ACS Chemistry Champions contest on Aug. 22 during the ACS national meeting in Philadelphia. Now in its third year, the competition aims to give younger chemists an opportunity to develop and enhance their communication skills. Participants in the competition range from undergraduate students to professional scientists, from both the U.S. and abroad. Hinks and three other finalists were narrowed down from contestants who submitted a two- to three-minute video of themselves describing chemistry concepts or their own research in a way that’s accessible to the general public. Eight semifinalists received communications training this past summer in Washington, D.C. Hinks won the title of best communicator over finalists John Gleeson, a graduate student at University College Dublin; NaHinks is the newest than Turner, an undergraduate at Louisiana ChemChamp. Tech University; and Olga Zamudio, who recently earned a Ph.D. from the Center for Research & Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico and now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. “A lot of people are confused and scared by science,” Hinks says. “If you can make it more approachable, it would be better for society in general.” Hinks will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., to network with professional science communications staff at ACS and possibly attend a briefing on Capitol Hill; host an ACS “Reactions” video; and join the National Academy of Sciences’ Science & Entertainment Exchange. She received a three-dimensionally printed Chemistry Champions trophy. One piece of advice she’s learned during the course of the competition is to know who her audience is and choose words and figures that suit them. “Think to yourself, ‘If I say this, what will the audience get out of it?’ ” Hinks says she has come a long way in improving her communication skills. “My first talk at an ACS national meeting, I was super nervous, and my heart was beating so fast,” she says. “My last ACS talk, I was much less nervous.” After Hinks graduates, she plans on pursuing a career in science policy. “If you want to communicate to politicians why science is important, it’s really important to communicate that well,” she says.—LINDA WANG
Division. This year, the program expanded to include faculty from both research-intensive and primarily undergraduate institutions. “Starting a new faculty position is a stressful time for most people. It entails a lot of new responsibilities and a number of tasks for which we simply are not trained in graduate school,” says Andrew Feig,
cofounder of the workshop and a chemistry professor at Wayne State University. “The CSC New Faculty Workshop tries to help individuals to successfully make that transition.” Although the workshop focuses largely on adoption of evidence-based teaching methods, additional sessions address issues such as mentoring students, diversity and inclusion, laboratory safety, and time management. The program receives funding from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement and the ACS Education Division.—LINDA WANG OCTOBER 3, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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