ACS COMMENT
ACS Scholars Celebrate Success Stories MADELEINE JACOBS, CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON MINORITY AFFAIRS, AND HONORARY CHAIR, ACS SCHOLARS 20TH ANNIVERSARY APPEAL
C&EN HAS BEEN marking the 20th anni-
PETER CUTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
versary of the ACS Scholars Program once per month with a profile of an ACS Scholar or an alumnus of the program. These profiles document the success of this amazing undergraduate program, which had its first class of scholars in the fall of 1995. Although this is an undergraduate program for gifted minorities who are underrepresented in the chemical sciences, 230 graduates of the program have received Ph.D.s (including 10 M.D.Ph.D.s and two Ph.D.s who also earned law degrees), 16 have received law degrees after getting bachelor’s degrees in chemistry or chemical engineering, and 80 went on to earn an M.D. Additionally, hundreds of ACS Scholar alumni are in the workforce. Last month, at the 250th ACS national meeting in Boston, 10 ACS Scholars spoke about their journeys from childhood to major universities and corporations in two presidential symposia, “Rising Stars in Academe” and “Rising Stars in Industry.” The symposia were sponsored by the Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) and will be available on ACS Presentations on Demand (http://presentations.acs.org/common/default.aspx) in a few weeks. The academic symposium featured faculty from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, Pomona College, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the University of California, San Diego. The industrial symposium featured scientists, engineers, and executives from BASF, Dow Chemical, GlaxoSmithKline, Gilead Sciences, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Their personal stories, professional trials and tribulations, and lessons learned are an inspiration for students as well as seasoned professionals. As I listened to their stories, it brought me back to my years as editor-in-chief of C&EN. I couldn’t resist playing the reporter one more time by asking them: “What is the one thing you would like donors who support this program to know?” The responses poured out. They said the ACS
Scholars Program does the following:
came a Sustaining Partner with cumulative gifts totaling $250,000. We also honored Procter & Gamble for its $325,000 pledge, which brings the comprofessionally, that would not otherwise pany’s cumulative gifts to the $1 million have been available. Benefactor level. The new ACS Scholars ◾ Gives a competitive advantage by proEndowment Fund currently has commitviding meaningful undergraduate research ments of more than $2 million as generand internships. ous members recognize the imperative to ◾ Provides mentoring in a continue this effective program. ACS has way that no other program raised $1 million this year for the program, does. but more is needed because there are many Reflecting the sentiment more gifted applicants to the program than of the 10 speakers, tenured can be currently supported. associate professor Joshua A special luncheon treat was hearing Figueroa of the University of from ACS Scholars alumni Carolina Pelaez, California, San Diego, (ACS who graduates in December with a degree Scholar, 1998–2000) said, in chemical engineering from Stevens “The ACS Scholars Program Institute of Technology, and Ian Henry, made a huge difference in who earned a Ph.D. and is now at Procter & my life. I would not be where Gamble. Pelaez was sponsored in the ACS I am today without it.” Scholars Program by BASF and spent her Similarly, Tashica Wilsummer at the company’s largest U.S. facililiams Amirgholizadeh, who ty in Geismar, La. After the Boston meeting, is a patent litigation attorney for Gilead, she wrote me, “I have accepted a full-time recalled the day as a sophomore at Baylor offer from BASF, and I will be joining the University when she and her father sat in company after my graduation in Decemthe financial aid office crying because they ber! As I mentioned at the luncheon, the didn’t have the money to pay tuition for the Scholars Program has been instrumental in next semester. That forging the relationship very day, the ACS Schol- “The ACS Scholars between BASF and myars award came in—and Program made a huge self, and I am sure that other scholarships folwithout the program I difference in my life.” lowed. Amirgholizadeh would not have found JOSHUA FIGUEROA, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR went on to earn a B.S. in this company, which in OF CHEMISTRY, UC SAN DIEGO chemistry with a minor all honesty, fits me like in math from Baylor, a a glove!” Ph.D. in chemistry from Over the life of the California Institute of Technology, and a law ACS Scholars Program, more than $17 mildegree from the University of California, lion has been spent, including $9 million Berkeley, School of Law. from ACS and $8 million from corporate, foundation, and individual contributions. DONORS TO THIS PROGRAM are proud. All gifts to the program are tax-deductible At the joint luncheon in Boston celebratand go to support the ACS Scholars; ACS ing the scholars sponsored by CMA and pays the administrative expenses. I invite Corporation Associates, about 175 people you to join me in donating to this remarkheard corporate donors explain their pride able program that has been changing the and business case in supporting the ACS face of chemistry and lives, one life at a time. Scholars Program. I was honored to recogTo learn how you can make a difference, nize Pfizer, which became a National Partcontact Kathy Fleming, director of developner with a first-time gift of $112,000, and ment, at
[email protected]. Gilead, whose $100,000 donation made it the first to endow a corporate scholarViews expressed on this page are those of ship—the Gilead Scholar award. BASF bethe author and not necessarily those of ACS. ◾ Changes lives, one life at a time. ◾ Opens doors. ◾ Provides opportunities, personally and
CEN.ACS.ORG
45
SEPTEMBER 7, 2015
