JOHN SOLEM/UMASS AMHERST
ACS NEWS
erately put ourselves in an uncomfortable situation where we don’t know everything that’s going to happen.” After all, “if we knew what was going to happen, it would be boring.” People often struggle on the path Bermudez has taken, but he says that wasn’t really the case for him. “I was having so much fun doing scientific research and learning and discovering things. There is always the drudgery of any job. But the joy of discovery is the most important part of being in a MENTOR research-related career.” Bermudez As a student, Bermudez was also encourmeets with aged through receiving the ACS Scholar students in his office. award. He applied for the award during his junior year of college. “As an undergrad I was fortunate enough to have a couple of internships that provided me with some pocket money, but the financial aid package wasn’t covering everything,” he remembers. “When I heard about the ACS scholJoy of discovery buoys this professor and arship, I thought that it was a great way to ACS SCHOLAR when work gets tough reduce my debt burden—to not have that BETHANY HALFORD, C&EN BOSTON hanging over my head. I applied on a whim. I was really pleasantly surprised when I found out that I got it. BEFORE HARRY BERMUDEZ was even He studied chemical engineering at the “The flexibility of the award allows you born, his parents decided to pack up and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to address your own personal needs, whethleave their home, family, and friends in earning a B.S. in 1998, and went on to get er that’s buying books or helping to pay for Colombia to make a new life in New York a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 2003 at tuition,” Bermudez adds. Also, he says, “I City. It wasn’t an easy move, Bermudez says. the University of Pennreally felt connected to They had a three-year-old child, Bermudez’s sylvania, where he para larger community as “We put in a lot of older brother, and they had to leave behind ticipated in a joint project an ACS Scholar. I think thought before we that’s important for the the life they had known. But economic and with professors Daniel A. political factors drove them to the U.S., Hammer and Dennis E. do an experiment scholars as they move which Bermudez says was like a beacon of Discher. For his postdoctheir career to try to anticipate through hope for them. toral studies, Bermudez trajectory.” what might happen.” Now Bermudez helps The family settled in Queens. Bermudecided to go abroad, dez’s mother, who is now retired, worked working in Jeffrey A. review applications to in home health care, and his father found Hubbell’s lab at the Swiss Federal Institute the ACS Scholars Program and mentors work as a facilities manager. He’s still of Technology (ETH), Lausanne. scholars at UMass Amherst. In fact, pairing working, in fact, at an age when most of his Now Bermudez runs his own research students with a mentor—a faculty member contemporaries have happily retired. “He’s group as a professor in the department of who is a resource, someone to talk to and a workaholic,” Bermudez says. “I get that polymer science and engineering at his alma help the scholar get through any difficulfrom him.” mater, UMass Amherst. He earned tenure ties they might encounter—is a valuable Bermudez’s parents encouraged him to there earlier this year. He and his group use aspect of the program, he says. “I really feel do well in school. “For their children to get block copolymer films to study how cells a responsibility to help the next generation an education and a college degree was interact with materials. They also inof students. Some of these kids have overimportant,” he says. An aptitude for vestigate DNA as a material for gene come huge obstacles to get where they are. science drew Bermudez to Brookand drug delivery. Being able to help them in some small way lyn Technical High School, and it Bermudez has a two-word is a great feeling.” was there he developed a true inphilosophy for tackling scienterest in science and technology. tific problems: “Work hard,” he “I had some great teachers who tells C&EN. “We put in a lot of The ACS Scholars Program awards renewable challenged us as students to not just thought before we do an experischolarships of up to $5,000 each per academic memorize material for exams but to try to ment to try to anticipate what might hapyear to underrepresented minority students develop a curiosity about the world around pen,” he elaborates. “But at the end of the who want to enter chemistry or chemistryus,” he recalls. “If you think about chemistry day, research is really discovery driven. We related fields. For more information, go to being the central science, that’s easy to do.” get in there. We do experiments. We delibwww.acs.org/success.
HARRY BERMUDEZ
CEN.ACS.ORG
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MARCH 30, 2015
