ACS NEWS As part of the exchange, the NES YCC students also participated in Eure gionale 2002. Four of the students gave oral presentations, and the other eight gave poster presentations. The presen tations from the NES YCC students cov ered topics in organic chemistry, bio chemistry, analytical chemistry, and materials science. At the conclusion of the conference, N THE MIDDLE OF MARCH, A GROUP OF Nearly all of the other students shared awards were given to the top presenters. young chemists took a trip of a lifetime Hertzler's enthusiasm for the potential Monica A. Rixman, a graduate student as part of an exchange program estab of pursuing a postdoc or other career op at Massachusetts Institute of Technolo lished last year between the German portunities abroad after the symposium. gy, received the second-place award for Chemical Society Ifoung Chemists Fo "I am more interested now after being her oral presentation titled "Exploring rum (GDCh JCF) and the ACS Northeast here and experiencing the environment the Origins of Bio(in)compatibility: Section's Younger Chemist Committee and how things operate," reads one stu Using High-Resolution Force Spec (NES YCC). Last year, 10 JCF members dent's trip evaluation. "This trip has en troscopy To Probe the Mysteries of Pro and several GDCh escorts traveled to abled me to now make a more informed tein-Polymer Interactions." Boston, where they were hosted by NES decision, whereas before, I think I would Albrecht Salzer, professor at RWTH YCC for a week filled with scientific and have been more intimidated and unedu Aachen and chairman of the GDCh cultural exchange (C&EN, May 28, Aachen Section, and Carsten Bolm, 2001, page 42). professor at RWTH Aachen and part of last year's German exchange This year, it was NES's turn to group that traveled to Boston, as send 12 YCC members—11 gradu well as other GDCh andJCF mem ate students and one undergradu bers, joined the group for dinner ate student— to Germany The stu on their last night in Germany. dents spent a week in Cologne and The dinner gave the group mem Aachen learning about everything bers an opportunity to thank their from job opportunities in Germany German hosts and to express their to German culture. appreciation to all of the German After getting settled in Germany, students who made this exchange the students attended a two-part possible. symposium. First, they learned about the German educational sys The success of the exchange is tem and the changes under discus GLOBE-TROTTERS U.S. students wrap up their clear from the trip evaluation sion in the system to increase its in week at a dinner with members from the German forms the students completed fol ternational compatibility This was JCF organizing committee. lowing the visit. Most students followed by an overview of the U.S. left feeling their eyes had been system for comparison. cated about coming to Germany during opened to new possibilities. The focus of the second part of the my career." One student notes that "graduate stu symposium was job opportunities in Ger The group also enjoyed a daylong ex dents can sometimes view science with many. The students learned about the cursion to Bayer AG, in Leverkusen, and to a limited perspective and thought German Academic Exchange Service, the Research Centre Julich. Both trips in process. The trip really provided us with DAAD, which promotes international cluded overviews of the work being done the opportunity to move beyond" those academic relations and cooperation by at the site, tours of the research facilities, limits. offering mobility programs primarily for and discussions of ongoing research. Another important aspect of the trip students and faculty. This information Sight-seeing was also part of the sched was meeting and interacting with others was of particular interest to SuzAnn M. ule. The NES YCC group members had in the science world. "It's been great to Hertzler, a graduate student at Boston an opportunity to visit the great cathedral interact on both social and profession of Cologne and part of Charlemagne's cas al levels with the German group," a stu University. At one time, it was Hertzler's goal to do tle in Aachen. They were also treated to a dent writes, adding that this is "very im a postdoc in Germany, "but once I became plenary lecture one evening on the histo portant for establishing friendships and contacts." a graduate student, that seemed impossi ry ofAachen. Plans are now under way for next year's ble." However, after learning about DAAD on her visit, she says, "I Ve come home with AT THE END of their trip, the students at exchange, explains Michael E. Strem, pres tended the three-day spring symposium of ident of Strem Chemicals and NES chair a renewed goal." After listening to the symposium pre the GDCh JDF. Euregionale 2002 was of the exchange steering committee. "Be sentations, it became clear to the students held at the Center for Organic Chemistry, cause next year is a celebration year for that working in Germany was not a prob Rhine-Westphalia Technical University in chemistry in Germany, NES YCC will lem financially and the language barrier Aachen (RWTH Aachen), and allowed again travel to Germany" he says, but notes was not an obstacle, "so there is no prob students from throughout Europe to in that the exchange will return to Boston in teract and present their research. 2004.—SUSAN M0RRISSEY lem," Hertzler says with excitement.
U.S.-GERMANYYCC EXCHANGE PROGRAM
ACS Northeast Section and German Chemical Society sponsor event for a second year
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C & E N / MAY 13, 2002
HTTP://PUBS.ACS.ORG/CEN
