Welcome to the University of Illinois at Chicago American Chemical Society Student Affiliates Chapter

Welcome to the University of Illinois at Chicago American Chemical Society
Student Affiliates Chapter!

The ACS SAC (Student Affiliate Chapter) at UIC seeks to educate students in a Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering curriculum about future possibilities in the broad field of chemistry.

We don't have any organizational meetings during the school year. We do meet for seminars and field trips. A LISTSERV account handles all new information and serves as a forum to answer some of the most pertinent questions that are voiced.

If you are interested in becoming a member then please be sure to check out our online registration form!

It's official, the ACS-SAC has a new president and treasurer. The officers for the current term are Todd Schwier (president) and Linu Abraham (treasurer). In the coming weeks, the website will undergo some renovation and more information will become available concerning the administration for the coming year. I will be in contact with everyone via the listserv concerning the possibility of a "meeting" to discuss any questions that may arise.

Some ideas about undergrad research:

Undergraduate Research does not have to be limited to only UIC, there are many summer programs and internship opportunities available through places like Argonne, the University of Memphis, Northwestern, and various private companies.

Getting into research
- At UIC - The most basic way of getting into the research experience is through a Chemistry 499 course. This usually amounts to doing experiments for a professor and seeing how you like a particular field.
- At UIUC - UIUC has many summer research programs and a summer school version of our 499 course. The best way to approach these courses is to pick a field of interest and look at which professor is doing work in that field.
- Summer Programs - People who are ACS members should be recieving an ACS internship opportunities booklet in the mail. This is a great place to start. Again the type of position you apply for should be based on your interest. These are generally paid and are a great way to really see what real world experience is like... UIC offers help in securing some internships through the Career Services Department.
- Co-ops - These are (in a nutshell) internships that take the place of your credit hours at UIC. Some are paid and provide a way to get into reaserch during the "rest of the year". ACS Members can look for these in the annual directory of internship opportunities.

Presenting results - Take credit where credit is due!
- National and regional ACS meetings - Both of these provide a way to see how the chemistry industry and trade functions. Interesting talks are presented over the course of a week and undergraduates usually present a poster showcasing their research. A very good way to present without too much stress.
- DOE events - Argonne has a symposium for undergrad. research every year. See the events page for details. Definitely more formal, but people who are not presenting can also go to watch.
- Publishing - Some research that you perform often makes it's way into a trade journal (Journal of the American Chem.Soc. ETC.) If you pick a project that is definitely harder, then this is a way to have publication credit under the belt.

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