National chemistry conference full of opportunities, learning

A dozen ‘Berg students spanning various science majors traveled to Orlando March 30-April 4 to participate in the American Chemical Society spring national conference. On Tuesday, the students gave a presentation that focused on the benefits of attending a national conference and the learning experiences they brought back to campus.

They weren’t just onlookers; they were active participants. Guided by their professors, Dr. Nate Beres and Dr. Aaron Roerdink, the students gave 10 presentations and were invited to take part in the Chem Demo Exchange, this year choosing a fun exercise with invisible ink.

“They broadcast our demo on Facebook Live, and at the end of the day, ours was selected among the top five demos incorporating the theme, ‘The International Year of the Periodic Table,’” said senior Cameron Dykes.

While in Orlando, the Heidelberg ACS Chemistry Club accepted the Outstanding Award for the fourth consecutive year. Again this year, the club was the only private university in Ohio to receive the prestigious award, which is given to about 70 of the 300 student chapters. The club also received another Green Chemistry Award and was invited to give a talk about their programming and outreach.

“We are a small institution, but we do great work,” said ACS Chem Club President Kevin Scrudders, a senior.

Senior Kiera Malone, who attended the conference for the fourth time, is a two-time presenter, but this was her first year flying solo as she shared her research on mercury quantification, completed at her internship last year at the Oakridge National Laboratory, and on insulin purification, completed for her Honors capstone project. “It was interesting and awesome to talk with other scientists about something they’re passionate about, too,” said Kiera.

This year, Kevin elevated from presenting a poster to giving an oral talk on his work with antimicrobial properties of menthol and its derivatives. He said the experience will be great preparation for what he’ll encounter in graduate school.

According to senior Melanie Cohn, the Chem Club also was asked to give a talk to the ACS about green chemistry, how they incorporate it into their programming as well as details about specific programs such as their Program in a Box and their Earth Day brochure.

The students also participated in a grad fair, where they had opportunities to speak with reps from universities, get insight into the grad school admission process, learn about the latest chemistry research and talk with current grad students about their experiences.

For the newcomers, navigating the conference of 15,000 can be overwhelming, so they relied on their peers to help guide them. The best advice: Find something that interests you and focus your attention there. “I know as the years go on, I’ll understand a little more each year,” said sophomore Kayla Buck. “Next year, it’ll be easier to narrow what I want to do.”

They all agree that making connections and interacting with other undergrads, grad students and professionals has helped clarify their course of study or introduced them to new chemistry disciplines they had never considered.

Overall, the conference was extremely positive. “It has allowed me to narrow my interests,” Melanie said. “I picked out talks more relevant to me. And the chance to present my own research was really good for me.”

Kiera summed up the experience. “We were surrounded by people who love science. Being surrounded by 15,000 people who love science is even cooler!” Caleb Frye added, “The experience we’ve all gathered from this conference are awesome. It’s a great place to be if you love science.”

The students also got to unwind from the intensity of the conference when they visited Disney World (pictured above).

Concluding their presentation, they gave a shout-out to the research opportunities at Heidelberg, and especially to Joe and Brenda Stearns, who established a generous travel fund that allows them to attend the conference annually.

Also attending the conference were: Katie Iwanek, Abby Barno, Maddie Deiderick, Kaylee Frederickson, Lauren Mussig and Amanda Sugrue.