ACS PMSE/POLY Student Chapter

We are the UMass Amherst Student Chapter affiliated with the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) and Polymer Chemistry (POLY) Divisions of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Our goal is to provide opportunities for students to facilitate their growth scientifically and professionally. This is achieved through hosting events including professional development clinics, seminar speakers, and company tours/talks. We also co-host events in conjunction with existing groups within the UMass PSE Department such as PSE Club, Mentoring Committees, and the Outreach groups. These events enable students, post-docs, faculty, and staff to interact in both academic and social settings, and are advertised in polymer-oriented departments. Our organization serves as an inter-departmental and inter-university tool for students to make connections with other institutions that conduct polymer and soft material research, and inspire academic and research collaborations. In addition, our chapter collaborates with other ACS PMSE/POLY student chapters to bring additional events to the UMass Amherst community.

This past summer and fall, we hosted multiple "Random Walks from a PhD series" highlighting various professions. We introduced some new initiatives including a collaboration with the UMass Office of Professional Development on scientific presentation, an event to introduce Adobe Illustrator, and hosting our "Sip N' Write" gatherings, where students can focus on writing.

The UMASS ACS PMSE/POLY student chapter has been working hard on graduate students and postdoc professional development and will continue to do so!