Graduate students host virtual "Bonding with Chemistry" Day Camp for Girls
A group of Illinois chemistry graduate students successfully demonstrated chemistry experiments for 32 Champaign and Urbana middle school students via Zoom during an all-virtual edition of the annual “Bonding with Chemistry” Day Camp for Girls on Dec. 5, 2020.
Getting to know: Graduate student Tabitha Miller
A member of professor Alison Fout's research group, Tabitha Miller looks ahead to postdoctoral research at Argonne National Laboratory as she nears completion of her PhD in chemistry in early 2021.
ACS honors Lloyd Munjanja for advancing diversity in chemical sciences
The American Chemical Society's Committee on Minority Affairs has selected Lloyd Munjanja, the associate director of Graduate Diversity and Program Climate, as the 2020 recipient of the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences.
Chemistry department "ahead of the curve" accommodating student needs
Professor Christian Ray strives to create an inclusive classroom environment to help all students succeed, including those who face physical and other challenges by connecting them with support services coordinated by the Department of Chemistry and Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES).
Zimmerman appointed to university racism and social injustice committee
Chancellor Robert J. Jones announced five committees that have been charged with identifying steps to create a campus free of structural and system racism and bias.
Getting to know: Graduate student Edzna Garcia
A sixth-year PhD candidate in the area of organic chemistry, Edzna Garcia shares her story of perseverance as a first-generation college student who realized in high school that she wanted to pursue an education in chemistry.
Alison Wallum wins 2020 Women in Chemistry Inclusive Leadership Award
Graduate student Alison Wallum's commitment to inclusive excellence was recognized with the annual Women in Chemistry Inclusive Leadership Award, and graduate student Hannah Toru was also recognized with runner-up award.
Alumnus Erick Carreira appointed editor-in-chief of ACS journal
He will take over as editor of the flagship publication of the American Chemical Society in 2021 and become the first JACS editor-in-chief to live outside of the U.S. and the first Latin American to lead the journal.
Department of Chemistry eliminates GRE scores from admissions process
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores were already optional for graduate school admission, but now the department has completely eliminated the scores from the process.
Professor Prashant Jain’s Path to Chemistry at Illinois
Originally from Mumbai, India, Professor Prashant Jain’s path to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign began to take shape when he was a young boy with a natural curiosity for the world around him and a passion for reading that eventually led him to discover books and magazines about science, particularly physics and chemistry.
Murphy receives ACS National Award in Inorganic Chemistry
Professor Catherine J. Murphy becomes the first woman to receive the American Chemical Society’s National Award in Inorganic Chemistry.
Getting to know: Graduate Student Samuel Okyem
First-generation college student from Ghana in Western Africa chose Illinois to pursue his PhD, because of the inter-disciplinary and cutting-edge research conducted by the faculty in the Department of Chemistry.
Documentary about chemistry alumnus, St. Elmo Brady, wins Telly Award
A documentary about Illinois chemistry alumnus St. Elmo Brady, the first African American to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States, has garnered a Telly Award.
Cathy Murphy becomes first woman to head the Department of Chemistry
As an alumna and faculty member, Professor Cathy Murphy brings a rare perspective to her new role as head of the Department of Chemistry, and her role also marks a historic moment as the first woman to lead the department in its 152-year history.
Eunice S. Wu Memorial Scholarship: One Woman's Path to Illinois
More than 60 years ago, Eunice S. Wu left her home in Taiwan for the United States to study chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, following in the footsteps of her father who had graduated from Illinois. Since 2015, a scholarship in her memory helps other women seeking a degree in chemistry.
Getting to know: Graduate student Safiyah Muhammad
Growing up in North Miami, Safiyah Muhammad was always at the beach and naturally drawn to marine life, which led her to consider marine biology as an undergraduate at Nova Southeastern University.
Getting to know: Graduate student Nick Pino
A world traveler, photographer and musician, Nick Pino’s dream is to live in the big city, but it was the human connections that drew him to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to earn his PhD in chemistry, and it is those same personal connections that he says make this department unique.
Professor Jeffrey Moore strives for diversity one wall at a time
A few months ago, a new term cropped up on Twitter to describe an all-too-common phenomenon at academic institutions: a dude wall.