Women Chemists Committee

The ACS East Central Illinois Women Chemists Committee (WCC) was founded in the fall of 2005 to promote the development of women in the chemical sciences. With the support of our local ACS chapter and the University of Illinois Department of Chemistry, the WCC plans events that include professional and social opportunities that benefit graduate students, faculty, staff, and undergraduates. A major outreach initiative of the group is the "Bonding With Chemistry" Day Camp for young scientists, an annual event that offers middle school students hands-on lab experiences in chemistry.

Please contact WCC if you have any questions about the group or would like to join.

List of Grants, Fellowships, Scholarships

Interested in funding opportunities? WCC has compiled a list of grants, fellowships, and scholarships specifically with women in our department in mind.

WCC Board Members

Chair | Erin Nicholas (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Vura-Weis

Year of Program: Rising 4^th year

Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: My favorite thing is that I am constantly learning.

Vice Chair | Elizabeth Vrana (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Guironnet and Kuenstler
Year of Program: 2nd year
Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: My favorite part is that I get to make things that nobody has ever made before.

Head shot of Ellie Vandel in front of ivy

Secretary | Ellie Vandel (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Makri

Year of Program: Rising 3^rd year

Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: My favorite thing about being a scientist is asking interesting questions in the pursuit of new knowledge to figure out how things in our world work.

Head shot of Jack D'Amelio in an outdoor setting

Treasurer | Jack D’Amelio (they/them/theirs)

Research Group: Shoemaker

Year of Program: Rising 3^rd year

Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Mentoring undergraduate students in research!

Social Events Chair | Joanna Vo (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Guironnet
Year of Program: 3rd year
Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Collaborating with other scientists and tackling the same problems from different perspectives!

Head shot of Kristin Martin on a gray background

Web Administrator | Kristin Martin (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Rodriguez-Lopez

Year of Program: Rising 4^th year

Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Volunteering with local elementary and middle school students to expose them to science and watching their faces light up when the experiments go well!

Head shot of Jennifer Salaiza in an outdoor setting

Invited Speaker Co-Chair | Jennifer Salaiza (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Mirica
Year of Program: 2nd Year
Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Being a scientist reminds me of all of the things this world has yet to discover.

Head shot of Kerui Xu in an outdoor setting

Invited Speaker Co-Chair | Kerui Xu (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Mirica
Year of Program: 5th year
Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Solving experimental puzzles in lab and connecting with other amazing scientists in different fields!

Head shot of Rachel Thomas in an outdoor setting

WCC Day Camp Co-Chair | Rachel Thomas (she/her/hers)

Research Group: Manesis
Year of Program: 3rd year
Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Mentoring undergraduates and connecting with others to keep learning!

Head shot of Leah Stroebel in a gray background

WCC Day Camp Co-Chair | Leah Stroebel (She/Her/Hers)

Research Group: Manesis
Year of Program: 2nd year
Favorite Thing about Being a Scientist: Collaborating with others to think critically and answer our scientific questions!