NOBCChE and the ACS-VA Section

The VA ACS section Minority Affairs Committee partnered with NOBCChE through a series of events to increase the professionalism of students in chemistry and to bring awareness of the value of belonging to chemistry professional organizations. Initiating this collaboration, Talitha Hampton, President of NOBCChE, presented “Building your Brand in STEM” at the April section meeting at the University of Virginia for a group of students from the University of Mary Washington, Virginia Union and Virginia State University.

In June, she spoke to a large group of faculty about the value of service-learning during the 2015 Process Educators Conference at Virginia State University. These two events led to the collaboration entitled “Networking in October” which was advertised heavily across the section. The first networking event in October was via WebEx with students from Virginia Union, Virginia State, Virginia Commonwealth University and James Madison University. Talitha Hampton focused on a transition from building a brand in STEM to building a professional profile on LinkedIn.

This theme was continued as part of the 7th annual Career Panel cosponsored by the VA section Women’s Chemist and Minority Affairs Committees. Talitha Hampton was the featured speaker at the close of the event addressing over 75 students from Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Union University, J. Sergeant Reynolds Committee College, Virginia State University and the University of Richmond.

The collaboration of the VA section minority affairs committee and NOBCChE continues with efforts to build student chapter/affiliates in the region that include membership in both organizations. We intend to continue this successful and exemplary partnership for an expanded effort in 2016. We will focus on continue networking events that expand the earning potential and success of students in the section.