Chemistry professor and department chair, Jason Morrill acts as the faculty advisor for the ACS at Jewell. This year’s president is Alyssa Hash, a senior majoring in biochemistry. Acting as vice president is Megan Hall, a senior chemistry major. Juliann Smith, the organization’s treasurer and a biochemistry senior, can help you to become a member of the club. As the organization’s treasurer, Juliann Smith can help establish your membership. 

Jewell’s ACS chapter provides opportunities for chemistry and biochemistry students to network with influential members of the chemistry community, build their resumes and to perform meaningful research.

Each year the ACS hosts regional conferences where students can network with chemists throughout the midwest and the Great Lakes regions. In addition to attending workshops and research symposia on the latest chemical research, students can win awards for presenting their own research in poster sessions at the conference. The opportunities associated with ASC membership are even more obvious with the Midwest/Great Lakes Regional Meeting (MWGLM) is being held at St. Charles Convention Center in St. Louis this year. Membership in the ASC affords students the opportunity to access this close-to-home resource without much hassle. 

If you are interested in chemistry and the ACS, keep an eye out for a newsletter that will be released soon. This newsletter will contain information on the upcoming ice cream social in March. Attending the ice cream social would be a wonderful opportunity to get to know the current ACS members and to find out if joining Jewell’s chapter is right for you. 

Sam Fulte, senior biochemistry major who is engaged in research about the human gut microbiome, described that attending conferences enables students to develop networks and learn about opportunities beyond Jewell.

“One of the cool things about conferences for undergraduates is that they normally have a networking session or a graduate school information session. Conferences are a good place to explore different graduate schools or career opportunities after college,” said Fulte.

Fulte recently attended the annual “Out in STEM (oSTEM)” conference in Houston, TX, along with Alexis Mann, senior Oxbridge: Molecular Biology major, and Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe, junior chemistry and communication major.

(From left to right) Alexis Mann, Sam Fulte and Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe at the oSTEM conference in Houston, Nov. 2018.

Mann, who focuses on trying to better determine the mechanism behind axonal degeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease as well as potential pathways that could rescue (or slow the degenerative process) said degeneration, noted that attendance at this conference was made possible only through support and funding from faculty and staff at Jewell.

“Jewell was willing to fund those of us that attended oSTEM this year which was really nice since the conference took place in Houston,” said Mann. “Additionally, many of the science faculty, especially Dr. Wetmore and Dr. Reynolds, are really good about encouraging us to go to different conferences to both get in practice presenting and to begin networking within the field we want to go into after graduation.”

At the oSTEM conference Arthurs-Schoppe, Fulte and Mann each presented their research to students and professionals in the STEM field. Approximately 1,000 students were in attendance of the conference and representatives from companies including Boeing, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) were present.  

Emily Dema, senior Oxbridge: Molecular Biology major, has spent the past few years studying the genetics of innate immunity in model organisms. This research has potential application in the field of medicine and is particularly relevant in response to the global rise in antimicrobial resistance.

Dema was recently able to take this knowledge abroad to participate in a mentorship program at the Women Leaders in Global Health (WLGH) Conference hosted at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Emily Dema (second from left) at the WLGH conference in London, Nov. 2018.

Participation in this conference enabled Dema to develop a strong network and attain insight into her field of choice.

“[At the WLGH conference] I was able to meet researchers, policymakers, and students involved in the field of global health. Individuals represented organizations including the World Health Organization, United Nations, Centers for Disease Control, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, International AIDs Vaccine Initiative, Medicins sans frontier, and academic research institutions,” said Dema. “I really enjoyed speaking with people from all over the world about their involvement in the field, including the challenges and successes that come with the job.”

Many Oxbridge students utilize the opportunity to present to international audiences while abroad in their junior year.

Haley Hart, senior Oxbridge: Molecular Biology major, has been researching cancer treatment options by working to design and create a nanoparticle drug delivery system combining positive aspects of different types of treatments to eliminate the negative side effects of current treatment options.

Hart’s research has widespread potential for application across the globe and she was able to develop her knowledge base by attending diverse conferences while abroad.

“Most of the conferences I have attended were in Oxford. I took advantage of some memberships there and attended as many relevant conferences as I could. A few examples are Oxford University Psychology and Neuroscience seminars and workshops, Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK Neuroscience Symposium, Oxford Nuffield Clinical Neurosciences Symposium,” said Hart.

Fulte, Hart and Mann all presented their research at the Heartland Undergraduate Biochemistry (HUB) Forum hosted at the Kansas University Medical Center this November. There Mann was given an award for the best presentation of an undergraduate poster.

Haley Hart presenting at the HUB conference, Nov. 2018.

Mann attributes her win to practice and advises students to invest time into honing their presentation skills.

“In my opinion, doing these poster presentations [at] conferences is just something people need to practice to prepare. Understanding your research and being comfortable talking about it is the first step, but when you talk to different audiences about your work you need to learn and adapt to the audience so that everyone that talks to you at least has some level of understanding of your work,” said Mann.

This was Mann’s second time presenting at the HUB Forum – both Dema and Mann presented at the Nov. 2016 Forum where Jewell students were awarded first, second and third place in the poster presentation category, Mann was a member of the team who placed second.

Fulte, Dema, Hart and Mann are all planning to present their research at the Tribeta District Conference in April 2019. Tribeta is the national biology honors society and students must fulfil strict academic standards in order to be initiated and awarded the opportunity to present at conferences.

Fulte will also be attending the Keystone Symposium over the Microbiome in Montreal, Canada, in March 2019. Her application to present at this conference is in the review process.

After receiving sponsorship from an alumnus, the chemistry department at Jewell is able to send some students to present at the national American Chemical Society meeting in Orlando, Fl, in Spring 2019.

Approximately 14,000 people are expected to attend this conference and Arthurs-Schoppe, Travis Colpitts, Zach Hand and Nick Hartwig will be there to represent Jewell.

STEM is the term used to describe the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. At Jewell some of the most popular majors in these fields are chemistry, biology, biochemistry and physics.

Biochemistry, biology and chemistry majors at Jewell are required to conduct two years of research under the mentorship of a professor. Physics majors are required to complete one year of research.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Lori Wetmore, Emily Dema and Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe

Millhuff came across the open position while searching for jobs online and, after reading more about the job on the company website, she decided to apply. She will be using her chemistry background in medicinal research.

“Specifically, I will be working in a pharmaceutical group that is partnered with the National Cancer Institute, and is currently analyzing the efficacy of certain cancer drugs as well as testing for impurities,” said Millhuff.

Millhuff’s preparation during the application and interview process exemplify the uniquely personal relationships Jewell fosters between professors and students. She also explained another aspect of the College that is unusual in undergraduate education, and that is the ability of STEM students to undertake extensive and impressive research projects.

“My professors in the chemistry department were a big help with this process,” Millhuff said. “We met the day before my interview to practice and discuss how my experiences at Jewell helped me be a strong candidate. In the chemistry and biology departments especially, Jewell students have the opportunity to be involved in scientific research and work closely with professors and laboratory equipment, which is rare at most undergraduate institutions. Jewell students definitely have an advantage because of that.”

Millhuff plans to use this job as a productive gap-year project. This will keep her chemistry skills sharp as she prepares for medical school.

She looks forward to the chance to live closer to Kansas City’s downtown areas after leaving Jewell’s campus. Millhuff doesn’t see this as a long-term living situation, though. Eventually, she hopes to move somewhere with more opportunity for outdoor recreational activities.

Millhuff considers the full schedule typical of the Jewell student experience to have been both a large challenge and to have given her an advantage in the world as well as the workplace.

“One of the biggest, underrated advantages I’ve had at Jewell is being able to be a part of its community,” she said. “Working through rigorous coursework, as well as being a student-athlete and employed part-time, was not always easy for me and I know a lot of students can relate to that. But I was also always supported by classmates, teammates and professors who are what truly made this opportunity possible for me. I think being able to work collaboratively with others will always serve my future endeavors.”

Photo credits to Talia Zook.