Due to limitations on funding and time, chemistry students are often unable to attend national and regional conferences to present research and network with other professionals. To help fill this gap, the student chapter of ACS at the University of Central Florida (UCF) founded the Annual Florida Chemistry Conclave in 2016 and co-organized the event with sister chapters in the region. The Conclave is a forum run by Florida ACS student chapters to help members network beyond the student-chapter level, but without the expense of traveling to a national meeting. The first Conclave was a one day event that included workshops on student-chapter administration, professional networking, undergraduate research, chemistry-themed games for friendly competitions between the chapters, and an invited lecture on professional development. The effort has since grown to include networking and professional development events both before and after the Conclave that help strengthen interactions between the chapters and their members. The events are run at no cost to participants and are supported through funds obtained via proposals submitted to the hosting university, the local ACS section, and the national level through an ACS Inter-Chapter Relations Grant. After two years of hosting the Conclave at UCF, the 2018 Conclave will be hosted by the student chapter of ACS at the Florida Institute of Technology, with UCF students continuing to assist in planning and stewardship. Subsequent Conclaves will be hosted by other chapters across the state, to ensure broad participation across our region and to boost involvement of the participating institutions. Future plans for the Conclave include expanding the research presentations and round table discussions, and adding green-chemistry related activities and outreach.

Fostering professional development and inter-chapter relations through the Annual Florida Chemistry Conclave

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.