To structure and improve the professional development of chemistry undergraduate and graduate students, and to better inform them of the broad variety of career paths available to BS, MS, and PhD level chemists, the Department of Chemistry at NC State undertook an action plan employing SMART goals that was developed as a consequence of our participation in the COMPASS workshop held in 2019. Activities undertaken include new initiatives aimed at the recruitment of URM students, the development of a student/peer mentor support network, an update to our professional development course required for all first-year graduate students, implementation of individual development plans (IDPs) for all incoming students, CIMER Entering Mentoring training for faculty, development of our seminar program beyond research talks, and the creation of a departmental Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these initiatives were launched, leading to significant improvements in both qualitative and quantitative metrics related to graduate student recruitment, retention, climate, and success. Although assessments are still ongoing, by pairing the COMPASS action plan with our AGEP-NC Diversity Enhancement Plan, we were able to leverage resources to overcome institutional barriers for improving the mentoring of our chemistry students at all levels.

COMPASS at NC State: Plans, experiences and outcomes of career mentoring projects for graduate and undergraduate students in the department of chemistry

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

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