ACS announces partners for inclusive graduate education program

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2019 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) today announced that it has selected six university departments as partners in the ACS Bridge Program, an initiative that seeks to increase the number of graduate students from underrepresented groups in the chemical sciences.

“Diversity, Inclusion and Respect are core values of the ACS, and this program is another important addition to our overall efforts to create opportunities for students from all backgrounds,” says LaTrease Garrison, executive vice president, ACS Education Division. “We are grateful to our institutional partners for helping us advance both the chemical sciences and the chemists of the future.”

In September 2018, ACS joined the Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN), a coalition of five scientific societies formed to bolster the number of minority students in the physical sciences. The ACS Bridge Program supports this national effort by assisting chemical science departments in creating a “bridge” for students from underrepresented groups who plan to enter a doctoral program in chemistry or chemical engineering.

The Georgia Tech School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Chemistry will be the first ACS Bridge Sites. They will offer masters or post-baccalaureate programs that will support students on their way to a Ph.D. in the chemical sciences. These two sites will receive funding from ACS to assist in the establishment of these programs.

“The ACS Bridge Program will be very impactful in increasing the number of students from underrepresented groups who successfully complete doctoral degrees,” says Robert Hamers, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We are delighted to be able to team up with ACS in this important endeavor.”

“Georgia Tech is excited to partner with the ACS Bridge Program,” says Carson Meredith, Ph.D., professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering at Georgia Tech. “We believe we must be intentional to ensure that the next generation of Ph.D.s in the chemical sciences includes representation of the diverse population in the U.S."

In addition to the two inaugural ACS Bridge Sites, the chemistry departments at The Ohio State University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Indiana University, along with the chemical engineering department at the University of Arkansas will serve as partners. These departments will also enroll students who have submitted their graduate school application to the ACS Bridge Program and will provide a supportive, bridge-like environment for students from underrepresented groups.

The ACS Bridge Project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Award  #1834545. To learn more about the ACS Bridge Program, visit the website or email bridge@acs.org.

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.