Chemistry Careers Q&A

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And the “Final Jeopardy” topic for today is: ACS ChemClubs.

The answer is… “Food and Careers.”

I’m not Alex Trebek, but imagine the music for the Jeopardy! quiz show theme song playing in the background.

Time’s up! What is the question?
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It is: “What are the two most popular topics suggested by ACS ChemClubs as themes for future resource packets and ‘Activity of the Month’ web updates?

In more than one annual ChemClub survey, food and careers have been hands-down, top, most-mentioned suggestions for future themes to use. Food—yes, destined to be a top choice. Put together a group of teens and food is a natural high-interest topic, with plenty of chemistry-related material available for demos and hands-on activities. One year, ChemClub members were even invited to submit their favorite recipes and related chemistry factoids to create The ACS ChemClub Cookbook.

But careers? Yes, it ties in beautifully with one of the bullet points of the ChemClub mission statement, to learn about study and career opportunities in the many and varied fields of chemistry. ACS ChemClubs wants to help advisors share this information, and, to use words specifically mentioned in the mission statement, to provide students with “fun, authentic, and hands-on opportunities” to do this. In past resource packets, we’ve offered ideas for potential speakers to invite to talk with ChemClubs about a particular theme topic. We’ve given links to specific careers on the ACS “College to Careers” website. We’ve introduced you to chemists through video profiles, such as “Meet a BP Chemist” that’s part of the Energy Foundations for High School Chemistry module.

But, are we filling the need for resources related to careers? In this case, à la Jeopardy!, I don’t have the answers, only questions—for you. If you’re a ChemClub advisor, how do you use career materials in your ChemClub and classroom? What would you find most useful as resources? If you’re a student, what do you want to know about career opportunities? What do you find most engaging? How can we best meet your needs?