Scholarship deadline for minority students studying chemistry is March 1

February 06, 2006, The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is accepting applications for its Scholars Program, a financial support effort for underrepresented minority students in the chemical sciences. The applications are for the 2006-2007 academic year.

African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American recipients are eligible to receive up to $3,000 per year and awards are renewable. High school seniors and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors in chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry, environmental science and related disciplines at two- and four-year colleges may apply for scholarships.

The goal of the American Chemical Society Scholars Program is to diversify the chemical sciences, both in academe and the workforce, by helping underrepresented minority groups obtain undergraduate degrees, and to encourage them to advance in chemistry or a chemically related field.

The deadline to apply for the program is March 1. For more details about the ACS Scholars Program and an online application form, visit www.chemistry.org/scholars or call 1-800-227-5558, extension 6250.

The Society expects to award approximately $850,000 this academic year to current and new scholars.

Relatively few minorities pursue chemistry-related careers, according to a report prepared by the Society. In 2000, for example, Hispanics/Latinos, who make up 14 percent of the U.S. population, represented less than 3 percent of the chemistry workforce; African Americans, at almost 12 percent of the population, comprised less than 2 percent of the chemical workforce; and Native Americans, representing 1 percent of the population, made up less than 1 percent of the chemical workforce.

Since the Scholars Program was launched with a $5 million grant in 1995, more than 1,600 students have received financial support from the ACS based on a mix of academic achievement and financial need. Twenty-six have gone on to earn Ph.D.s in the chemical sciences and 94 are in Ph.D. programs now. The Scholars Program is a winner of the 2001 President’s Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, and it received the 1997 Award of Excellence from the American Society of Association Executives.

Several collaborating partners, including 3M, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Dow Corning, DuPont, Schering-Plough and Xerox, have contributed $100,000 or more to the Scholars Program. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline and the Procter & Gamble Company are sustaining partners that have contributed more than $200,000 to support student scholarships. PPG Industries Foundation, Inc. — a founding partner of the program — has contributed and pledged a total of $1 million since 1997. Some companies also offer mentoring and paid internships to selected program participants as part of a student’s academic and career development plan.

The American Chemical Society — the world’s largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Contact Information

Natasha Bruce

American Chemical Society

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