UW-Platteville students shine at ACS Midwest Regional Meeting

Chemistry students from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville recently attended the 2024 American Chemical Society Midwest Regional Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, where they showcased their research, connected with industry professionals and explored graduate school opportunities. This annual event brought together students and experts from across the Midwest, offering a lineup of workshops, lectures and networking opportunities.

Ten UW-Platteville students presented their undergraduate research in a poster session at the event. Prior to the conference, students had the opportunity to hone their presentations at UW-Platteville's 80th Chemistry Reunion during Homecoming weekend, where they shared their work with a couple dozen alumni and faculty.

In addition to sharing their own research, the conference offered students the chance to connect with other chemistry researchers from across the Midwest.

"I really valued the opportunity to present during the poster presentations because it allowed me to connect with other students who were researching polymers and who were excited to see the work I was doing," said Abrielle Bauer, a sophomore chemistry major. "To the best of my knowledge, there are no other chemistry students at our university researching polymers, and to meet other students who had a passion for polymers and the chemistry behind them was really encouraging and exciting, and it also gave me some new perspectives to consider as I have moved forward with my research project."

The conference also offered valuable resources on graduate programs.

"I enjoyed the ACS conference because it gave me an opportunity to talk with representatives at over a dozen graduate schools," said Joe Sommers, a senior chemistry major at UW-Platteville. "I'm happy I was able to get a lot of information about what type of research each school is working on and what they are looking for in potential graduate students."

The caliber of the UW-Platteville students' work stood out among attendees, drawing praise at the event.

"Our students were mistaken multiple times for graduate students because of the quality of their work and their personal carriage," said Dr. Ian MacKenzie, assistant professor of chemistry. "They also were able to network with a variety of industry and academic professionals, and I know at least one of our students has had his application fee waived at multiple graduate schools he met at the conference."

For more information about the UW-Platteville Department of Chemistry, visit www.uwplatt.edu/department/chemistry.