By Samantha Teshima
2018-19 Peer Advisor
UC Davis Department of Chemistry
On Saturday, March 10, the UC Davis’s Department of Chemistry hosted its third Career Conference in Chemistry, an event that serves as a vehicle where majors in chemistry can learn from recruiters and representatives about what they need to develop when entering their post-graduate careers. It also gave invited companies and organizations the opportunity to meet with students first-hand and learn about their career goals.
Great attendance at the third annual Career Conference in Chemistry
“The Chemistry Career Conference is a great event, for Chemists by Chemists!” notes David Dominguez Aguilar, president of the ACS Chemistry Club. This annual event is co-sponsored with the ACS Sacramento Chapter and the ACS Chemistry Club at UC Davis.
The all-day conference began with keynote speaker Dr. Susan Kauzlarich, a distinguished professor and former-chair with the Department of Chemistry. A panel of recent alumni followed the keynote introduction. Each speaker embodied unique backgrounds in chemistry with career paths ranging from working industry insiders to current candidates earning their graduate or health professional degrees.
A panel of company representatives from various industries followed the alumni panel. Representatives from name companies and organizations such as Allure Labs, Genentech, the California State Department of Justice, Origin Materials, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control were among the speakers who spoke about their recruiting methods as well as took questions from the audience.
Company representatives from left to right: Naomi Rajapaksa (Genentech), Sam Dhatt (Allure Labs), Gabriella Nepomuceno (CA Department of Toxic Substances Control), and Chloe Grinberg (Origin Materials)
After a lunch break, the career resource fair portion of the event began, giving students the opportunity to talk one-on-one with over 20 recruiters and tablers from various industries including BioMarin, Emerald Cloud, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Forensic Lab, the California Department of Transportation, and Constellation Brands. All were eager to showcase information about their respective facilities and highlight potential internships and jobs.
Career Resource Fair
“The career conference was a fantastic opportunity to get personal with alumni, faculty, and representatives from industry,” said Michael Gex, a third-year environmental chemistry major. “The event helped me talk to more representatives and get my name out there because I had a fun platform that I could play from.”
Alumni panelists from left to right: Anna Johnston, Galen Shearn-Nance, Carolina Ryklansky, Shyhara Chandrasena, Corrine Penrod, Cristina Martinez, and Holly Vickery
UC Davis’s Internship and Career Center also hosted a professional workshop on career-building skills, allowing students who were not ready for internships and jobs the opportunity to hone their skills. A LinkedIn photo booth where students could update their profile pictures was also provided by the school’s Student Alumni Association.
Lunch at the conference
Overall, the event was a great opportunity to showcase a few of the diverse fields chemistry majors have in choosing a career path. “(The Career Conference in Chemistry Committee) did an amazing job at making everyone feel very comfortable and building a productive environment for networking,” said Gex. “Thank you for another amazing experience!”
