UR Chemistry at convention of National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)

The University of Rochester's Chemistry Department was well represented at the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers(NOBCChE) convention with five affiliates including then current NOBCChE President, Dr. Emanuel Waddell (see photo above).  Liz Daniele, UR Assistant Director for Graduate Diversity, also attended the convention which was held in St. Louis, MO in November 2019 at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. The conference included professional development workshops, networking, mentoring opportunities and a Career Fair. 

The mission of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) is to build an eminent cadre of successful diverse global leaders in STEM and advance their professional endeavors by adding value to their academic, development, leadership, and philanthropic endeavors throughout the life-cycle of their careers.  

"Organizations such as NOBCChE allow black and brown students to become part of a larger community. This larger community encourages black and brown students to persist in STEM though they may exist in environments where they may not be welcomed by peers or supported by the institution.  NOBCChE and other organizations also serve as a resource to institutions for locating and recruiting talent that may not be represented in their hierarchy at student or leadership levels.”,
 ~ Former NOBCChE president and UR alum, Dr. Emanuel Waddell.

Shukree Abdul-Rashed was previously awarded the NOBCChE Advancing Science Conference grant, and did a presentation titled, “Halo-Prins-derived Cationic Cascades and Its Application Towards the Total Synthesis of Citridone A.” that was well received.   Shukree indicated that, “as underrepresented minority in academia, having the opportunity to connect with other African American scientists was incredibly meaningful”.  Among those scientists were two UR alumni, Dr. Emanuel Waddell and Dr. Carl Bonner. 

The next NOBCChE conference is scheduled to be held September 24-25, 2020, in a virtual format due to COVID19. 

Related Links...

• About NOBCChE
• NOBCChE 2020 Conference
• Chandra Ade-Brown (2013 UR undergrad, PhD Candidate with the Kumari Lab at University of Cincinnati)
• Emanuel Waddell (UR MS in 1996)
• Shukree Abdul-Rashed (current UR PhD candidate with the UR Frontier Research Group
  • Reflections of NOBCChE from Shukree Abdul-Rashed
• Liz Daniele (UR Assistant Director for Graduate Diversity)
  • Reflections of NOBCChE from Liz Daniele
• Lloyd Munjanja (UR PhD in 2016)
• Carl Bonner (UR PhD in 1995)