Careers in Green Chemistry and Engineering for a Sustainable Future

The Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference attracts students who are, or will become, the next generation of leaders in the community of green and sustainable chemistry and engineering. For students, the unique size and collaborative atmosphere of this conference makes it an excellent opportunity to broaden their understanding of research in green chemistry and engineering, and grow their network of contacts in this community. Amongst other learning and networking opportunities available at the GC&E conference, we propose this Careers in Green Chemistry and Engineering for a Sustainable Future symposium.

We envision this program will fill an unmet need for a dedicated informative session focused on the numerous career paths available to students under the general umbrella of green chemistry and engineering. This symposium will demonstrate the advantages that a green chemistry and engineering background has in the eyes of an employer. It is common for students involved in this community (and STEM fields in general) to be unaware of the value of their transferable experience, and the breadth of career options that are available after graduation. By assembling a series of career path examples, this symposium would directly address students ubiquitous question of what career options are available to them, and how they may be pursued.

This careers symposium would complement the existing student workshop programming. The current student workshop does an excellent job of equipping students with employable skills through providing hands-on experience in various green chemistry and engineering topics. However, there is immense value in offering a symposium where GC&E attendees can learn about marketing their existing skills and to discover the breadth of career options available to them.

This careers-focused symposium would be intentionally composed of speakers that are willing to speak to students about their professional paths, providing an additional networking opportunity for both the attendees and the speakers themselves, especially from the perspective of potential employers.

Although students are the target audience for this symposium, all audiences are welcome. This symposium may be similarly valuable to those further in their career paths who may find themselves facing a change in employment. This has become relevant at present because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the job market. We also welcome people in established careers, with a curiosity to learn about alternative career paths, or mentors to students seeking resources.

Organizers

Dr. Madushanka Dissanayake, Intel Corporation
Dr. Juliana Vidal, Beyond Benign
Bria Garcia, University of Delaware