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PSE Student Activities

PSE Club

PSE Club is a group of second year polymer science and engineering graduate students whose mission is to provide a positive social environment and events for graduate students, post doctorates, faculty, and staff in the PSE Department. The Club assists in departmental, administrative, and social activities to maintain a connection between the PSE student body and departmental faculty. Hosting a guest seminar speaker chosen by the student body, aiding with CUMIRP, and facilitating the prospective student recruitment are among the ways PSE Club provides professional and social venues for PSE students to network and communicate. Bimonthly events would include trips to local apple orchards, departmental bake offs, and game nights, this year it is online cook-alongs and multiplayer games among others. PSE Club collaborates with the First Year Mentoring and Senior Student Committees to encourage community growth in the PSE Department. The Club is currently composed of President - Michelle Gross, VP - Jennifer Quigley, and PSE Club Advisors - Mary Kate Jutze, Claire Senger, Katelynn O'Donnell, and Lucas Verrastro (2023-2024).

2023-2024 PSE Club Officers

Outreach

The Outreach program consists of 15-20 PSE Club students all sharing a common goal of educating the community about polymer science and engineering. The program currently gives 10-15 presentations each year to various schools in the area, and reaches over 700 K-12 students. The presentation entitled “Polymers All Around Us” touches upon all aspects of polymer science, specifically chemistry, physics and engineering. It is a highly interactive program with the goal of encouraging thought and discussion of how polymers impact our lives on a daily basis. Numerous hands-on demonstrations are performed throughout the program (including the Poly-Human, super-absorbent polymers, and slime), and the presentation is tailored to the target age group.

2023-2024 OUTREACH Coordinators

ASPIRE

The ASPIRE program is designed for high school students interested in science in which a series of laboratory experiments and discussions are conducted by graduate students from the Polymer Science and Engineering Department. This program was put together with the goal of introducing high school students to various aspects of polymer science and engineering that could not be taught in a conventional classroom.

Program Dates: Saturday mornings (9 am-12 pm) on January 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and February 1st with a snow date (February 8th*) if needed.. The deadline to submit your application is 6 pm SUNDAY, December 8th, 2024!

*snow date time is from 12-3 pm!
 
2025 Program Application Link: https://forms.gle/oL3rqMXw4hhJ1xnp9
Questions? Email aspire.umass@gmail.com!

2024-2025 ASPIRE Organizing Committee

ACS PMSE/POLY Student Chapter

We are the UMass Amherst Student Chapter affiliated with the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) and Polymer Chemistry (POLY) Divisions of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Our goal is to provide opportunities for students to facilitate their growth scientifically and professionally. This will be achieved through events including professional development clinics, hosting seminar speakers, and company tours/talks. We also co-host events in conjunction with existing groups within the UMass PSE department such as PSE Club, Mentoring Committees, and the Outreach groups. These events will enable students, post-docs, faculty, and staff to interact in both academic and social settings, and will be advertised in polymer-oriented departments. Our organization serves as an inter-departmental and inter-university tool for students to make connections with other institutions that conduct polymer and soft material research, and inspire academic and research collaborations. In addition, our chapter collaborates with other ACS PMSE/POLY student chapters to bring additional events to the UMass Amherst community.


 

2023-2024 POLY/PMSE Officers: