Editor's Notes
Greetings Chemistry!
It has been another busy month in the department. On top of teaching, many research papers have been published or set up for the pre-print stage and multiple department recruitment events have gone underway. I had the pleasure of taking part in a webinar hosted by the Theory and Computational Chemistry faculty that engaged over thirty prospective students from around the world interested in our graduate program! It was a great opportunity to hear our faculty discuss their exciting new projects and to hear from current graduate students and alumni discuss the broad scope of the Theory and Computational research area and the uniqueness of our program.
As a way to prepare for the end of the semester, the department will be hosting a Winter Social (see below for details). This will be the first all-encompassing departmental social event prior to the pandemic. We hope to see everyone there!
This edition of the newsletter includes a message from the Department Head, an alum interview, department happenings, a message from the GSA, and more. If you wish to have a story shared in a future newsletter, please contact me at chemcommunications@psu.edu.
Kathryn Harlow, Communications Coordinator
A Message From The Department Head
Dear Chemistry Colleagues,
When I first started as department head back in August of 2018, a few colleagues said in person or in writing “My condolences.” While this may have seemed funny, I found it slightly annoying. I didn’t take the position to have people feel sorry for me or think I was shelving my scientific ambitions. I did it because I love my department--a department that has been very good to me during my 25 years with Penn State. I wanted to give back, and I was honored and humbled to have the trust of my colleagues.
About a month into the position, I told my colleagues what they should say to me is “Thank you for your service and how can I help?” I’ve been blown away by how helpful my colleagues have been in the four years since. Not one person has said no to me (that’s right, no one) when I’ve asked them to pitch in by either serving as a chair of a committee, attending a meeting, or traveling to a conference. My colleagues have also supported me personally by assisting when I’ve needed help; by allowing me to take time off to care for our daughter or by putting me up for an award in my own career. Students and staff have also been incredibly helpful and a joy to work with. I’m humbled and blessed to be in this department.
So today I’m writing about a new term I’ve learned, “Shared Leadership.” This idea came up in the new Head of Physics search, which I’m currently chairing. The term means a situation where the Head doesn't have to lead alone, but distributes leadership throughout the department. In fact, we are already practicing “Shared Leadership” in Chemistry, even if I wasn’t familiar with the term. Each of you is a leader: Associate Heads are leaders in graduate and undergraduate programs and in instrumentation. The Climate and Diversity Committee are leaders in bringing us together with a sense of belonging. Chairs are leading their committees, and PIs are leading their groups. Research professors and postdoctoral fellows are leading within their research groups or facilities. Graduate students are leading through the GSA and in helping other graduate students and undergraduate students. And staff are leading by assisting faculty, students, and other staff within and outside of our department.
Our department is big, but big places need not feel big. They can seem intimate when we work together. By distributing the leadership, we can share great joy and pride in our department.
Best Regards,
Phil Bevilacqua
Department Happenings
A Message from the Graduate Student Association (GSA)
On behalf of Vice-President Kara Pytko:
Hello everyone! Happy almost December! The GSA wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season. As we approach winter break, we have a few updates: we will be hosting a trivia event next month and we are currently working on t-shirt orders! Feel free to contact us if you have any event suggestions for the upcoming year!
Please mark your calendars for our 2023 Graduate Chemistry Open Houses:
Saturday, February 18th - 9:00am- 12:00pm (virtual) with faculty appointments the following week.
Friday, March 3rd & Saturday, March 4th - Time TBD, (in-person) at the Scholar Hotel.
Follow us on Instagram (psuchemgsa), Twitter (@ChemGSA_PSU), Facebook (PSU Chemistry GSA) and LinkedIn (Penn State Chemistry Alumni) for more updates.
GSA Executive Board 2022-2023: Ryan Szukalo, President | Kara Pytko, Vice President | Theresa Buckley, Secretary | Maddy Helm, Treasurer | Mary Kate Caucci, Professional Development Chair | Haley Young, Outreach Chair | Olivia Peduzzi, External Liaison