Program and Agenda
All sessions will take place in the Coastal Ballroom on the third floor of NC State's Talley Student Union.
General Schedule
Morning
8:30 a.m. – Noon
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM Check-in and Networking: Coffee and bakery items will be served.
09:00 AM – 09:30 AM Introductory Presentations:
Welcome, introduction to the College of Sciences, updates since ChemEd Summit 2024, and ACS Programs for professional skills development
- Ghada Rabah, Teaching Professor of Chemistry, NC State University
- Jeremiah Feducia, Teaching Professor of Chemistry and Director of Undergraduate Experiences, Integrative Sciences Initiative, NC State University
- Alun Lloyd, Drexel Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Sciences, NC State University
- Michelle Brooks, Assistant Director of Higher Education, American Chemical Society
9:30 AM – 10: 40 AM Professional Scenarios
Lightning talks and audience engagement
Focus Areas:(1) Adaptability & Iteration, (2) Diverse Communication, (3) Project management, (4) Applying to interdisciplinary and real-world problem, and (5) AI in Industry
- Rachelle Bienstock, Molecular Modeler , Computational Chemist, Senior Discovery Scientist and Product Marketing Manager , RJB Computational Modeling LLC; Guest/Visiting Scientist NIEHS
- Joshua Harris, Associate Director, Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Nicholas Kramer, Senior Research Scientist II, Sterling Pharma Solutions
- Nicholas Massaro, Associate Manager Process Chemistry , Cambrex
- Volker Bornemann, President and CEO, Avazyme, Inc.
- Felicia Cherry, Carolina Product Manager Chemistry, Biological Supply Company
- William Daunch, CTO, Continuity Biosciences LLC
- Mariana Franco, Senior Scientist, Syngenta
- Caroline Sangal, Founder & People Champion, Next Success
- Aurellia Whitmore, Principal Systems Account Manager , Waters Corporation
10:40 AM – 10: 50 AM Morning Break
10:50AM -11:45 AM Academic Lightning Talks
Lightning talks and audience engagement
Focus Areas:(1) Adaptability & Iteration, (2) Diverse Communication, (3) Project management, (4) Applying to interdisciplinary and real-world problem, and (5) AI in Industry
- Leah Granger, Assistant Teaching Professor , Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, NC State University
- Tom Ritchie, Fulbright Visiting Scholar , Elon University
- Jason Sonnenberg, Lead Developer Chemistry Education, Wolfram Alpha
- Roshni Bhaskar, Graduate Student, Popova Research Group, UNC Greensboro
- Kathryn Haas, Chemistry Professor of the Practice, Duke University
- Juliette Lantz, Chemistry Professor, Drew University
- Oskana Love, Chemistry Assistant Professor, UNC Asheville
- Travis Varner, Chemistry Assistant Teaching Professor, NC State University
11:45 AM -12:15 PM Mini workshop: Chemistry laboratory data fitting using generative AI tools, Jason Sonnenberg, Wolfram Alpha LLC
Lunch
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Joshua Pierce, Howard J. Schaeffer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Executive Director, Integrative Sciences Initiative (ISI) – Introduction to ISI and Woodson Hall.
Reza Ghiladi, Interim Head and Professor of Chemistry – Introduction to the Chemistry Department at NC State University.
Afternoon
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM AI tools available to educators, Kristy Borda, Research Librarian for the Sciences and Instructional Strategy, NC State University
1:15 PM – 1:30 PM Basic neural networks 101 and molecular generation, Paul Liu, Professor, Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, NC State University
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM Mini workshop: Meeting skills assessment needs with the ELIPSS skill rubrics, Juliette Lantz, Chemistry Professor, Drew University.
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM Recap of takeaways from earlier sessions
2:15 PM – 3:25 PM Breakout sessions
Participants from academia, industry, and recent graduates will group by skill of interest and engage in facilitated breakout discussions focused on identifying curricular activities in the chemical sciences that support professional skill development and interdisciplinary learning. Discussions will follow the format below:
- Identify two points in your curriculum to create an activity that introduces the skill and one that, later on, develops this skill
- Design an approach to assessment
- Align with modern workforce needs
- Identify resources needed for implementation
3:25 PM – 3:40 PM Afternoon Break
3:40 PM – 4:30 PM Reporting Out
Breakout groups share key ideas and proposed activities. Participants identify common themes and opportunities for curricular developments across course levels.
Break out session and reporting out facilitators:
- Kristy Borda, Research Librarian for the Sciences and Instructional Strategy, NC State University
- Michelle Brooks, Assistant Director of Higher Education, American Chemical Society
- Charles Henderson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of Interdisciplinary STEM Education, NC State University
- Juliette Lantz, Chemistry Professor, Drew University
- Tom Ritchie, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Elon University
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM Roadmap to implementation and final remarks
Identify next steps, including pilot-ready ideas, timelines, assessment considerations, and opportunities for continued collaboration through follow-up meetings and shared resources.