UCB College of Chemistry Math Bootcamp

One of the most challenging aspects of coursework for incoming physical chemistry graduate students at UC Berkeley is that the courses assume conceptual and computational knowledge of a wide range of math topics that students often find difficult due to their diverse educational backgrounds. To improve students’ skills and confidence in solving undergraduate-level math problems, three fellow grad students and I founded, created curriculum for, and taught the Math Bootcamp in August 2020 for incoming Ph.D. students in the College of Chemistry. The math bootcamp is a one-week intensive before the start of the fall semester that refreshes students on math concepts important in graduate coursework, introduces them to resources for further study, encourages them to collaborate in group problem solving, and increases their comfort in asking peers, older graduate students, and instructors for support. By bringing everyone up to speed on the mathematical prerequisites for graduate physical chemistry, we expect to make students’ learning experience more inclusive, especially during the crucial first year of their Ph.D.

This past year, we expanded our teaching team and content, and we taught the Math Bootcamp in a hybrid fashion in August 2021. More information about the Math Bootcamp as well as our content is available at our website.

mychemistryjourney

Over the past several years, when family and friends hear that I’m pursuing a PhD in theoretical chemistry, they’re not quite sure what to picture. I started this instagram account to share with them parts of my journey through academia. It has been a fun (and challenging) way to think creatively about communicating a bite-sized piece of science research or an aspect of my life as a grad student.

Office appreciation post! After 13+ months of working from home, we’ve been back in our office space for ~2 months. While it’s taken some time to get back into a routine (packing lunch every day can be the worst), it feels so good to be b
Did you know that the atoms in everything around you are constantly moving and vibrating? 1// At hotter temperatures, the atoms in a quantum dot (QD) are moving faster, and the QD loses its structure, 2// but at colder temperatures, the vibrations a
Some super cool work by @paulwrona2: Hi, I’m Paul, a chemistry PhD candidate @ucberkeleyofficial! I’m studying semiconductors -- the materials used in electronics -- under intense light and very low temperatures (one degree above absolu
As COVID19 vaccines are being rolled out across the US, it’s interesting to see @ramyar117 ’s work, which shows us what’s inside the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease: Hi all! I’m Ramya, a Biophysics PhD student @stanf
Sharing some simply beautiful work by @khariman08: Hi! My name is Noalle, and I am a Chemistry PhD candidate at the @nyuniversity Molecular Design Institute. I use optical (visible light) microscopes to study the wonderful world of molecular crystals
So happy to share my first publication!! Science publications rely on the peer-review process,* which can be confusing to navigate. Here are some of the steps in between doing the research and getting it published: 1// You pick a journal, based on i
Excited to feature the amazing work of @kayorcutt, a fellow PhD candidate in chemistry @ucberkeleyofficial: Hi, I’m Kaydren, and I make entangled photons! So what is entanglement, exactly? Einstein called it “spooky action at a distance,&
In support of #ShutDownSTEM our research group had a discussion about racism in academia, and what we can do to support the #blacklivesmatter movement and diversity in general. Here’s some of what we came up with: 1// A diversity and inclusion
Quantum dots are tiny materials that are considered to be zero-dimensional (?!) objects. On a quantum dot, an electron is confined to this tiny point in space, and the laws of quantum mechanics take over. (Even though we’re all quarantined righ
Did you know that the government is the largest funder of basic science research in the US? Basic science research advances our fundamental knowledge and understanding of the world, providing the foundation for applied science research in the future.
Attending and presenting at conferences is a great way to learn about others’ work and get feedback on your own. This weekend I attended a conference on statistical mechanics — a field of study that explains macroscopic phenomena (that ca
Hi, I’m Dipti, and I’m a PhD student in chemistry @ucberkeleyofficial 👩🏽‍🔬 I use theory and computer simulations to study nanomaterials, like the ones shown here. These nanowires are made out of silver (shown in turquoise), nickel

Student involvement in faculty hiring

In 2018, the UC Berkeley Department of Chemistry modified the faculty hiring process to include interviews of faculty candidates by a graduate student committee. This move was in response to departmental climate survey data that showed concern regarding the lack of faculty diversity and transparency in the hiring process. As a member of the student committee in 2019-20 and the student-faculty coordinator in 2020-21, I have worked to increase communication between the student and faculty committees to ensure that students’ feedback and input is being taken into account during hiring decisions.

Check out this editorial in ACS Central Science to read more about our changes to the faculty hiring process and other community-driven efforts in the Department of Chemistry to improve academic climate.