Contributed by Natalie J. O’Neil, Higher Education Program Manager, Beyond Benign and Mevan Dissanayake, BE Planar PCD Regen Process Engineer at Intel Corporation
What comes to mind when you visualize your future green chemistry or engineering career? Is the term “Green” in your title? Did you find it based on the specific call out for those skills in the job posting? If you are searching for a position, you may be disappointed when limited or no search results appear with the terms “Green Chemistry” or “Green Engineering”. Does that mean these careers do not exist? No, they do—trust us! Many future careers in academia, industry, nonprofits and government agencies have an increasing priority placed on hiring students with the skills to design and apply safer, more sustai.... Join us to learn how to leverage your green credentials in various career paths and hear how others have built a career under the umbrella of green chemistry and engineering.
Our aim with the Careers in Green Chemistry & Engineering that Advance the Circular Economy GC&E Friday event on May 28th from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. EDT is to 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. The Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference draws in a significant number of students who will become, or already are, 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 to grow their network of contacts in this community. As members of the Network of Early-Career Sustainable Scientists & Engineers (NESSE), we are hosting this session to build connections between scientists and engineers across disciplines by sharing inspiring career paths that incorporate green chemistry and engineering.
We aim to demonstrate the benefits that background knowledge in green chemistry and engineering has in the eyes of an employer. It is not uncommon 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 to them after graduation. By assembling a series of career path examples, this live discussion will directly address students’ ubiquitous questions of what career options are available to them, and how they might go about pursuing them.
It is worth noting that although students are the target audience for this symposium, all attendees are welcome! For example, this symposium could be similarly valuable to those further in their career paths who may find themselves unemployed or otherwise facing a change in employment. This has become more relevant at present because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the job market. We would also welcome anyone in established careers with a curiosity to learn about the career paths that their colleagues have pursued or interest in mentoring students seeking resources. This event is intentionally composed of speakers that are willing to speak to students about careers, providing an additional networking opportunity for both the student attendees and the speakers themselves, especially from the perspective of potential employers. Register now to join us and keep an eye out for the announcement of our panelists covering academia, industry, and nonprofit career paths, by following NESSE on Facebook and Twitter.
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