Information Searching Tools

• PubChem – National Institute of Health Website for chemical and bioassay information.
• SciFinder Scholar – for searching Chemical Abstracts (must have account set up through UIS)
• ChemSpider – provided by RSC for searching chemical structures (open to anyone for free)
• ACS Chemworx – tool to research, write, collaborate and publish from ACS

Professional Organizations and Societies

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Chemical Society
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Chemical Abstracts Service
• Chemical Heritage Foundation
• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
• National Academy of Sciences
• Royal Society of Chemistry

Career Planning Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Chemist
• Careers in Science and Engineering

Job Search Resources

• Job Openings in Science Careers
• Nature Jobs
• Science Jobs

Undergraduate Research

One of the advantages of getting a Chemistry degree from UIS is the requirement to conduct an original research project. This requirement is fulfilled by earning three (3) credits of CHE 302 or CHE 400. These credits can be earned on campus in a project with one of the Chemistry Department faculty or in an off-campus research internship. The three credits of CHE 302 or CHE 400 meet the University requirements for three credits of ECCE Engaged Citizenship. The course includes a final written report of the research results and a professional presentation. Reports and presentations will be evaluated by the chemistry faculty as part of the annual departmental assessment of student learning. Contact a Chemistry faculty member to discuss possible projects or to get approval of a research opportunity outside the department.

Additional Engaged Citizenship credits can be earned in an internship. There are many local paid internships in the sciences. Contact the Internships and Prior Learning office for the current list of available internships at (217) 206-6640.

Honors

Chemistry and Biochemistry majors may elect to participate in the honors programs in Chemistry or Biochemistry, respectively. To graduate with honors, a student must:

1. complete all degree requirements,
2. earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all UIS Chemistry courses and 3.50 for UIS courses overall, and
3. make a public presentation of the results of undergraduate research (CHE 400 or similar experiential learning project).

Students must apply for honors designation to the chair of the Chemistry Department prior to their final semester at UIS.