The University of Maryland Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry established a strategic partnership with the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) on March 20, 2008. The department wants to encourage more African American students to pursue graduate study at UM, and to nurture the success of outstanding black scientists.

At the NOBCChE conference in Philadelphia March 17-22, 2008: Formalizing the Partnership: (TOP) Dr. Mike Doyle, Chemistry Chair (pictured in center), presents a $15,000 check to NOBCChE president Dr. Victor McCrary, PhD, (at left), and Dr. Bobby L. Wilson, NOBCChE Executive Board Chair (at right) Current and Prospective Students pose with UM faculty: (BOTTOM) l to r - Dr. John Fourkas, Millard Alexander Professor of Chemistry, Ian Rowe (Millersville University), Margaret Brown (Cal State University, Northridge), Geraldine Echebiri (Goucher College), Jacqueline Smith (University of Maryland), Melantha Jackson (Utica College), A. Renee Siler (University of Maryland), Katherine Goodson (University of Maryland), Christopher Sims (UMBC), and Dr. Kwaku Dayie, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

A Reflection of the Community

“We want to have our faculty and graduate student body reflect the diversity of the community in which we live,” says Dr. Michael Doyle, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who presented a $15,000 check to NOBCChE at the organization’s 35th annual conference in Philadelphia.

The UM Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has been a nation-wide leader in recruiting and supporting black faculty and students, and its commitment to increasing African American participation in the department made it a natural choice to become NOBCChE’s first educational partner.

A Commitment to Grow New Talent

“Both NOBCChE and the University of Maryland Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are committed to growing our base of brilliant minds and talented individuals,” said NOBCChE president Victor McCrary, Ph.D, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. “It is our hope that this university partnership will serve as a model for future universities, as well as corporate entities.”

The synergistic relationship will help further initiatives already in place to attract African American scientists to the University of Maryland. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry established a University of Maryland chapter of NOBCChE two years ago, and offers the Mulligan graduate fellowship, jointly with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is designed to attract outstanding black students.

"This partnership should signal to top African American students that the University of Maryland is committed to providing an academically rigorous and nurturing environment in which they can excel," says Dr. Kwaku Dayie, one of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry's newest faculty recruits who comes to UM from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute. "The department, under the visionary leadership of Dr. Doyle, should be commended for initiating this valuable partnership."

Visit the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry website
Visit the University of Maryland chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) website