Concordia’s American Chemical Society attended the 2025 ACS Western Regional meeting this past week, which is an event that brings together researchers from across California. The ACS was able to introduce others to Concordia, which led to networking and great discussions with students. 

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Josiah Rensner, said, “It had a lot of interesting talks and presentations. There were a lot of presentations by undergraduate researchers and a lot of work done at smaller schools.” Rensner also noted that there were some “good presentations” on the educational side, which provided him with “some ideas that he can hopefully use in teaching.”

Two students who are in the ACS were able to expand on their experience and explain what they learned at the event.

Madison Lafon, a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry, was particularly excited for one presentation. She said, “ I was most excited to see a poster presentation from San Francisco State University that looked at the role of copper and zinc binding in antibiotic resistance in sea cucumbers.” The presentation was given by two undergraduate students, and Lafon was thrilled to see “other undergrads in the biological inorganic chemistry field who were also looking at copper and zinc.”

Lafon explained that attending conferences as an undergrad is a huge opportunity. She said it is especially important “if you are looking to pursue your education further after undergrad.” Even though Lafon is only a sophomore, this conference got her excited to take upper-division courses in the future. 

Freshman Micah McGranahan, ‌Concordia’s American Chemical Society president, also attended this conference. He highlighted the importance of networking, saying, “Visiting these events broadens and deepens your view of many varied topics [and it allows] you [to] witness different age group interactions from non-professional to professional.” He also explained that it was a “great place to learn about graduate school programs.”

McGranahan offered some advice for people attending these conferences and meetings. He said to “look for scholarships to these events, work on your social skills, work with professors on research [and] talk to as many people as possible while you are there and put the time in at presentations to truly understand what people are researching.” 

Concordia’s American Chemical Society chapter continues to provide students with valuable opportunities to network within the scientific community. Attending conferences like the ACS Western Regional Meeting provides the opportunity to gain hands-on exposure to research, network with peers and researchers, and explore potential career and academic possibilities. Experiences like this are what highlight Concordia’s commitment to fostering scientific curiosity and professional growth among its ACS club members.

Tags: STEM

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