The American Chemistry Society’s eboard promotes their club with donuts and smiles.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Rachel Mojica ‘23, Ayanne Horsford ‘23, Samantha Diaz ‘25, Jasmine Roman ‘25).
ANGELINA PEREZ/THE QUADRANGLE
By Angelina Perez, Web Editor
Manhattan College’s American Chemical Society shares their love for science all over campus, from their favorite elements like tungsten and cobalt to their favorite parts of the sciences. By using different opportunities to bring about interest in the advancement of chemical science, these chemists are sure to show outsiders that you do not need to be in the club to have chemistry with its members.
Vice president Nicholas Malgioglio had an epiphany his sophomore year that promoted a healthy change, resulting in his graduating with an Environmental science degree this spring.
“I wasn’t always a science guy,” said Malgioglio.
“Especially in high school, I didn’t take any science based APs so I had no scientific knowledge going into college. I switched into Chemistry my freshman year and struggled very hard. One day after a late lab my biology partner Christian, who’s now graduated, asked if we could grab lunch and told me ‘Hey, you should come by the ACS. I know we just ate, but we’re having a pizza event tonight. I was like, alright and came by and attended a few of their meetings that year and last year, they happened to have the elections and he really encouraged me a lot to run, so I did.”
Rachel Mojica, a senior biochemistry major, also reflected on the first time she interacted with the ACS on campus, unsure of the title of presidency she would hold only a sheer amount of years later.
“When I first saw them at the club fair I thought they were lying to me that they do more than actual chemistry experiments.” Mojica said. “I wanted to see what they did so I started going to meetings. But then when I joined it was mostly like talks and they invited professors to speak about the research, which was also interesting.”
Secretary Taeef Jihaan told The Quad how his major in chemical engineering and business minor affirmed something can be brought to the table for non-science majors.
“While this club has an upward and mostly focusing on chemistry majors, we also have different STEM majors such as biology, physics and engineering majors to join too,” Jihaan said. “However, we are trying to expand to the other side of campus and plan to do so with content and speakers so they can connect back to their academic journey.”
Jasmine Roman, a sophomore biochemistry major, is also trying to expand the club’s academic reputation by suggesting and implementing a new position for those who want to get involved to look forward to.
“I’m a peer mentor coordinator,” Roman said. “So essentially, we send out applications to have people apply to be both mentees and mentors as a way of connecting underclassmen to upperclassmen who are willing to teach you how to network, learn about what classes to take, and how to get involved in research on campus. This position isn’t necessarily a position that’s based in chemistry, but more as a way to foster a community within those studying science.”
ACS is all about connections. With bringing fellow peers together, they have also branched out to the professor and the professional.
“It just sort of ties them all together and sort of creates this really well oiled machine that’s working towards the same goal,” Malgioglio said.
The ACS also connects students within the Bronx community as well.
“We attend the local elementary and middle schools and show them the science behind making putty experiments,” Malgioglio explained. “The general premise is to promote chemistry and science to kids who haven’t started thinking about what they want to do when they grow up. But possibly help connect that positive experience to science while they’re really young that might help them want to start to pursue it.”
The ACS does not just stick to one chemical experiment for the kids, but multiple holidays also drive their creative minds.
“During Halloween, we have little cute experiments for the kids like volcanoes or like lava lamps,” Mojica said. “Things that won’t hurt them but instead associate things like bubbles and colors to science and make the subject more than what they are taught in textbooks.”
With the weather starting to warm up and Earth day fast approaching, the ACS is returning to their successful event from last semester that they hosted in Jasper lawn.
“We started this tie dye event last semester where we buy shirts for students to dye and explain the chemistry behind it and how they can wash it afterwards,” said Mojica. “It’s a lot of fun and we have a bunch of designs for people to choose from.”
Students were perplexed to discover the chemicals behind the dying, unaware of how connected it can make you feel to the world around you.
“The average person doesn’t know enough about chemistry,” Roman said. “I feel even we in the club do not know enough about it. You need an actual Ph.D. to know enough about chemistry. We don’t make anyone feel ashamed for not knowing because sometimes we won’t even know. Chemistry is comprehensive. It can be fun and we don’t we’re not going to quiz them or give them access. We just want people to come and have fun and gain information from the talk. It’s normal to be afraid of engaging with an unfamiliar subject, especially if you aren’t in the school of science, but there’s really no need to be afraid. It’s not a class, you aren’t getting graded for it.”
As their love for science continues to blossom, the ACS helps provide students with the comfort that science is everywhere and is easier to spot than you think.
“My love for chemistry is not purely because of the science behind it,” Jihann explains. “It mostly stemmed from the creative and collaborative partnerships I have gained. So if I could bring those aspects to the student body of anyone interested in interacting with us, that would be one of my biggest goals. That is what I want to see.”
For more from the ACS follow them on instagram @acsmanhattan and be on a lookout around campus for their annual Tie dye event March 21st at 4 p.m.