Exceptional Interns: SCI Scholars Stand Out

In April, ACS announced the 2020 SCI Scholars, a talented group of 18 undergraduates selected from 100 applications to participate in paid industrial internships over the summer of 2020. Though some companies have had to suspend their internship this summer due to the spread of COVID-19, inChemistry is tipping its hat to these students and their achievement.

SCI Scholars is a summer internship program for high-performing chemistry and chemical engineering students. It was developed by the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) to encourage students to consider careers in industry through internship experiences. Applicants must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and demonstrate the flexibility, self-motivation, and critical thinking skills to thrive in an industrial career. A panel of independent industry and academic representatives is then tasked with recognizing the exceptional among the “merely” outstanding.

SCI member companies provide 10-week summer internship experiences. In addition to a salary and benefits, SCI Scholars receive a certificate and $1,000 to use toward professional development or participation in a scientific meeting. And, of course, they gain valuable workplace experiences and skills that benefit them throughout their careers.

SCI Scholars internships are full-time jobs that take place for 10-12 weeks over the summer. Duties vary by location and can range from writing procedures to developing process recommendations to testing equipment, protocols, and procedures.

In addition to the prestige of the SCI Scholars program, participants gain valuable insight into industry. They learn how projects get funded, how to collaborate on a professional level, how to manage their resources and time, and how to communicate with a broad range of people.

Visit the SCI America Facebook page to see how previous SCI Scholars have spent their summers.

Here are the 2020 SCI Scholars:


Kirk David Badger
University of New Hampshire

Westlake Chemical


Sajan Bar
Columbia University

Trinseo LLC
Midland, MI


Gerardo Carreon
Texas A&M University

LyondellBasell
Houston, TX


Juil (Jay) Chung
University of California, Santa Barbara

LyondellBasell
Cincinnati, OH


Sarah Friedman
University of Central Arkansas

Carus, LLC
LaSalle, IL


Armstrong Gbessagee
Johns Hopkins University

ExxonMobil Chemical Company
Baytown, TX


Renato A Gonzalez
University of Arkansas

Trinseo, LLC,
Dalton, GA


Nathanael T Hovda
California Baptist University

ExxonMobil Chemical Company
Baton Rouge, LA


Jayda Jackson
The Ohio State University

Eastman Chemical Company
Kingsport, TN


Elizabeth Johnson
Washington University in St. Louis

Carus, LLC
LaSalle, IL


ZiQi (Crystal) Lin
University of Maryland

W.R. Grace
TBD


Reilly P Lynch
Western Washington University

AmSty
St James, LA


Mina Mansour
University of California, Los Angeles

AmSty
St James, LA


Angeline Needs
Calvin University

The Dow Chemical Company
Midland, MI


Harith N Palmer
Washtenaw Community College

Air Liquide
TBD


Justin Park
Northeastern University

Trinseo LLC
Midland, MI


Christopher (Riley) Perry
Northeast Texas Community College

Hexion, Inc
Stafford, TX


Emily Sherman
Texas Christian University

Milliken & Company
Spartanburg, SC


What if I can’t be an SCI Scholar?

SCI Scholars is a highly competitive program, so there are lots of people who are not SCI Scholars. You may not be interested in the SCI companies, your GPA may be less than 3.5, you may not be able to work with the deadline, or you may have another reason.

If SCI Scholars isn’t for you or if you just want to hedge your bets, here are some other places to look for experiential opportunities: