The Chemistry Merit Program: Reaching, Teaching, and Retaining Students in the Chemical Sciences

The Chemistry Merit Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign directly responds to the challenge of having sufficient numbers of trained citizens in the science and technology sectors. The main objective of the program is to recruit and retain students in science-oriented curricula, particularly in the chemical sciences. Special importance is placed on recruiting underrepresented minorities, women, and students from small high schools. It is designed to support and encourage students in their studies of chemistry. This report describes how the Chemistry Merit Program has grown since its inception in 1993 and highlights some of its long-term and short-term successes in more detail.