I didn't realize how wonderful and valuable my experience at Grinnell was until I got to graduate school at a major research university and saw what the undergraduate experience was like there. The "culture shock" was very strong as I saw classes with hundreds of students, limited undergraduate research experiences of variable quality, and very limited opportunities for undergraduates to interact with their professors in the way that we did at Grinnell.
~ Elizabeth Harbron '95, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at The College of William and Mary

I thoroughly enjoyed chemistry from the moment I set foot in the old Science Building at Grinnell. Although I had come to Grinnell thinking I wanted to study chemistry, the subject was still largely a classroom enterprise to me. At Grinnell it was a whole new world opened with rooms full of mysterious machines and instruments, chemicals and supplies. I couldn't wait to get my turn to explore it all, and none was barred.
~ Christine Kirmaier '73, Research Associate Professor at Washington University

Two experiences from Grinnell influenced my academic career the most. In almost every chemistry course, I was asked to design a short 3- week research project. We were given a tremendous amount of latitude in choosing the research topic. I remember thumbing through journals in the science library looking for inspiration. Grinnell taught me that creativity is an essential component of scientific research. The second important experience was conducting summer research. Undergraduate research gave me a sense of ownership of my chemistry, a sense of belonging in the chemistry department and confidence as a scientist.
~ Maria Nagan '97, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Truman State University

Grinnell prepared me well for graduate school. Despite the fact that I had taken fewer chemistry courses in the acquisition of a B.A. than many of my graduate school classmates took in the process of acquiring B.S. degrees, I was never at a disadvantage. I found that my Grinnell education had given me the tools I needed to succeed. In fact, my summer of undergraduate research proved to be very similar to my daily life as a graduate student. Ultimately, I value my B.A. I learned a lot at Grinnell that had nothing to do with science but a lot to do with history, people, and the world.
~ Tara Meyer '86, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh

The time at Grinnell with the camaraderie of the other science majors was important. We were there to learn and do science, not just look at it in a book, not to be a glass-washer for someone else.
~ Shenda Baker '85, Professor of Chemistry at Harvey Mudd College

I'll always be grateful to Grinnell for the fabulous start I got there in Chemistry. The small classes and excellent teachers made for a wonderful learning environment. We were encouraged to learn by doing, rather than by sheer memorization. The Chemistry labs were outstanding. I'll always remember my organic chemistry laboratory where everyone else in the class synthesized the required compound and all I had left at the end of the day was a black tar. However at Grinnell we were taught how to learn from our failures as well as our successes. This is an excellent lesson for life as well as Chemistry!
~ Margaret Tolbert '79, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Colorado

As students, faculty treated us as junior colleagues. My fellow students offered help, support, challenges and so much more. Grinnell set a pattern for never being content to get along, but to always strive to be a little better, to learn a bit more.
~ Donna Renaud Silvert '64, Senior Instructor at the Dalhousie University of Nova Scotia

Being a female chemistry major was empowering because the faculty could see no limits to what we could aspire. My only regret about the new science facilities has been the loss of those wonderful student research carrels where we discussed life, choices, and sometimes chemistry, as we baked brownies in the lab ovens. These spaces have been replaced with even better ones but my times in the old carrels, with our hand-me-down overstuffed chairs, were some of the best times at Grinnell for me.
~ Nancy Stewart Mills '72, Professor of Chemistry at Trinity University

I came to Grinnell with no background in chemistry. I had the worse time trying to understand some of the basic concepts. In my interactions today with students, I try to treat them with the same kindness and respect I found at Grinnell. I know it only takes one teacher to make a difference in a student's life. I hope I can be that teacher.
~ Karen Keiler Glover '88, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Clarke College

I never expected to like research. As a high school student and in my first years at Grinnell, I thought that research was too open-ended. I was very uncomfortable with uncertainty. I was sure I would graduate with my chemistry degree and then do something entirely different from research. But then Jim Schwartz and Gene Wubbels sent me to the University of Leiden in the Netherlands to work with an analytical chemist. It completely changed my life. After a summer of research experience, I found scientific uncertainty interesting rather than threatening.
~ Keri Hornbuckle '87, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa