Chemistry Luminary Offers Education, Career Tips
Madeleine Jacobs, former American Chemical Society Chief Executive Officer, advises Fellows on careers in chemistry, internships
Madeleine Jacobs kicked off the Fellows’ fall 2021 semester on September 30, sharing lessons learned during her long career in chemistry and science communications. Now a Board Member with George Washington University, Jacobs has served in a variety of positions with the American Chemical Society (ACS), including as Chief Executive Officer, and before that as managing editor of its flagship magazine. Earlier, Jacobs led public affairs at the Smithsonian Institution and was a science communicator with multiple federal research agencies.
She told the Fellows that she had an “epiphany at age 13 that chemistry was the basis for everything in the world…and it would make life better.” Jacobs’ plans shifted several times. That included electing a fully paid scholarship at GWU over other colleges and opting not to pursue a planned PhD in chemistry and academic research career.
“The most important thing is to know that there’s no one right career at the beginning. You try things out. If it doesn’t work, you can always change. There’s truly a cornucopia of career pathways for someone who is educated in science.”
Her love for science writing “and a bit of luck” led Jacobs to make a sharp turn. While telling the Fellows that ”Chemistry, combined with communication skills and writing, is a fantastic background for so many careers,” she said that “The most important thing is to know that there’s no one right career at the beginning. You try things out. If it doesn’t work, you can always change. There’s truly a cornucopia of career pathways for someone who is educated in science.” Jacobs added, “People who are in STEM “are going to help solve the great global challenges.” She stressed the value of internships, beginning in high school, and pointed them to available STEM internships.
The Sandra Lee Heyman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in memory of Sandra Lee Heyman, a long-time mathematics teacher at the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college levels. The 18-month long Fellowship is aimed at promising high school students who have the opportunity to meet with STEM leaders, visit prominent institutions in the Washington, D.C., area, and access peers and mentors to support career exploration in STEM fields. There are multiple ways to support the Fellowship program, and donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.