During my visit to the American Chemical Society National Conference in San Francisco, I presented a poster of my research on the analysis of caffeine as a tracer of wastewater contamination. Presenting my research at a conference of this scale was a new and exciting experience for me. As I arrived at my scheduled session and hung my poster up, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of presenters and the scale of the conference as a whole.

During the session, I had the opportunity to talk and share my research with undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, and industry professionals from around the country. The depth of discussion varied with each person’s interest and background knowledge of the topic, but it was a pleasant experience to be able to talk about my research with other scientists. More experienced members of the field were very supportive and impressed with my research when I explained that I was an undergraduate and encouraged me to continue research.

I also had the opportunity to walk around the hall during the session and see other posters. It was beneficial for my own future research to see and hear graduate students or professors describe their work. Participation in this poster session has not only given me a great opportunity to be a presenter at a national conference, but it also gave me a better appreciation for scientific communication. I am grateful to have been able to participate in this conference and to be a part of the scientific community.

From April 2^nd to April 6^th, I attended the American Chemical Society 253^rd National Conference in San Francisco, CA. This was my first time attending a national scientific conference and my first time traveling for a conference. During my stay, I was able to do a little bit of sightseeing in San Francisco, but I spend majority of my time walking around the hotels and convention centers experiencing all that the conference had to offer. I went to a variety of talks throughout the session, given by industry professional, academic professors, undergraduate and students. Looking at the session topics, it was amazing to see the scale of the conference and all the areas where chemistry is applied.

One of the most memorable moments was attending the Kavli Foundation Lecture Series featured speaker Dr. Jennifer A. Doudna, one of the largest talks at the convention. I was also able to attend a workshop during the conference on finding a career to fit with personal strengths and goals. As an undergraduate, the workshop was very helpful for me to learn the differences between jobs in academia, industry and government, and helped me think about what I might like to do after graduate school. It was a great opportunity to be able to attend this conference as an undergraduate and hope to return in future years as I continue my education in chemistry.