Attending the ACS National Conference also granted me the opportunity to present my poster from the REU I participated in last summer at the University of Michigan. The poster session allowed me to further mature my science communication skills as I was required to explain complex information to a wide audience. However, the audience was also largely comprised of other medicinal chemists, which allowed the dialogue to also include challenging questions and collegial suggestions. Because of the size of the conference, there were also well-known researchers in attendance and I was able to meet some of them as they stopped at my poster. As a result, I was able to obtain advice on graduate school from them and attempt to impress potential research mentors.

There were not only respected professors from large research institutions, but there were also several attendees from pharmaceutical companies, which provided me a chance to speak with chemists in industry. I am relatively sure that my future lies in academia, but I am still intrigued by the work done in industry, so a conversation with those working at pharmaceutical companies was a useful experience.

I am hopeful that at the next Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) meeting on campus, I will be able to share my experience with my fellow chemistry majors and impart some knowledge and wisdom on the underclassmen that have not yet had the opportunity to present at a poster session.

The first day of a conference is always the most overwhelming—people bustling from room to room, a giant schedule of events from which you have to rank the most important/interesting seminars and sessions, and a plethora of free stuff that you have to figure out how to carry.

Luckily, I was accompanied by some of my fellow chemistry majors and had the opportunity to be guided by Rollins professors, veterans of conferences of this scale. During the afternoon, I attended several medicinal chemistry oral presentations where I tried to absorb as much information as possible and connect it either to concepts I’ve learned in class at Rollins or to experiences and knowledge I gained last summer during my participation in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Later in the evening, I attended the Expo and Career Fair where I was able to interact with several representatives from industry as well as learn about the cutting-edge technology and equipment they provide to research labs. I also made a point to stop by the medicinal chemistry division mixer to meet and socialize with researchers in the field that I am most interested in. Finally, my group explored the general poster sessions for divisions such as inorganic, analytical, and biological chemistry.

It was amazing to realize how much I was able to understand during the poster presentations because of my preparation in my major courses. Day 1 was an overall success and I’m looking forward to presenting my own poster on Wednesday (04/03).

Entry Two: The Threat of Gaza to Israel

The Threat of Gaza to Israel was the title of one of the break out sessions I was to attend on Monday. It was about the conflict, and realistically how much damage Gaza could do. I had been looking forward to learning about it, however, Monday morning we woke up to the news that Gaza had fired a rocket 20 miles outside of Tel Aviv.

This theoretical discussion had suddenly become very real. Israel is one of the biggest moral conflicts I struggle with. I think about it every day, and I am at a loss of what to do. The Jewish side of me believes that Israel should have a state, that there is a long history of discrimination, and that there is no question on the matter. The human rights activist side of me has some serious issues with the country.

In the break out session, we talked a lot about life in Gaza. The strip is extremely over populated, left without any water, and half of the citizens are under 25. They live in unbearable conditions, and need to be treated better. They are lead by a recognized terrorist organization, and Israel refuses to negotiate with them. Additionally, Hamas believes that Israel does not have the right to exist.

There is no simple fix here, and there is no question as to why the rockets started flying on Monday. This oppression has to stop, but there is not a clear way on how to solve it. These conversations are so important to have, because the hypothetical situation can turn real very quickly.

Entry One: Christianity is Everywhere

When first traveling to Israel, I really did not know what the purpose of a Jewish state was. I am Jewish, I thought it was important, but I didn’t know what it meant.

When I got there, I realized I had lived my entire life accepting that I was different and I would never be given religious equality. I was blissfully unaware of the impact that had on my life. Yes, I realized that the section of Target was smaller for Hanukkah than Christmas, but it was never that big of a deal to me. Once I got to Israel, I was able to experience what it was like to be the religious majority for the first time in my life.

I was exited to go to AIPAC because I imagined that I would have the same feeling. For the most part, I did. I was in a place where almost everyone was Jewish, and understood the importance of Israel as well as recognizing the problems. However, I was still in the US. When walking into the convention center, one of the first things I saw was a giant cross. After spending more time at the conference, speakers and panelists talked about the importance of Israel for Christians, and Mike Pence said a Christian prayer.

This reinforced my ideas of why I believe in Israel, and why it is so important to find a solution. It made me realize that even in a room with 18,000 Jews, Christianity will still reign. Christianity is everywhere.