Benzene - Undergraduate Chemistry Society

About the Undergraduate Chemistry Society

Welcome to Benzene

Benzene is the official RSO at the University of Chicago for undergraduate students interested in chemistry. We are supported by the Chemistry Department at the University of Chicago and host a number of events every year, in addition to our weekly meetings during the academic year. It is a fun way for UChicago undergraduates who are majoring in chemistry/biochemistry and/or who are just interested in all-things chemistry to get together and enjoy chemistry, of course with food and drinks!

We meet once a week, on Friday evenings, in Jones 108. If you would like to join, please check our Facebook for information regarding upcoming meetings or email one of the board members for more information.

To sign up for our newsletter, please subscribe here. To sign up for the Listhost, you can subscribe here.

Curious. Rigorous. Innovative. Collaborative.

Activities

We partake in a number of activities during our biweekly meetings, such as research presentations, Chemistry Jeopardy, faculty seminars, etc.. Additionally, we host numerous events throughout the year, such as the annual Gregory L. Hillhouse Memorial Lecture and Research Lab Tours. See below for more details regarding these activities and events.

Gregory L. Hillhouse Memorial Lecture

Professor Gregory Hillhouse was a professor in the Department of Chemistry at UChicago from 1983 to his passing in 2014. In addition to his prominent work as an organometallic/inorganic chemist, he was known as an ardent supporter of the undergraduate chemistry community, serving as the faculty advisor for Benzene and the undergraduate advisor for the Chemistry Department. The Department of Chemistry has established the Gregory L. Hillhouse Memorial Chemistry Undergraduate Fund to honor Greg’s legacy. This fund will support an annual Gregory Hillhouse Lecture, for which the undergraduate Chemistry majors will invite and host prominent speakers. The Fund will also support fellowships to enable undergraduate majors to pursue research in Chemistry labs in the summer. See here for more information regarding contributions to the fund.

 

Previous speakers for the annual Gregory L. Hillhouse Memorial Lecture have included:

 

Research Lab Tours

Benzene recently began hosting research lab tours for undergraduate students who are interested in research opportunities in the Department of Chemistry. Many professors, from theorists to experimentalists, opened up their labs to give interested undergrads an inside look at the incredible research being done by the numerous postdocs, graduate students, and other undergraduate students in their groups. If you are interested in this event, please contact one of the student board members for more information.

"Your Path to Chemistry" Speaker Series

Every quarter, Benzene hosts a current UChicago faculty member to come to a meeting and speak about his or her own experiences in his or her path to chemistry, as each individual’s path varies widely. These talks are meant to facilitate discussion between faculty and students, as well as provide insight about the different opportunities available in the field of chemistry.

Previous speakers for the “Your Path to Chemistry” series have included:

Hillhouse Faculty-Student Basketball Game

In the spring of 2016, a faculty-student basketball game was inaugurated in honor of Professor Hillhouse, who was a fiercely competitive intramural athlete, tremendously skilled at both basketball and softball. He also played pickup basketball with President Barack Obama. The game will increase connections between faculty and students of the chemistry department and honor Professor Hillhouse with one of his favorite sports.

Connect with us

If you would like to join, then you’re already in! No application needed. To stay in the know regarding upcoming meetings, you can check out the Events tab, follow our Facebook page, join our Discord server, or join our Listhost.

Scroll to Top