To encourage the mental health of members of the department, the department also hired a private psychiatrist available to all members of the department.

New And Improved

Walking into the new chemistry department center, graduate students can find an array of ways to enjoy a break from their busy schedule.

“It’s great—take a look at it,” says first-year graduate student Arturo J. Vegas.

Students can hold office hours for courses they are TFing, play pool and enjoy a mini-cafe and a piano.

The gathering spot is called the department center because it is for all members of the department, including post-doctoral students, not just graduate students. Many research groups hold “open houses” here to introduce their research to fellow students.

“[The center is] definitely a place to come to chill and relax,” Vegas says while racking up the pool balls.

The departmental improvements are due, in part, to the efforts of chemistry students themselves.

The quality of life committee consists of graduate students representing the different research groups and serves as a way for the department to seek the opinion of students.

Recommendations of the quality of life committee are usually given “pretty generous support,” Gierasch says.

Recently, to highlight alternative job options given the competitive job market, the committee has instituted a career speaker series which brings chemistry Ph.D’s who are pursuing non-traditional paths with their degrees, such as working at a law firm.

There is an “implicit pressure to go into academic pursuits,” said Weld Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry James G. Anderson.

The department has instituted a number of changes to encourage graduate students to have more interaction amongst faculty outside their own research group.

“It’s really positive to see more interaction with faculty,” Gierasch says.

There are also monthly buffets for all members of the department.

This year, the department is also sponsoring rotations for first-year graduate students in many different research groups, a move designed to provide students with more information before committing to one group.

Although Loeb Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Stuart L. Schreiber has taken over the chair of the department this past year, the improvements will still continue, says Tony R. Shaw, director of the department.

And the improvements seem to be having the desired effect.

“No one doubts it anymore that the faculty does care,” Dransfield said.

—Staff writer Zachary Z Norman can be reached at znorman@fas.harvard.edu.