#  Harvard undergraduates launch new ACS student chapter  

 





May 26, 2026

 

 

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Harvard undergraduates have officially launched the Harvard Undergraduate Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which seeks to bridge the gap between undergraduate chemists and the broader scientific community.

The chapter was launched by chemistry concentrators LJ Knight and Selina Hokello, who saw an opportunity to expand access to professional and research experiences for their classmates.

“We founded the Harvard ACS Student Chapter because, while the Harvard CCB department has created invaluable opportunities for students within Harvard, we felt there was still a gap in connecting students to the broader chemistry community beyond campus,” Knight said.

Knight recalled attending the ACS Spring National Meeting this year, which had very little visibility within the department itself, and noticed that he was likely the only Harvard undergraduate present. That experience was transformative, providing chances to network with graduate programs, industry leaders, and researchers across the chemical sciences.

“Experiences like these should not be limited to students who happen to discover them independently but should be accessible to every student with an interest in chemistry,” he said.

Hokello was inspired to launch the chapter to link students with the broader chemistry community.

“As someone who was unfamiliar with research as a first year, it was groups like the Foundational Undergraduate Experience in the Laboratory (FUEL) that taught me how I could get started,” Hokello said. “So in an effort to continue the work of these kinds of groups, we wanted to open an ACS chapter to ensure that all the resources students needed to be successful researchers and scientists were made available throughout their journey here at Harvard.”

In just two months, the founders recruited nine chemistry students, established an executive board, held the first board meeting, drafted bylaws, and began the formal Department Student Organization recognition process. The chapter has already secured an ACS grant to support its development and subsidize future programming.

Looking ahead, the chapter plans to collaborate with Chemistry Club and the FUEL program to expand recruitment and host professional, academic, and community-building events.

“We hope the Harvard ACS Student Chapter will empower students to pursue research opportunities, explore careers and experiences across the chemical sciences, and build stronger connections to the wider chemistry community beyond Harvard,” the Knight and Hokello said. “Most importantly, we want to help reduce barriers to access for students who may not yet have formal research experience and ensure that every student interested in chemistry feels welcomed, supported, and encouraged to grow within the field.”



 

 

 



 

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