The American Chemical Society wants under-represented chemistry majors to apply for scholarships.

“The society is the single largest scientific organization in the nation, being 126 years old with 164,000 members,” said Robert Hughes, manager of the scholarship program. “The members are made up of researchers and science journal publishers.”

The ACS scholarship program is set up to provide financial support for academically accomplished African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans who want to acquire a degree with a chemistry background, said Beverly Hassell, communication officer for ACS.

Majors included are chemistry, chemical science, chemistry education, biotechnology, chemical engineering, environmental science technology and forensic technology, among others.

The scholarships are available to seniors in high school through seniors in college. Up to 100 scholarships will be given, and high school seniors and freshmen can receive up to $2,500 per academic year, while sophomores, juniors and seniors will be rewarded up to $3,000 per academic year, Hassell said.

Hughes said the society refers to a 2000 ChemCensus Report, taken by the society’s board of directors, that found few minorities major in science-related disciplines at the college level.

“The Hispanic heritage makes up 12 percent of the U.S. population, with only 2.6 percent in the chemical workforce. African Americans make up 12 percent of the population, with less than 2 percent in the chemical workforce, and Native Americans, with 1 percent of the population, make up less than 1 percent of the chemical work-force.”

A reserve fund of $5 million started the pool for the scholarships in 1995. Since then, corporations and other organizations have donated to this sum, and ACS matched every dollar, totaling $8 million for scholarships, Hughes said.

Along with financial aid, the scholarship program offers other benefits to chemistry-related students.

“ACS also tries to provide students with a mentor or an adviser to help them find summer internships or research opportunities with the companies that participate with the ACS program,” Hassell said.