Chem-Possible shows students what they can do with their degrees

Future science professionals learned about the wide variety of career paths they can pursue when they joined industry representatives from 12 businesses and government agencies for Chem-Possible, an annual networking event put on by the CWU Chemistry Department.

For the fourth year in a row, the April 27 event welcomed a range of prospective employers and professional scientists to campus to meet with students interested in discovering new opportunities for them to use their degrees in the job market.

Chem-Possible has grown every year since it started, and organizers decided to move it into SURC 137 this year due to the overwhelming response from industry partners such as the Washington Department of Agriculture, Tree Top, Kittitas Valley Healthcare, John I. Haas, and Yakima Chief Hops.

The Allen Institute, Pfizer, Hopsteiner, Pac Aero, Navarro-ATL laboratory, the Washington Department of Ecology, South Platte Renew, and the CWU Chemistry graduate program also set up booths at the event, which attracted dozens of students from 1-3 p.m.

And while students may end up with future opportunities after attending Chem-Possible, organizers emphasize that it is not a job fair.

“That’s not our goal,” said Chemistry Department administrative assistant Lisa Stowe, who chairs the committee that coordinates three events every year (one per quarter). “This is more about helping students become aware of what’s out there, getting them comfortable with the idea that they can go up to a stranger and start talking about chemistry.”

The idea for Chem-Possible arose in 2023 when Stowe and her fellow committee members responded to requests from students interested in learning more about science-related careers.

“They asked for it, so we started asking around to some of our alumni if they would return to campus representing their employers,” she said. “We had five the first year and we have continued to expand it every year since. We try to bring in an interesting mix of age, cultural background, and career paths so our students can realize what’s out there.”

Department Chair Tim Sorey says he hears from students all the time who want to know how they can put their scientific training to work after graduation.

“We need people to know about the many possibilities there are,” he said, noting that is where the event name originated. “It’s not about offering a job or an internship; what’s more important for our students is to know where they can put their science to work. How does their chemistry degree interface with the real world?”

But it’s not just the CWU students who stand to benefit from Chem-Possible; the industry participants also gain a great deal of insight into what today’s graduates are looking for. Most of the conversations center around how to apply their chemistry degrees, while others lead to future networking conversations. Sometimes, they just like to swap science stories.

Stowe says the response from everyone involved has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The word is starting to get around that this is a worthwhile event, even if companies aren’t currently hiring,” she said. “The ones who have attended always tell us, ‘I’m so glad we did this.’”

Organizers hope to continue growing the event in future years, and they have already begun talking to some new prospects around Central Washington about next year.

Tapping into the Chemistry Department’s alumni network has been instrumental in the growth of Chem-Possible. Many of this year’s participants have CWU connections, and that has only helped build interest among industry partners.

CWU alums who attended included Caleb Mortensen (‘20), a research scientist for Navarro-ATL on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation; Jared Fraychineaud (’08), a registered nurse at KVH; and Sara Rybka Grabenhorst (’09), a lab manager at Yakima-based hops company S.S. Steiner dba Hopsteiner.

“A lot of the alums who were here worked as TAs or tutors, or did research for us,” Sorey said. “These are people who love to imagine and create and teach, and when we ask them to come back and help educate our current students, they are eager to help. I think that’s the secret sauce. These former students had a great experience at CWU, and they want to come back and tell people, ‘did you know you can use your degree and do this?’”