Alpha Chi Sigma - Chemistry Fraternity

Alpha Chi Sigma, the premier chemistry fraternity (we’re co-ed!) on campus, has one major goal: to share our passion for chemistry with the students around us. We represent a large population of the College of Chemistry, and have chemistry, chemical biology, and chemical engineering majors in our organization. Alpha Chi Sigma, or AXΣ, focuses on professional development and outreach programs to both advance our skills as researchers and workers while also giving back to the community by teaching at elementary schools, volunteering at chemistry demonstrations, and running shadowing programs. With funding, we have three initiatives we would like to accomplish. The first would allow us to travel with ample demonstration kits and materials to local schools to teach kids, while the second is a combination shadowing and mentorship program that helps train younger students for chemistry competitions. Our last project is new to our organization, and includes meeting with students, specifically at local community colleges, who want to transfer into UC Berkeley in chemistry-related fields and would be willing to shadow our members for a day. We need your help to make our programs successful!

The first of our end-of-semester projects is to partner with a local high school and support their qualification for the National Chemistry Olympiad, a nationwide chemistry competition where students showcase their knowledge in chemistry, conduct their own research and take part in a chemistry related lab project. In early March, we will begin to build our network, help them study for their local qualifying exams, and continue this process until the national exams which take take place throughout April. Once qualified, we will continue to support the students through May and July and act as consultants and mentors as they prepare for the nationwide competition at the end of July. By donating to our cause, you will be directly helping students build better strategies and be more prepared for these exams.

The second project we hope to fund with this campaign is a shadowing program for local community college students. In March and April, we hope to partner with local institutions such as Berkeley City College, Chabot College, and Merritt College and invite their students to spend a day with us on campus, and learn what a day in the lab is like here at UC Berkeley. We have found that many students, especially those underrepresented in chemistry, do not know that research is something they could easily do. As a diverse and inclusive fraternity, we hope to show students of all backgrounds that they have the abilities to pursue their passions, and that students see us as role models that inspire them to pursue their passion no matter their prior bias about the subject.

Although our outreach events are ongoing and take place throughout the entire semester, we are applying for crowdfunding in April in order to build our big end of the semester projects as well as ongoing science outreach through Bay Area Scientists in Schools (BASIS). BASIS events happen bi-weekly in several locals schools in Oakland and the surrounding areas. Although the events only happen twice a month, we are constantly training new members, sourcing lesson materials, and contacting local educators to build connections between our organization and the community.

Overall, we want to expand our outreach efforts in order to expose students of all ages to the exciting world of chemistry and related sciences. Our proposed projects have been designed to establish a continual connection between our fraternity and the local community. By acting as role models, support systems, and walking examples of diversity in STEM, we hope to empower all students, and show them that they too can become chemists, and we need your support today to make this program grow, so make a gift today!

For any more questions, feel free to email axs.sigma.fundraising@gmail.com. Also follow us on Instagram (@alphachisigma_sigma) to get weekly updates on what our fraternity is doing!