Chemistry undergraduate researcher Paul Chong (Spokoyny group) has been named a Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) Scholar. The prestigious program matches chemistry and chemical engineering students to internships at Fortune 500 companies. Chong was placed at his top pick – Hexion, Inc., a global leader in thermoset resins in Stafford, Texas.

In addition to the 10-week paid internship, Chong will also receive a $1,000 scholarship to present his research at a professional meeting of his choice and he will be asked to nominate a high school chemistry teacher for recognition and a $1,000 award.

A junior chemistry-materials science major, Chong joined the Spokoyny lab in 2015 and is part of a team that works on developing new methods of polymerization utilizing boron-rich cluster compounds as photooxidants. He is also a U.S. Army veteran.

"I would like to express my gratitude towards the American Chemical Society and the Society of Chemical Industry for giving me this wondrous opportunity to experience research from a different angle,” Chong said. “I would also like to thank my amazing mentors, Dr. Alexander Spokoyny and graduate student Marco Messina, for all of the guidance and knowledge they have imparted to me throughout my time at UCLA."

SCI, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the American Chemical Society created the SCI Scholars Summer Internship Program to introduce chemistry and chemical engineering undergraduate students to careers in the chemical industry.

To learn more about the Spokoyny lab’s research, visit the group’s website.