In April, Carolina chemistry will celebrate its 200th birthday. A key secret to reaching this venerable milestone and achieving an international reputation has been to invest in generations of promising young scientists like Bo Li and to provide them with the tools they need to thrive.

Encouraging women chemists to pursue academic careers is a priority of the chemistry department. A recent $300,000 grant from the Clare Boothe Luce Program will support new graduate fellowships for women in chemistry and create a mentoring program to support them while they are at UNC.

Jillian Dempsey, assistant professor of chemistry, on creativity.