Graduate students in the Texas A&M Chemistry Department had the opportunity to sharpen their professional skills and gain insight into their future careers during the sixth annual Harthcock Professional Development Symposium, held May 14, 2025.
Made possible through an endowment by Dr. Matthew (’82) and Patricia Harthcock, the symposium continues to serve as a resource for preparing students for life after graduate school. The event was first imagined in 2016 during a conversation between the Harthcocks and then-department head Dr. Simon North and has been a fixture in the department since 2018.
“Our goal is to expose students to tools and knowledge that they may not get in the classroom,” Dr. Harthcock said. “We want them to be better prepared for what lies ahead.”
This year’s event featured alumni working in industry who returned to share practical advice and stories from their own chemistry careers. Topics ranged from R&D and intellectual property to business practices and interview skills. Breakout sessions and a science communication workshop gave students a chance to ask questions and build their networks.
A highlight of the symposium was the Talent Insights assessment, offered for the second time thanks to a community service grant from Target Training International Success Insights (TTI Success Insights). Students received a personalized report analyzing their behavior and motivations—insight rarely offered at this early stage of a career.
“We are proud to support chemistry graduates at Texas A&M,” TTI Success Insights COO Vanessa Boettcher said. “We hope that these insights will take them far in their careers.”
Dr. Harthcock, who is certified in the TTI methodology, helped students interpret their reports and see how their traits might align with real-world chemistry roles. He also shared results from a case study that matched students with four common chemistry-based jobs.
“I’m so thankful to TTI for their generous grant,” he said. “At their stage of life, I had no idea tools like this even existed. I’m glad we can offer something so valuable to these future leaders.”
“This symposium continues to be one of our strongest resources for connecting students to industry and giving them a head start in building their careers,” said Dr. Lane Baker, Texas A&M Chemistry Department head.