Chemistry Graduate Student Society: 2026 roundup

By The Chemistry Graduate Student Society

The Chemistry Graduate Student Society (CGSS) is a student-run organization that advocates for graduate student well-being and organizes community-building events within the Department of Chemistry. Over the past year, we’ve hosted a number of events focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), networking, and community-building. Check out what we’ve been up to:  

• For our Global women’s breakfast in February, we worked with FemPHYS to bring together members of the Waterloo Science community to celebrate diversityand tackle barriers that continue to create gender inequalities in our field. This event was themed “Many Voices, One Science” and allowed female-identifying scientists in both the Chemistry and Physics departments to share their experiences, journeys, and insights on navigating through their respective careers. 

• In March, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Imogen Coe from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to discuss her research along with strategies to improve equity for members in STEM. 

• In the fall, we organized the Graduate Student Research Session to share research in our department with the undergraduate community, helping to bridge the gap between graduate and undergraduate students in the Faculty of Science more broadly. Undergraduate students gained insight into research options for graduate study, and graduate students had the opportunity to explain their work to an enthusiastic audience!  

• In February, we hosted a scientific publishing workshop lead by Wiley deputy editor Dr. Jeanette Loos where students got an inside look at the manuscript publishing process. 

• Our monthly Coffee and Donuts, held on the last Friday of every month, remains a popular event. Generously sponsored by members of our faculty, this event brings faculty, postdocs, and students together outside the lab. 

• Other community events include annual BBQ social, student prof nights (in collaboration with the undergraduate Chem Club), and our charity bake sales. This year we raised $566 for Spectrum and $715 for Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge from goods baked by Chemistry department members. 

• We also held craft sessions, movie nights, athletics events, and holiday activities in efforts to foster a welcoming community and positive relationships between students in Chemistry and across other science departments. We hosted an off-campus bowling event, Christmas movie and ornament decorating social, board game night, Valentine’s frame painting, and yoga session, just to name a few.  

• Our annual Chemistry Olympics, orgranized as part of orientation, was a fun physical and mental challenge for students to remember chemistry outside their specialty in a unique way. 

• Holiday door decorating and CGSS merch design contests are fun competitions we organize annually. This year's merch mimics the Toronto Blue Jays’ logo, featuring a Canadian goose and benzene ring, on a baseball cap! 

If you keep up with our socials, you may have noticed our updated logo! In September, a vote was held to help select the redesigned logo you see today. We have also recently installed a photo wall to create a communal space for friends and colleagues in the Chemistry Department. Photos collected from students will be displayed for everyone to enjoy. 

If you would like to learn more about CGSS, are interested in becoming involved, or have ideas for future events, please visit our website to send us an email or stop by our events to chat! You can also find us on Instagram @cgss_uwaterloo.