Visiting Days: All-hands effort helps admitted students find their fit

Charlyn Paradis
crowded poster session

(Photo by Matthew Pickett)

Where to attend graduate school is an important decision. For chemistry students, the department they choose will be their home for at least five years. Before signing on, prospective students want to understand both the research opportunities and the culture.

Every year, the Department of Chemistry hosts Visiting Days to help those admitted to Yale’s chemistry Ph.D. program make an informed decision about their graduate education.

“Visiting Days is a time for the department to show prospective students who we are and what Yale and our Chemistry community are all about,” said Lisa Hines, operations manager and event organizer. “It’s a time to show how we work collaboratively across different areas and that this is a place where they can feel welcome.”

registration table

(Photo by Matthew Pickett)

On March 5 and 6, twenty-eight prospective students came to New Haven to attend Visiting Days, a department open house run by more than 100 people. During their stay, the prospective students learned about Yale Chemistry’s research, facilities, and community.

Delivering that experience takes an all-hands-on-deck effort. Students, faculty, and staff take on roles to execute the two-day itinerary of activities, which includes a poster session, a breakfast, a Ph.D. program overview, tours of research facilities and labs, faculty meetings, a lunch, a Q&A session, campus walking tours, dinner, games, and dancing.

“Every year it gets better and better,” said Hines, who is in her ninth year. “We streamline a little bit more.”

Behind the scenes, that “streamlining” starts months before anyone arrives. The event organizers, Hines, Bucket Borrego, and Maggie Simonsen, begin planning six months out and work closely with a faculty committee to create a program that showcases all the department has to offer.

man talking to prospective students

Jon Ellman (Photo by Matthew Pickett)

That preparation is visible to faculty participants, too. “I was really impressed with the committee’s teamwork and attention to detail in preparing for Visiting Day and with how welcoming and helpful everyone was throughout the day,” said Professor Jon Ellman, chair of the Visiting Day Faculty Committee.

people in blue shirts

Administrative team and two student liaisons (Photo by Matthew Pickett)

To create such an atmosphere is no small feat. It takes detailed planning and a large team to keep everything running smoothly. The main admin team organizes the logistics: meetings with faculty, travel bookings, hotel rooms, catering, event-day layout and flow, and more. A second team of seven staff carries out various tasks throughout the event, from signing in guests to serving breakfast. Eighty-one students volunteer as liaisons, hosts, poster presenters, lab tour guides, walking tour guides, and Q&A panelists.

“The liaisons are a very important piece of the process,” Hines said. “We had five this year: Eddie Knab, Ashleigh Purvis, Christopher Smith, Annie Tylor, and Jerry Xu. They were fantastic to work with.” 

students

Student volunteers (Photo by Matthew Pickett)

In practice, the liaisons connect nearly every part of the visit. They recruit and organize student volunteers, curate a guest experience, and ensure activities flow seamlessly on the day of the event. They help create a unique guest experience by matching prospective students with current student hosts who share their research and personal interests. The hosts welcome guests with handwritten note cards and accompany them throughout their stay, sharing their own experiences and answering questions.

“The liaisons were great,” Borrego said. “They were hands-on and made sure things got done on time.”

To staff, the payoff is seeing the visitors connect with the community. “This event is fun,” Borrego said. “This year, we had a good turnout of volunteers. I think that’s what makes it so good. Our department is made up of so many people who are so helpful all the time.”

student presenting poster

Deepanshi (Photo by Matthew Pickett)

One student volunteer, Deepanshi, took on a couple of jobs. As a poster presenter, she represented biophysical chemistry, one of the seven research areas: physical, biophysical, inorganic, materials, organic, chemical biology, and theoretical chemistry. She spoke about her work with DNA polymerase beta—an enzyme that repairs DNA—and her overall experiences.

When people asked about lab culture, she explained, “We like to share chemicals. We use a system called the EHS Integrator, where you can search for any chemical, and if a lab has it, you can ask to use it. I’ve never been denied. We believe in sharing and collaboration. Suppose you have to plan an experiment you’re not familiar with, you can reach out to another lab, and people will help you. They really care about you.”

The event organizers deliberately built the visit around an evening poster session before the main programming began so prospective students could orient themselves to the research. This format allowed them to prepare for conversations with faculty the next day.

After a night’s rest in a hotel downtown, the prospective students returned to the Chemistry buildings on Science Hill for the main event. Over breakfast, the director of graduate studies gave an overview of the Ph.D. program.  

students lab tours

Students leading tours of labs. (Photos by Matthew Pickett)

Lab tours gave visitors a look at the day-to-day realities of graduate work.

“As a volunteer, I love showing them our labs and instruments,” Deepanshi said. “Our labs are spacious, well-equipped, and clean, and we pay attention to safety. I am part of the Joint Safety Committee, so I include that information too.”

From there, prospective students met with faculty one-on-one to learn about research they might conduct alongside them. They covered topics ranging from the human genome to clean energy.

Beyond individual labs, core facilities staff show the shared infrastructure that supports research across the department. Prospective students toured the instrumentation center and glass shop as staff explained how their specialized services and instruments enable innovative chemistry research.

staff in cores

Photos by Matthew Pickett.

large group lunch tables

Photo by Matthew Pickett.

Meals provided another kind of access: time to talk informally with the community. The whole department came together for conversation and lunch in the historic hallway of the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory.

After the day’s academic programming, the visit ended on a social note. Faculty, postdocs, and students joined the guests downtown for pizza, games, and dancing.

“Dancing was a big hit,” Hines said. “The day is over—Iet’s just enjoy ourselves, and they do!”

From her observations, “The students had a smile on their faces throughout the day. They were excited to be there, and they had a lot of fun.”

By the end of the visit, they left not only with fun memories but also with important questions answered.

Deepanshi remembers having those same questions as a prospective student. Recalling her own Visiting Days experience, she said, “Visiting Days are a great opportunity to learn more about the research and the department, like how the department is in general. Is it competitive? Is it collaborative?”

“My Visiting Days helped me a lot because I got to know the people in the department, and I really felt welcomed here.”

Thank you, Chemistry Community

dog and students at poster session

Photo by Matthew Pickett.

Thank you to the staff and student volunteers who helped show prospective students that Yale is a fantastic place to live and develop as an independent scientist. We thank staff members Lisa Hines, Bucket Borrego, Maggie Simonsen, Ed Ginter, Robin Damato, Isabel Cruz, Michelle Ferrara, Sarah Kraus, Michelle Swanson, Kara Swenson, and Carole Velleca for their assistance. Special thanks go to student liaisons Eddie Knab, Ashleigh Purvis, Christopher Smith, Annie Tyler, and Jerry Xu.

Thank you to all the alumni who have made gifts to the Chair’s Fund. Your support makes Visiting Days possible.