Twenty years of exceptional success: The molecular education and research consortium in undergraduate computational chemistry (MERCURY)

Abstract

The molecular education and research consortium in undergraduate computational chemistry (MERCURY) consortium, established in 2000, has contributed greatly to the scientific development of faculty and undergraduates. The MERCURY faculty peer-reviewed publication rate from 2001 to 2019 of 1.7 papers/faculty/year is 3.4 times the rate of the physical science faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions. We have worked with over 1000 students on research projects since 2001, and 75% of our undergraduate research students have been under-represented in chemistry, either female or students of color. Approximately half of our alumni attend graduate school for the purpose of obtaining advanced degrees in STEM fields, and two-thirds are female and/or students of color. We have had more than 1600 attendees at 18 MERCURY conferences, including 111 invited speakers, 61 of whom have been female and/or faculty of color. In this paper, the research accomplishments, transformational outcomes, and scientific productivity of the MERCURY faculty are highlighted.