Student Organizations
Our campus offers many student organizations to help you make meaningful connections, get involved, and develop a variety of skills on your path to a fulfilled and successful future. Explore groups related to chemical and biomolecular engineering below, or view the complete list of campus registered student organizations here.
Chemical Sciences Organizations
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Founded in 1876 and chartered by the U.S. Congress, we are one of the world’s largest scientific organizations with more than 155,000 members in 150 countries. Our mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people. Our vision is to improve people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
AIChE is the world's leading organization for chemical engineering professionals, with more than 60,000 members from more than 110 countries. AIChE has the breadth of resources and expertise you need whether you are in core process industries or emerging areas, such as translational medicine.
Omega Chi Epsilon (OXE) Chemical Engineering Honorary Society
The Society of Omega Chi Epsilon promotes high scholarship, encourages original investigation in chemical engineering, and recognizes the valuable traits of character, integrity, and leadership. The Society serves both undergraduate and graduate students within the Chemical Engineering Department. It encourages meaningful student-faculty dialogue within the department.
Chemical Sciences through Community (C2)
C² aims to foster excellence in chemical sciences at Illinois. Undergraduate chemistry and chemical engineering majors from underrepresented groups (African American, LatinX, and Native American) are encouraged to apply. By partnering with graduate student mentors and engaging in monthly networking and professional development events, C2 brings together faculty and students from the School of Chemical Sciences to build a community of scholars in which diversity and excellence thrive.
Monthly professional development workshops and networking events are combined with one-on-one peer mentorship, and student affiliates are also eligible to apply for Summer Research Scholarships sponsored by the 3M Corporation and competitive Travel Awards to present their research at national conferences such as NOBCChE, SACNAS, and ABRCMS.
Women in Chemical Sciences at UIUC (WiCS)
We are building a professional community of students and alumni from the school of chemical sciences @ UIUC, dedicated to advancing representation and inclusion both in academia and industry.
Alpha Chi Sigma (Zeta Chapter)
Alpha Chi Sigma is a unique professional and social fraternity for men and women in the chemical sciences. We are the Zeta chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma, established in 1908 at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Currently, our chapter consists of around 50 active members of both men and women who share their love of chemistry.
Engineering Organizations
Alpha Omega Epsilon is a professional and social sorority composed of female engineering and technical science students and alumnae from across the globe. Founded on November 13, 1983, the sorority promotes ideals and objectives which further the advancement of female engineers and technical scientists and build a foundation for lifelong bonds of sisterhood.
NOBCChE is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to assisting black and other minority students and professionals in fully realizing their potential in academic, professional, and entrepreneurial pursuits in chemistry, chemical engineering, and allied fields. We invite you to browse our website, engage with us on social media, talk to our members, attend our programs and discover the NOBCChE spirit for yourself.
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
The mission of NSBE is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.
Retention, Inclusion, and Support Efforts for Underrepresented Persons (RISE-UP)
RISE-UP stands for Retention, Inclusion, and Support Efforts for Underrepresented Persons. We are a student-powered initiative that strives to improve the experience of underrepresented persons at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We seek to build an inclusive community for STEM students that identify as members of any underrepresented group, be it racial/ethnic identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.
We are supported by the Grainger College of Engineering IDEA Institute GIANT grant (#GIANT2020-07).
Society for Advancing Chinos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science(SACNAS)
We are the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Student Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicano/ Hispanic and Native Americans in the Sciences (SACNAS) and Friends. We are an all-inclusive chapter and we welcome the participation of all individuals who support the mission of SACNAS. One of our goals is to promote diversity in STEM by encouraging and providing students with resources to succeed in the sciences. We believe in being inclusive of all people in order to promote diversity in the sciences. Thus, we have added “Friends” to our chapter name in order to reflect the welcoming of individuals who are interested in joining our cause as our allies. It is our intention to foster a sense of community to students of all backgrounds.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
SHPE changes lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize their fullest potential and impacts the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. SHPE's vision is a world where Hispanics are highly valued and influential as the leading innovators, scientists, mathematicians and engineers.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
For more than seven decades, SWE has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering industry. Our organization is centered around a passion for our members’ success and continues to evolve with the challenges and opportunities reflected in today’s exciting engineering and technology specialties.
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society (TBP)
Tau Beta Pi is the most prestigious honors society of which an engineer can be a member. It is made up of over 600,000 members, notably astronaut Buzz Aldrin, double Nobel Prize winner John Bardeen, and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The Illinois Alpha Chapter, which has its office in 111 Engineering Hall, has more than 10,000 alumni and is well-known for its member scholarships and fellowships, numerous service events, and outreach activities. The Illinois Alpha chapter was founded in 1897, being the 5th oldest Tau Beta Pi chapter.
The Illinois Alpha chapter has inducted more than 10,000 of the 500,000 Tau Beta Pi members and boasts the second-largest chapter alumni network among all the Tau Beta Pi chapters.