Many Vanderbilt undergraduates in chemistry are completing their applications for graduate school, charting their next major step toward a career in research. COVID-19 has shrouded much of the future with uncertainty, but we are as engaged as ever with career planning and transition here in Nashville. We welcomed two new faculty to our ranks (John Yang and Allison Walker), and we have responded to the challenges faced by applicants by suspending the GRE requirement and offering a fee waiver for all applications completed by December 1, 2020. John and Allison will enhance our research portfolio with branches into data science and chemical biology, while leveraging existing strengths in all disciplinary areas. Mature initiatives in chemical biology and nanoscale science and engineering have sustained a track record of experimental innovation, publication of high-impact chemical science, and robust funding. Students who want the reputation of a leading chemistry program, but a department size that supports personalized, mentored training can find a nurturing environment at Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt Chemistry is a mid-sized department (25 research faculty) with the resources of a large research intensive university. Our undergraduate program (7000 students) is ranked 15th in the nation, alongside a 16th-ranked School of Medicine. Our urban campus houses chemistry, engineering, and biomedical sciences within a hundred yard radius, leading to a fluid environment for interdisciplinary research. We host an extensive lineup of resources that enable our discoveries: mass spectrometry, NMR (small molecule and structural biology), peptide, antibody, and oligonucleotide synthesis, high throughput screening, electron microscopy, ultrafast lasers, X-ray diffractometry, and a professional-grade clean room. The success of our program is due to the tireless contributions of graduate students and trainees who are committed to problem solving while preparing their minds and hands for a career in the sciences. Our chemistry graduate students have garnered 12 NSF Graduate Research Predoctoral Fellowships in the past 5 years 4 rd year students Jade Williams (BA Chemistry, Wake Forest U.) and Abby Smith (BS Chemistry, U. Evansville) received NIH predoctoral fellowships for their work in organic synthesis and drug development Graduate students Kathryn Kapp and Kaitlyn Stepler were selected for support by the NIH Interdisciplinary Alzheimer’s Disease Training Grant You may have crossed paths with our graduates in academic and industrial positions. They are the present and past of Vanderbilt Chemistry. We seek your help in identifying the future of Vanderbilt Chemistry. My colleagues and I would be grateful if you could recommend our program to your finest undergraduates planning their post-graduate studies this year. Sincerely, Sandra J. Rosenthal Jack & Pamela Egan Professor of Chemistry Application Fee Waivers Available for Applications Completed by December 1