Chemistry Lecture Series 2011

>> THANK YOU, PROFESSOR (indistinct), FOR THAT INTRODUCTION.
IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO VISIT WITH STUDENTS WHO ARE AT GRCC.
I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE SCIENCE CENTER
AND I SEE ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU HAVE GOING ON.
AS TOM MENTIONED, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW
OF SOME OF THE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AT HOPE COLLEGE,
BUT BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GET INVOLVED IN THAT,
I WANNA GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ABOUT HOW I ACTUALLY GOT FROM POINT "A" TO POINT "B."
AND THEN, FROM THERE, I'LL TELL YOU
MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH THAT I DO,
AND HOW IT'S ACTUALLY RELATED TO EVERY DAY LIFE.
IT'S RELATED TO TECHNOLOGY THAT IS REALLY CURRENT.
BUT LET ME FIRST START OFF BY SAYING
THAT MY BACKGROUND, WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT--
OVER THE LAST MAYBE 15 OR 20 YEARS-- IT'S ALMOST LIKE A PUZZLE.
AND SOMETIMES, IN PUTTING A PUZZLE TOGETHER,
YOU KIND OF WONDER HOW IT'S ALL GOING TO FIT TOGETHER.
AND AT ONE POINT, WHEN I WAS IN YOUR SHOES,
THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY I WAS FEELING.
SO, LET'S GET STARTED HERE.
I GRADUATED FROM A HIGH SCHOOL IN GEORGIA,
AND MY GOAL WAS TO LEAVE THE STATE OF GEORGIA...
SO I WENT TO A UNIVERSITY IN OKLAHOMA, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY,
AND WHEN I WENT THERE, I WAS HEADSTRONG ON GOING INTO CHEMISTRY.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY NEVER CHANGED FOR ME--
HAD A REALLY EXCELLENT HIGH SCHOOL BACKGROUND IN CHEMISTRY.
SO, THAT REALLY STUCK WITH ME...
WELL, ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER ATTENDING O.R.U., I RAN OUT OF MONEY.
AND SO, I WAS KINDA PANICKING AS TO WHAT I WOULD DO, SO, UM...
I DECIDED TO JOIN THE UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVES.
THEY HAD A GOOD MONEY PACKAGE TO HELP ME THROUGH SCHOOL,
SO I DECIDED TO DO THAT.
YOU MIGHT, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE HISTORY
OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON IN THE UNITED STATES
AND OUR WAR ON TERRORISM AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
WHEN I JOINED THE RESERVES,
IT WAS ABOUT THAT TIME, IN WHICH WE WERE MOUNTING--
WE PLANNING TO MOUNT AN ATTACK AGAINST THOSE FORCES OVERSEAS.
AND SO, AS A RESULT, I WASN'T ABLE TO GO BACK TO O.R.U.,
BUT RATHER, I HAD TO STAY IN THE SUNNY STATE OF FLORIDA FOR TWO YEARS
UNTIL THE INITIAL WAR ENDED.
WHEN I WAS IN FLORIDA, I WENT TO A COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
I TOOK SOME COURSES IN CHEMISTRY.
I TOOK SOME COURSES IN MATH.
AND BEING IN A SMALL SETTING, I REALLY LEARNED A LOT.
IN FACT, AFTER I WENT TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN FLORIDA,
I WENT BACK TO OKLAHOMA.
AND WHEN I WENT BACK TO O.R.U.,
I FOUND MYSELF BEING VERY COMPETITIVE...
WITH THE STUDENTS AT O.R.U.
SO, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE-- IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR ME
AND I HAVE NO REGRETS ABOUT THAT.
AFTER MY TIME AT O.R.U.,
I SPENT A COUPLE YEARS IN INDUSTRY.
AND I WORKED FOR ONE COMPANY CALLED "LAB ONE ANALYTICAL."
IT'S A SMALL, ENVIRONMENTAL-BASED COMPANY, AND THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO.
AND I DID IT WITH MY WHOLE HEART, BUT AFTER ABOUT A YEAR OR SO,
I BEGAN TO BE A LITTLE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY A LITTLE BIT ROUTINE...
THE SAMPLING, THE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS, JUST FOLLOWING PROCEDURE...
JUST DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
THEN, I DECIDED TO GO TO A LARGER COMPANY CALLED "DOWELL SCHLUMBERGER."
AND WHEN I WAS WORKING AT DOWELL SCHLUMBERGER,
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY OF WORKING ON MY OWN RESEARCH PROJECT.
AND REALLY, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DIFFERENT, DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
I WAS WORKING AT DIFFERENT FACILITIES, WORKING ON DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY OF WORKING WITH PhD SCIENTISTS.
AND I REALLY JUST HAD AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE.
IT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE AT WORKING AT THIS LARGER COMPANY
THAT REALLY SOLIDIFIED MY DECISION OF GOING INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL.
I WENT INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY,
AND I STILL STUCK IN THE FIELD OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY.
WHEN I WENT TO THE FIELD OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY,
I GUESS YOU COULD SAY MY SUB-DISCIPLINE IS IN THE AREA CALLED ELECTROCHEMISTRY.
SO, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ELECTROCHEMISTRY, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT BATTERIES,
YOU CAN THINK ABOUT, EVEN, SOLAR CELLS AND HOW THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER.
I ALSO DID A LITTLE BIT OF WORK IN WHAT'S CALLED CHEMILUMINESCENCE.
I'M PRETTY SURE THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN FIREFLIES AND HOW THEY LIGHT UP AT NIGHT.
WELL, FIREFLIES-- THEY CAN LIGHT UP BECAUSE OF A BIOCHEMICAL REACTION.
WITH CHEMILUMINESCENCE, WE BASICALLY TAKE CERTAIN CHEMICALS,
WE MIX 'EM TOGETHER, AND ULTIMATELY, IT PRODUCES LIGHT.
AND PART OF MY RESEARCH WAS TO COMBINE ELECTROCHEMISTRY AND CHEMILUMINESCENCE
INTO ONE PROJECT.
AND NOW, I WANNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT MY RESEARCH THAT I'M DOING AT HOPE COLLEGE.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED AT HOPE COLLEGE,
MY PRIMARY AREA WAS IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT, WHEN I STARTED OUT AT HOPE IN '99,
I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE THE ONLY THING I WOULD EVER DO RESEARCH IN...
AND THAT WAS ELECTROCHEMISTRY.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE MY TRAINING WAS.
WELL, AFTER ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS,
I STARTED TO GENERATE OTHER INTERESTS...
AND THOSE INTERESTS TOOK ME INTO THE FIELD OF BIOLOGY.
AND THAT'S WHY I HAVE, OVER HERE, PLANT SYSTEMS--
UM, LOLINES AND PLANT SYSTEMS AND DIGITOXIN.
I NEVER THOUGHT THAT I'D BE GOING INTO THE FIELD OF BIOLOGY TO DO RESEARCH.
ONE, THE LAST BIOLOGY COURSE I HAD WAS BACK IN '88
AND THAT WAS MICROBIOLOGY.
THAT WAS THE LAST TIME I USED A MICROSCOPE.
AND THEN, BEING AT OKLAHOMA STATE,
I WAS SOLELY INVOLVED IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY WORK WITH BATTERIES.
AND NOW, I'M FINDING MYSELF IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AREA.
AND, TO BE QUITE HONEST, I HAVE FOUND THAT WORKING IN THIS AREA OF PLANT SYSTEMS--
IT'S BEEN REALLY EXCITING.
ON SOME DAYS, I'M DOING RESEARCH IN THE AREA
OF CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODES...
AND ANOTHER DAY, I MIGHT BE DOING SOME RESEARCH IN THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT.
SO, IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO GO INTO DIFFERENT AREAS.
YOU CAN TAKE SKILLS IN CHEMISTRY AND YOU CAN APPLY THEM TO BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS.
AND THAT'S, BASICALLY, WHAT THIS AREA IS.
AND SO, I SPEND, NOW, HALF OF MY TIME IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY,
AND THE OTHER HALF OF MY TIME WORKING IN THE AREA OF BIOLOGY PLANT SYSTEMS.
WHAT I'M GOING TO DO TODAY IS GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION
ON WHAT I ACTUALLY DO IN THIS AREA OF ELECTROCHEMICAL RESEARCH.
THE PREVIOUS SLIDE WAS TITLED "CHEMICALLY MODIFIED ELECTRODES."
AND YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING, THOUGH, WHAT IS A CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODE?
WELL, JUST THINK ABOUT ANY TYPE OF A SURFACE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE,
AND THE SURFACE HAS CERTAIN PROPERTIES.
IT COULD BE A GLASS SURFACE.
AND THE GOAL IS TO CHANGE THE PROPERTIES OF THAT SURFACE,
FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU WANNA DO.
AND SO, IN THIS AREA OF CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODES,
WE LOOK AT THE PREPARATION OF THEM.
AND AFTER WE PREPARE THESE CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODES,
WE TRY TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THEM.
WE TRY TO FIND OUT HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE GETTING WHAT'S CALLED "CHARGE TRANSFER"
ON THAT SURFACE.
AND THEN, WE TRY TO APPLY THESE ELECTRODES TO VARIOUS DIFFERENT THINGS,
SUCH AS SENSORS AND BIOSENSORS.
I'M PRETTY SURE THAT MANY OF YOU
HAVE HEARD OF THESE SMALL, GLUCOSE BIOSENSORS...
IF YOU HAVEN'T, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT THEY ARE BY THE END OF THE HOUR, OKAY?
SOME OF THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE WORKED ON THIS PROJECT--
JIDE BANKS...
JIDE BANKS CAME FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN CHICAGO...
AND HE DID A WONDERFUL JOB.
IN FACT, HIS WORK, THE FIRST YEAR OF MY LAB,
REALLY PROMPTED ME TO MAKE HIM THE HEAD PERSON IN MY LAB.
CURRENTLY, JIDE-- HE IS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI,
AND HE'S DOING A WONDERFUL JOB.
THE OTHER STUDENT THAT I HAD WORKING ON THE PROJECT IS XiSEN.
XiSEN-- SHE'S BEEN IN MY RESEARCH GROUP FOR TWO YEARS.
SHE IS A STUDENT AT HOPE COLLEGE.
SHE IS CURRENTLY WORKING, THIS SEMESTER, AT A NATIONAL LABORATORY.
SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WILL FIND, BEING IN THE SCIENCES,
IS THAT YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL PLACES OVERSEAS
AND WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.
EMILY VOGEL...
I THINK OF EMILY VOGEL AS ONE OF MY STAR STUDENTS,
BECAUSE SHE WAS THE FIRST STUDENT
THAT I HAD FROM GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO WORK IN MY LAB.
SHE DID A WONDERFUL JOB IN MY LAB.
WE'RE WORKING ON A PUBLICATION-- WE'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT.
CURRENTLY, EMILY VOGEL--
SHE IS IN HER SECOND YEAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI.
AND THE REASON I SAY THAT EMILY VOGEL IS KIND OF LIKE MY STAR STUDENT,
IS BECAUSE SHE REALLY GOT HER FOUNDATION AT GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
SHE GOT HER FOUNDATION HERE, SHE TRANSFERRED TO HOPE,
SHE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB...
SOME OF THE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AT HOPE.
BASED UPON HER WORK DURING THE SUMMERTIME, AT HOPE,
WE RECOMMENDED THAT SHE VISIT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
FOR A SUMMER.
SHE LOVED IT THERE.
THEY LOVED HER WORK.
AS A RESULT, THEY ASKED HER TO COME BACK TO FINISH UP HER RESEARCH
AND, THEN, APPLY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL.
AND NOW, SHE'S IN HER SECOND YEAR IN GRADUATE SCHOOL.
I HAVE ANOTHER STUDENT WHO'S ACTUALLY FROM HOPE COLLEGE-- REBECCA DANFORTH.
AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT I'LL BE SHOWING YOU
IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT SHE'S DONE.
BUT FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS A CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODE?
I HAVEN'T MENTIONED-- IT'S BASICALLY AN ELECTRODE
THAT HAS BEEN MODIFIED OR ALTERED BY, WHAT WE CALL, "IMMOBILIZING A COMPOUND"
ONTO A SURFACE.
BASICALLY, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT AN ELECTRODE,
YOU CAN THINK ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE A COPPER WIRE,
YOU CAN THINK ABOUT A ZINC WIRE, A NICKEL WIRE--
BUT REALLY, AN ELECTRODE-- IT SERVES AS A SOURCE OR SYNC
FOR ELECTRON TRANSFER REACTIONS.
SOME OF THE COMPOUNDS THAT WE WORK ON ARE PURELY ORGANIC IN NATURE--
CARBON-BASED NATURE.
IN SOME CASES, WE HAVE CARBON THAT'S BONDED TO METALS.
WE HAVE ORGANOMETALLIC COMPLEXES.
WE HAVE INORGANIC COMPLEXES.
AND THE REASON I MENTION THIS IS BECAUSE IT TIES IN DIRECTLY
WITH THE RESEARCH THAT GOES ON HERE AT GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WITH PROFESSOR NEILS.
SO, THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION THAT WE HAVE IS,
"IS IT POSSIBLE TO IMMOBILIZE A COMPOUND TO AN ELECTRODE SURFACE
"AND THEN TRANSFER THE PROPERTIES OF A COMPOUND TO THAT SURFACE?"
SO, LET'S SAY YOU HAVE A COMPOUND THAT HAS A CERTAIN COLOR,
AND IF YOU WERE TO APPLY THAT COMPOUND ONTO THE SURFACE,
WOULD THAT SURFACE TAKE ON THE SAME COLOR, OKAY?
IF YOU HAD A COMPOUND
THAT, LET'S SAY, HAS THE ABILITY TO GLOW...
IF YOU WERE TO PUT THAT COMPOUND ONTO A CERTAIN SURFACE,
WOULD THAT SURFACE GLOW?
OKAY, THESE ARE SOME BASIC QUESTIONS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER.
SO, I'M NOW GOING TO GO INTO THIS AREA OF BIOSENSORS.
A BIOSENSOR IS--
BASICALLY, IT'S A DEVICE THAT WILL USE BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS,
SUCH AS AN ENZYME,
IN COMBINATION WITH SOME TYPE OF ELECTRICAL, OPTICAL,
OR SOME OTHER SIGNAL,
TO ACHIEVE A HIGHLY SELECTIVE RESPONSE
TO ONE BIOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT COMPOUND OF INTEREST.
ONE COMPOUND THAT IS OF INTEREST WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
AND EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES IS GLUCOSE.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF GLUCOSE IN YOUR BLOOD,
THEN YOU'RE WALKING INTO AN AREA CALLED DIABETES.
AND DIABETES IS ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE LEADING CAUSES OF KIDNEY FAILURE.
AND SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT WE HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN
HAS BEEN REALLY RELATED TO FINDING BETTER WAYS
OF MAKING THESE CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODES FOR MONITORING GLUCOSE.
OKAY?
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE THE TWO INDIVIDUALS DOWN HERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHO THEY ARE?
>> B.B. KING. >> B.B. KING AND ARETHA FRANKLIN.
B.B. KING AND ARETHA FRANKLIN, UM...
THEY HAVE DONE COMMERCIALS PROMOTING THESE GLUCOSE METERS,
AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THEY'VE BEEN PROMOTING THESE GLUCOSE METERS
IS BECAUSE THEY WERE, AT ONE TIME, DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES.
AND THE STRANGE THING IS THAT EVEN IF YOU GET YOUR SUGAR LEVELS UNDER CONTROL,
IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES, YOU WILL FOREVER BE CLASSIFIED AS A DIABETIC.
OKAY?
BUT, UM...
BASICALLY, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE PORTABLE GLUCOSE METERS--
I HAVE ONE RIGHT DOWN THERE--
WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT BIOCHEMICAL REACTIONS THAT TAKE PLACE ON SURFACES.
OKAY?
WE USE THE DEVICE THAT WE HAVE AT THE TOP
TO MONITOR THE BIOCHEMICAL REACTION.
SO, IN OTHER WORDS, YOU HAVE GLUCOSE THAT'S IN YOUR BLOOD--
THE GLUCOSE THAT'S IN YOUR BLOOD,
IT REACTS WITH A COMPOUND THAT'S ON THE TEST STRIP,
AND THEN, THAT SENDS A SIGNAL TO YOUR DEVICE,
AND YOU CAN GET YOUR RESPONSE... OKAY?
I WANNA SHOW YOU A VIDEO CLIP--
TWO VIDEO CLIPS HERE...
ON MONITORING GLUCOSE.
(music)
>> DIABETES DOESN'T WAIT.
>> (singing) YOU NEVER KEEP ME WAITING YOU ALWAYS RIGHT ON TIME
>> BUT DOES YOUR METER TAKE LONGER THAN FIVE SECONDS TO GIVE YOU A RESULT?
>> THE ONETOUCH ULTRA IS SOME FAST--
>> WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
SWITCH TO ONETOUCH ULTRA.
RESULTS IN FIVE SECONDS.
ONETOUCH... CHANGES EVERYTHING.
>> THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF, JUST, SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO GET A RESPONSE.
YEARS AGO, WHEN INDIVIDUALS WERE LOOKING AT MONITORING GLUCOSE
AND THERE WERE NO PORTABLE GLUCOSE METERS,
SOME OF THE INSTRUMENTS USED TO MONITOR GLUCOSE-- THEY WERE ABOUT...
THAT LONG.
NOW, IT TOOK ABOUT FIVE MINUTES TO GET A RESULT.
AND NOW, WITH THE ADVENT OF SOLID STATE ELECTRONICS, ELECTROCHEMISTRY,
WE HAVE PORTABLE DEVICES THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY CARRY IN YOUR POCKET...
AND YOU CAN GET A RESPONSE TIME IN ABOUT FIVE SECONDS.
THAT'S PRETTY INCREDIBLE.
THEN, I WANNA SHOW ANOTHER CLIP...
>> NOW, YOU CAN HAVE DEPENDABLE, WORRY-FREE TESTING AND FAST RESULTS
WITH THE ACCU-CHEK AVIVA METER FROM ROCHE,
FEATURING RESULTS IN JUST FIVE SECONDS...
AND A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, THE ACCU-CHEK AVIVA SYSTEM
TAKES THE WORRY OUT OF TESTING AND MAKES IT EASIER TO FIT INTO YOUR LIFE.
THE ACCU-CHEK AVIVA SYSTEM HAS EASY-TO-HANDLE TEST STRIPS
AND REQUIRES LESS THAN ONE MICRO-LITER OF BLOOD FOR A TEST.
AND IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL FINGERTIP TESTING,
YOU CAN ALSO TEST ON YOUR FOREARM, PALM, AND OTHER SITES,
TO MAKE TESTING MORE COMFORTABLE.
>> THIS IS A METER THAT I GOT FROM WALGREENS.
YOU HAVE A TEST STRIP.
I'LL SAMPLE MY BLOOD FOR YOU...
AND THE DROP OF BLOOD WILL GO RIGHT ON THE BOTTOM.
THE TOP PART, WHERE YOUR ELECTRODE IS,
THAT'S GOING TO GO INSIDE OF THE GLUCOSE METER.
THE NICE THING ABOUT THE GLUCOSE METERS
IS THAT AS SOON AS YOU PUT THE TEST STRIP INSIDE,
IT COMES ON.
IT AUTOMATICALLY ACTIVATES IT.
I'M GOING TO SAMPLE ON MY INDEX FINGER.
AND NOW, IT'S BASICALLY WAITING FOR THAT DROP OF BLOOD...
AND IN TEN SECONDS, I CAN GET A RESULT.
IT'S THAT SIMPLE, OKAY?
SO, IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE,
I HAVE 129 MILLIGRAMS PER DECILITER, SO THAT'S OKAY.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON,
WE ARE DOING ELECTROCHEMISTRY WITH BIOMOLECULES.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY WITH BIOMOLECULES ON THE SMALL TEST STRIP... OKAY.
SOMETIMES, WHEN YOU LOOK AT TELEVISION SHOWS
AND YOU SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING CHEMICAL REACTIONS IN A HUGE REACTION FLASK...
WE'VE TAKEN THAT AND WE HAVE CONFINED IT TO A VERY SMALL SURFACE,
AND THAT'S THE INCREDIBLE THING ABOUT ELECTROCHEMISTRY,
IS THAT YOU CAN TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS VERY LARGE-- A LARGE REACTION--
AND YOU CAN SCALE IT DOWN AND YOU CAN MINIATURIZE IT.
THEN, YOU CAN PRODUCE IT IN LARGE QUANTITIES.
I'LL NOW GO INTO, A LITTLE BIT, ABOUT...
SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT I AM DOING.
THE RESEARCH THAT I'M DOING TAKES PLACE ON A VERY SMALL SCALE.
IN FACT, THE COMPOUNDS THAT WE WORK WITH, IN OUR LAB,
WE CANNOT BUY THEM COMMERCIALLY.
THE COMPOUNDS WE WORK WITH ARE SYNTHESIZED
BY PROFESSOR TOM NEILS AND STUDENT WORKERS.
AND THAT'S BEEN GOING ON, NOW, FOR ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS,
AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GREAT SUCCESS.
THE INSTRUMENTATION THAT I'M SHOWING YOU IS INSTRUMENTATION
THAT YOU WOULD FIND AT VARIOUS COMPANIES.
I'M SURE THAT MOST OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT GENTEX?
GENTEX-- THEY HAVE SOME MORE TYPE OF INSTRUMENTATION.
WE HAVE HERE WHAT'S CALLED A THREE-ELECTRODE CELL SYSTEM...
AND THE THREE-ELECTRODE CELL SYSTEM IS A SYSTEM
THAT ALLOWS US TO PLACE MATERIALS ONTO VARIOUS SURFACES.
WHAT I'M SHOWING HERE IS WHAT'S CALLED A "WORKING ELECTRODE."
IT'S A CARBON-BASED WORKING ELECTRODE.
AND REALLY, THE WORKING ELECTRODE IS WHERE I'M PLACING THAT MATERIAL, OKAY?
WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED AN "AUXILIARY ELECTRODE,"
WHICH HELPS TO MONITOR THE CURRENT.
AND THEN, WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A "REFERENCE ELECTRODE."
AND WHAT WE ESSENTIALLY DO IS WE APPLY A VOLTAGE.
AS THESE ELECTRODES ARE IN OUR SOLUTION-- WE HAVE A RUTHENIUM-BASED SOLUTION.
AS THE ELECTRODES ARE IN THE SOLUTION, WE APPLY A VOLTAGE...
AND AS WE APPLY THAT VOLTAGE, WE CAN HAVE VARIOUS REACTIONS TO OCCUR.
AND THE REACTIONS THAT OCCUR-- THEY OCCUR AT THE ELECTRODE SURFACE.
AND, IN SHORT, WHAT WE END UP DOING
IS PLACING WHAT'S CALLED A "POLYMER THIN FILM"
ON THE ELECTRODE SURFACE.
I'M SHOWING ANOTHER PICTURE,
AND THIS KINDA TELLS YOU THE SMALL SET-UP SIZE
THAT WE GENERALLY WORK WITH.
WE DON'T WORK WITH LARGE VOLUMES, OKAY?
WE WORK WITH VERY, VERY SMALL VOLUMES, ABOUT FIVE CCs.
THE COMPOUND THAT WAS SYNTHESIZED BY STUDENTS HERE AT GRCC
IS THIS RUTHENIUM-BASED COMPOUND.
WE HAVE RUTHENIUM THAT'S IN THE CENTER,
AND THEN WE HAVE THESE GROUPS THAT ARE ON--
THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE RUTHENIUM-- THE NITROGEN ATOMS.
THIS COMPOUND--
IT'S A REALLY NICE ORANGE COLOR, OKAY?
SO, THE IDEA IS THAT IF YOU WERE TO PLACE THIS COMPOUND
ONTO THE ELECTRODE
AND HAVE IT, WHAT WE CALL, IMMOBILIZE ONTO THAT ELECTRODE'S SURFACE,
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE ELECTRODE?
SO, THE IDEA'S THAT WHATEVER PROPERTIES THAT THIS COMPOUND HAS,
WE WANT TO TRANSFER THOSE PROPERTIES TO THE ELECTRODE SURFACE.
WELL, WHEN WE CONDUCT OUR EXPERIMENTS,
WHAT WE'VE NOTICED IS THAT OUR ELECTRODE--
IT TURNS A CERTAIN COLOR, AND IT TURNS ORANGE.
HERE'S ANOTHER...
PICTURE OF THIS.
WE HAVE AN UNMODIFIED ELECTRODE.
THE UNMODIFIED ELECTRODE IS KINDA HARD TO SEE,
BUT THE AREA THAT'S IN THE CENTER IS DARK BLACK, ALL RIGHT?
AND THEN, WHEN WE CONDUCT OUR EXPERIMENTS, WE MODIFY THE ELECTRODE SURFACE,
AND AS WE PLACE A POLYMER FILM ON THE ELECTRODE SURFACE,
NOTICE THAT THE SURFACE IS NO LONGER BLACK,
BUT RATHER, IT'S AN ORANGE-TYPE COLOR.
IF WE WERE TO CONDUCT THE EXPERIMENT FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME,
WE WOULD HAVE A DEEPER ORANGE COLOR.
SOMETHING'S THAT VERY EXCITING THAT HAS COME ABOUT
AS A RESULT OF THE WORK,
IS THAT WE WENT AHEAD AND WE DECIDED TO TAKE A LOOK
AT ALL THE RESULTS WE HAD ACCUMULATED OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT TWO YEARS.
AND WE SAID TO OURSELVES, "WOW, THIS INFORMATION IS WORTH PUBLISHING."
AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT DOING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
IS THAT YOU WANT TO INFORM OTHERS ABOUT THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.
YOU CAN DO THAT THROUGH ORAL PRESENTATIONS.
YOU CAN DO THAT BY GETTING WHAT'S CALLED "PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS."
YOU HAVE A SET OF RESULTS THAT YOU THINK IS NOTE-WORTHY TO BE PUBLISHED.
YOU SUBMIT IT TO A JOURNAL.
THE JOURNAL WILL SAY, "OKAY, WE WILL HAVE OUR SCIENTISTS TO LOOK AT THE RESULTS.
"IF EVERYTHING SEEMS LEGITIMATE, IF IT'S GOOD SCIENCE,
"THEN WE WILL PUBLISH THAT WORK."
AND SO, THIS IS THE FIRST PAPER THAT IS COMING OUT
AS A RESULT OF THE COLLABORATION THAT I HAVE WITH TOM.
SOME OF THE... WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE BY STUDENTS IN MY LAB,
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TWO STUDENTS--
SHANNON ALGER AND JESSICA BENZER--
THEY WORKED WITH PROFESSOR NEILS HERE AT GRCC
IN SYNTHESIZING THE COMPOUND.
REMEMBER THAT THE COMPOUND IS NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE.
SO, WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A TOTAL SYNTHESIS FOR THAT COMPOUND
AND WE DID IT HERE.
SHANNON-- SHE TRANSFERRED TO HOPE COLLEGE AND SHE GRADUATED...
AND NOW, SHE'S LOOKING TO GO INTO A PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL FOR MEDICINE.
AND SO, CURRENTLY, WE ARE NOW WORKING ON TWO OTHER PAPERS FOR PUBLICATION.
AND SO, IT'S BEEN A GREAT COLLABORATION...
FOR MYSELF, FOR THE STUDENTS.
NOW, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CURRENT ELECTRODES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
I'VE MENTIONED TO YOU THE GLASSY CARBON ELECTRODE.
I'VE SHOWN YOU THE PLANINUM ELECTRODE.
WE ARE NOW WORKING WITH DISPOSABLE ELECTRODES, AND I HAVE...
SOME DISPOSABLE ELECTRODES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PASS AROUND.
THE DISPOSABLE ELECTRODES ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE GLUCOSE TEST STRIPS,
BUT THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT LARGER.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE LARGER ELECTRODES FOR SENSING APPLICATIONS.
SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN OUR LAB
HAS BEEN DIRECTLY RELATED TO MONITORING GLUCOSE.
NOW, YOU CAN JUST PASS THOSE AROUND.
SO, WE HAVE SOME OF THE ELECTRODES THAT WE'RE NOW PASSING AROUND.
WE ALSO HAVE WHAT'S CALLED, UM, PLATINUM ELECTRODES
THAT ARE CERAMIC-BASED ELECTRODES.
ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED FROM HERE--
EMILY VOGEL, WHO'S NOW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI--
SHE DID A LOT OF FASCINATING WORK WITH THIS ELECTRODE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE OFTEN CONCERNED ABOUT
IS WHEN WE PLACE THAT MATERIAL ON THE ELECTRODE,
HOW LONG WILL THAT MATERIAL LAST ON THE ELECTRODE?
AND SO, IN SOME OF THE WORK THAT EMILY DID,
WE'VE HAD ELECTRODES TO LAST FOR OVER A YEAR...
AND WE NEVER HAD THAT BEFORE.
SO, THE COMPOUND THAT WAS SYNTHESIZED HERE-- IT WORKS INCREDIBLY WELL.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE TECHNIQUE THAT WE'RE USING
TO PLACE A COMPOUND ONTO THE ELECTRODE-- IT'S REALLY MECHANICALLY STABLE,
AND HAS A LOT OF DURABILITY,
WHICH IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT
AS YOU PREPARE CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODES.
AND THEN, THE LAST SURFACE THAT I'LL MENTION IS, WHAT WE CALL--
IT'S AN INDIUM TIN OXIDE ELECTRODE.
BASICALLY, IT'S A GLASS SURFACE
THAT'S BEEN COATED WITH A SEMI-CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL
THAT'S CALLED INDIUM TIN OXIDE.
AND BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT THIN CONDUCTING MATERIAL ONTO THAT GLASS,
REALLY THAT SURFACE CAN ACT AS A SOURCE OR SYNC FOR ELECTRON TRANSFER REACTIONS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WITH A TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE.
IF YOU WERE TO PUT SOME TYPE OF A COMPOUND ON IT
THAT HAS A CERTAIN COLOR,
YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO REALLY SEE THE EFFECT OF THAT.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU CAN EVEN DO MORE TESTS WITH THAT.
THIS IS ANOTHER COMPOUND THAT WAS SYNTHESIZED HERE BY GRCC STUDENTS.
BASICALLY, WE HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF GROUPS CONNECTED TO THE METAL CENTER.
THE METAL CENTER, IN THIS CASE, IS THE IRON.
SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PROPERTIES, BUT THE ENTIRE WAY THAT WE FORM OUR POLYMER FILM--
IT'S REALLY THE SAME WAY AS IF WE WERE DOING THIS WITH THE RUTHENIUM COMPLEX.
WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO WITH THIS COMPOUND
WAS TO TAKE A LOOK AT WORKING WITH OUR I.T.O. SURFACES... OKAY?
THIS BASICALLY ALLOWS US TO SEE THINGS A LOT MORE CLEARLY.
I HAVE ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE-- WE HAVE FIVE DIFFERENT I.T.O. SURFACES.
THE FIRST SURFACE IS A BLANK-- THERE'S NOTHING ON THE ELECTRODE.
I'M NOT REALLY SURE IF YOU CAN TELL THIS,
BUT AS GO DOWN THE NUMBER OF ELECTRODES, THE ELECTRODES--
THEY BECOME DARKER.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE ARE CONDUCTING OUR EXPERIMENT FOR LONGER TIMES.
YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT IF YOU ARE CONDUCTING YOUR EXPERIMENT
FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME,
THAT YOU'RE GONNA PUT MORE MATERIAL ONTO THE ELECTRODE SURFACE.
AND IF YOU PUT MORE MATERIAL ONTO THE ELECTRODE SURFACE,
IT'S GOING TO BECOME DARKER IN COLOR.
I'M NOW GOING TO PASS AROUND...
OKAY.
THE PART THAT'S RED IS...
THE IRON COMPOUND.
OKAY.
THAT'S THE PART THAT WAS IN OUR SOLUTION.
AND, ONCE AGAIN, AS WE CONDUCT MORE EXP-- LONGER EXPERIMENTS, THE FILMS--
THEY BECOME MUCH DARKER.
NOW, THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT NOTICED ABOUT OUR ELECTRODES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA DO
IS UNDERSTAND THE PROPERTIES OF THE ELECTRODE.
IT'S ONE THING TO SAY THAT YOU CAN PUT A MATERIAL ONTO A SURFACE,
BUT AFTER YOU PUT THE MATERIAL ONTO THE SURFACE,
YOU'RE GONNA BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON
AS THAT SURFACE IS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS, OKAY?
WELL, WE DECIDED TO DO WHAT'S CALLED A (indistinct)
AND THIS IS WHERE WE PLACE OUR ELECTRODES IN A SOLUTION
AND WE APPLY A VOLTAGE TO THE ELECTRODE.
AND WHAT WE BEGIN TO SEE IS THAT WE HAD DIFFERENT COLORS BEGINNING TO APPEAR
ON THE ELECTRODE SURFACE.
SO, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS, WE'RE STARTING OFF AT, WHAT WE CALL, A CERTAIN VOLTAGE,
AND THEN, AS WE CHANGE THE VOLTAGE, GOING IN A MORE NEGATIVE DIRECTION,
WE NOTICE THAT THE FILM WOULD TURN RED,
AND THEN, AS WE WOULD GO BACK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, THE FILM--
IT WOULD TURN YELLOW.
AND THAT PROCESS OSCILLATES BACK AND FORTH, BACK AND FORTH.
OKAY?
I'M GOING TO SHOW A VIDEO CLIP OF THIS ENTIRE PROCESS...
BUT ESSENTIALLY, YOU HAVE YOUR SURFACES THAT ARE RED.
AS YOU APPLY VOLTAGE,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET THE SURFACE TO CHANGE COLORS, ALL RIGHT?
UM, AND WE CAN USE IT TO CONTROL ENERGY
WITHIN BUILDINGS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
THERE'S A COMPANY, GENTEX--
THEY DO A LOT OF WORK IN THIS AREA,
IN WHICH YOU HAVE A SURFACE THAT HAS COMPOUNDS ON IT OR WITHIN IT,
YOU APPLY VOLTAGE TO THAT SURFACE, THEN THAT SURFACE WILL CHANGE COLORS.
AND THE REASON IT'S CHANGING COLORS IS BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING
THAT IS HAPPENING TO THE COMPOUND THAT YOU PUT ON THAT SURFACE,
WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING IN THIS AREA OF ELECTROCHEMISTRY.
(indistinct speaking)
AND, AS I MENTIONED-- I'M GONNA TURN THESE LIGHTS OFF AGAIN...
THERE WE GO.
THAT'S BETTER.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE CAN DO THIS PROCESS AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN,
AND WHAT WE'RE SHOWING IS, HOW THAT--
WE CAN PUT THIS ELECTRODE IN DIFFERENT SALT ENVIRONMENTS,
AND WHAT WE ARE NOTICING IS THAT THE SALT ENVIRONMENT--
IT AFFECTS HOW MUCH OF A COLOR CHANGE WE WILL EXHIBIT.
AND THAT'S WHY, IN ONE CASE, WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A "LOW ABSORBANCE,"
BUT THEN, AS WE CHANGE THE NATURE OF OUR CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT,
WE HAVE A MUCH DARKER COLOR CHANGE.
AND WE CAN REPEAT THIS PROCESS... MULTIPLE TIMES.
SO, ONCE AGAIN, THE IDEA IN WORKING WITH CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED ELECTRODES
IS THAT YOU WANT A SURFACE THAT IS VERY DURABLE.
YOU KNOW, "HOW WELL WILL THAT SURFACE, UM...
"LAST IF YOU CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE...
"IN WHICH IT'S EXPOSED TO?"
NOW, I WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
THAT WE HAVE AT HOPE COLLEGE.
WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF EXPERTISE,
AND ALSO, IN TERMS OF, REALLY, THE NUMBER OF FACULTY THAT'S DOING RESEARCH.
WE HAVE ABOUT 14 FACULTY MEMBERS WHO ARE ACTIVELY DOING RESEARCH.
AND I'LL GIVE YOU JUST AN OVERVIEW OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
THE CHAIR OF OUR DEPARTMENT IS PROFESSOR GRAHAM PEASLEE.
HE DOES A LOT OF WORK IN THE AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE.
HE DOES WORK IN THE AREA OF FORENSICS, NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY.
I THINK EARLIER, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MATTER AND ANTIMATTER.
WE HAVE, AT HOPE COLLEGE, A PARTICLE ACCELERATOR,
AND WE CAN USE A PARTICLE ACCELERATOR TO EXAMINE THE COMPOSITION OF OUR THIN FILMS.
YOU CAN SEE...
PROFESSOR PEASLEE OUTSIDE, WITH STUDENTS,
AND BECAUSE HE DOES A LOT OF WORK IN THIS AREA OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY,
HE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME OUT IN THE FIELD.
SOMETIMES, HIS STUDENTS WILL BE OUT IN THE FIELD,
ALL DAY LONG, COLLECTING SAMPLES.
THEN, THEY COME BACK TO THE LAB AND THEY WILL ANALYZE THEIR SAMPLE,
USING VARIOUS ANALYTICAL METHODS.
SOME OF THE OTHER FACULTY DOING RESEARCH...
WE HAVE DR. MARIA BURNATOWSKA-HLEDIN.
WE'VE HAD SEVERAL STUDENTS FROM GRCC TO WORK WITH DR. HLEDIN.
ONE STUDENT WHO WORKED WITH DR. HLEDIN, UH, DAVID GROSSENS--
HE WORKED WITH DR. HLEDIN FOR ONE SUMMER.
AND THEN, THE FOLLOWING SUMMER, HE DID A RESEARCH INTERNSHIP AT VAN ANDEL.
DR. LEAH CHASE...
SHE DOES WORK IN BIOCHEMISTRY, IN FACT.
BOTH DR. HLEDIN AND DR. CHASE-- THEY HAVE JOINT APPOINTMENT,
SO THEY TEACH IN BOTH THE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT AND THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT.
DR. MOSES LEE-- HE'S THE DEAN OF OUR DIVISION.
AND HE DOES A LOT OF RESEARCH IN THE AREA OF CANCER.
NEXT SEMESTER, HE'S GOING TO BE GOING OVERSEAS
TO FULLY CONCENTRATE ON HIS RESEARCH.
HE IS WORKING ON A DRUG
THAT HAS PROMISE OF ACTUALLY GOING INTO CLINICAL TRIALS.
DR. MIKE PIKAART-- HE DOES A LOT OF WORK, UM, ALSO, IN BIOCHEMISTRY,
AND HIS WORK IS RELATED TO UNDERSTANDING BLOOD DISORDERS.
ONE STUDENT THAT'S FROM GRCC WHO WORKED WITH HIM, JAMIE GRITSCH--
SHE DID A REALLY GREAT JOB IN HIS LAB.
BRENT KRUEGER-- HE DOES A LOT OF WORK IN USING LASERS
TO UNDERSTAND BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, CHEMICAL SYSTEMS...
I HAVE ONE STUDENT WHO IS WORKING WITH DR. KRUEGER,
AND ALL THE WORK THAT SHE DOES IN UNDERSTANDING CHEMICAL REACTIONS--
IT'S DONE ON THE COMPUTER.
SO, WE HAVE AN AREA OF CHEMISTRY THAT'S-- IT'S VERY COMPUTATIONAL.
SO, IF YOU ENJOY WORKING WITH COMPUTERS,
IF YOU ENJOY THE MATHEMATICAL SIDE OF THINGS,
THERE IS SOMETHING FOR YOU.
IF YOU ENJOY GOING OUT INTO THE FIELD,
GETTING YOUR HANDS WET,
BEING OUTSIDE AND THEN COMING BACK IN THE LAB AND DOING WORK,
THERE'S ALSO A PLACE FOR YOU.
DR. MIKE SEYMOUR-- A VERY CLOSE COLLEAGUE OF MINE--
HE DOES A LOT OF WORK IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION.
AND HE AND I-- WE HAVE TAUGHT CLASSES TOGETHER.
HE ALSO DOES WORK
IN WHAT WE CALL "SEPARATION SCIENCE" AND CHROMATOGRAPHY.
AND UNDERSTAND THAT, HERE AT GRCC,
YOU HAVE A LOT OF SEPARATION SCIENCE INSTRUMENTATION THAT GOES ON.
UM...
IN THE AREA OF ORGANIC SYNTHESIS, WE HAVE...
DR. JASON GILLMORE.
DR. GILLMORE-- HE WORKS WITH WHAT'S CALLED "PHOTOCHROMIC PHOTOOXIDANTS."
I'M PRETTY SURE THAT MANY OF YOU
HAVE HEARD OF TRANSITION LENSES... OKAY?
IN WHICH, WHEN YOU GO OUTSIDE,
THE SUNLIGHT HITS THE LENSES AND THEY CHANGE COLORS?
ALTHOUGH YOU CAN'T SEE THE COMPOUNDS WITHIN THE LENSES,
THERE IS STILL A REACTION THAT OCCURS, OKAY?
SOMETIMES, COMPOUNDS, WHEN THEY'RE EXPOSED TO LIGHT,
THEY CAN CHANGE STRUCTURE.
AND, IN CHANGING STRUCTURE, YOU CAN CHANGE THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE COMPOUND.
THE LENSES-- THE GLASSES THAT I HAVE ON, THE LENSES ARE TRANSITION LENSES,
SO WHEN I GO OUTSIDE IN THE SUNLIGHT, THEY BECOME DARK.
THEN, WHEN I COME IN, THEY BECOME LIGHT AGAIN.
DR. SANFORD-- SHE'S WORKING ON...
SYNTHESIZING MATERIALS FOR ELECTRONIC AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS.
JEFF JOHNSON-- HE'S A NEWER FACULTY MEMBER--
HE'S DOING A LOT OF GREAT WORK IN, WHAT WE CALL,
"CARBON-CARBON BOND ACTIVATION."
AND HE IS REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW REACTIONS OCCUR.
OKAY, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY THAT, "YES, WE CAN GET THIS PRODUCT..."
BUT HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY GET THE PRODUCT?
WHAT'S THE FINE DETAIL IN GOING FROM YOUR STARTING MATERIAL TO THE PRODUCT?
JOANNE STEWART...
SHE DOES A LOT OF WORK IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION AND STUDENT LEARNING.
ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO WORKED FOR DR. STEWART, KENT KAMMERMEYER--
HE, LATER ON, WORKED FOR DR. WILL POLIK.
THE REASON I MENTION KENT IS BECAUSE HE WAS A STUDENT HERE AT GRCC.
AND HE IS CURRENTLY AT COLORADO STATE, WORKING ON HIS PhD.
OKAY?
I NOW WANNA TALK ABOUT "WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO RESEARCH?"
OKAY, WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF DOING RESEARCH?
IT'S ONE THING WHEN YOU GO INTO YOUR LABORATORY AT GRCC
AND YOU DO AN EXPERIMENT,
AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT TWO AND A HALF, MAYBE THREE HOURS
TO WORK ON THAT EXPERIMENT, OKAY?
AND, FOR THE MOST PART,
THE INSTRUCTORS-- PROFESSORS KNOW WHAT RESULTS YOU'RE GONNA GET.
THOUGH, WHEN YOU'RE WORKING ON A RESEARCH PROJECT,
YOU MAY NOT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET.
SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE A PLANNED PATH, YOU GET A RESULT,
AND YOU MAY HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR PLAN OF ATTACK.
AND SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT...
YOU'LL REALLY GAIN FROM DOING RESEARCH
IS YOU CAN REALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION, "IS THIS THE LIFE FOR ME?"
CAN YOU ACTUALLY GO INTO A LAB
AND CAN YOU SPEND EIGHT HOURS, TEN HOURS, A DAY, IN THE LAB,
WORKING ON A PROJECT?
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FIRST THING YOU DO, IT DOESN'T WORK OUT?
ARE YOU THE ONE THAT WILL PERSEVERE
AND TRY TO FIGURE THINGS OUT?
SO, THESE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN REALLY ANSWER FOR YOURSELF.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO--
YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT INSTRUMENTS AND HOW THEY WORK.
WHAT'S THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE INSTRUMENT?
IF YOU ARE USING AN INSTRUMENT TO DO SOME TYPE OF ANALYSIS,
AND IF THE INSTRUMENT HAPPENS TO BREAK DOWN,
YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF FIXING THE INSTRUMENT.
OKAY?
IT WILL ENABLE YOU TO CONNECT BETTER WITH YOUR COURSEWORK.
THAT IS, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE, "OKAY, THIS IS WHY WE'RE LEARNING THIS REACTION.
"THIS IS WHY WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT THIS PIECE OF INSTRUMENTATION."
IT ALLOWS YOU TO CONNECT THE POINTS...
CONNECT THE DOTS, SO TO SPEAK.
IT HELPS TO DEVELOP YOU ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL.
AS YOU DO RESEARCH, YOU’LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
OF GOING TO VARIOUS WORKSHOPS,
OF GOING TO CONFERENCES, AND AS YOU ARE AT THESE CONFERENCES,
YOU’LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF MEETING OTHER SCIENTISTS,
OF MEETING OTHER INDIVIDUALS
WHO COULD POSSIBLY BE DOING A SIMILAR TYPE OF RESEARCH.
AND THEN, ONCE AGAIN...
IT GOES BACK TO THIS FINAL THING, “IS THIS THE LIFE FOR ME?
“COULD I DO THIS DAY IN AND DAY OUT?”
OKAY, NOW, I WANT TO BRIEFLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THE COLLABORATION THAT WE HAVE WITH GRCC.
UM, WE STARTED THE COLLABORATION ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO,
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FIRMLY BELIEVE
IS THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE,
THEY ARE VERY CAPABLE OF GOING ON FURTHER.
YOU CAN GET YOUR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE,
BUT I BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF EVEN GOING FURTHER
TO GET YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
TO EVEN GO ON FURTHER TO GET YOUR MASTER’S DEGREE, TO GET YOUR PhD.
I’VE SEEN IT HAPPEN TIME, AND TIME, AND TIME AGAIN.
SOME OF THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE COME FROM THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO HOPE COLLEGE,
THEY ARE SOME OF OUR BEST STUDENTS.
SOME OF OUR BEST STUDENTS.
IN THE COLLABORATION THAT WE HAVE WITH GRCC,
THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE GOING ON AT HOPE COLLEGE,
AND WE LOOKED AT THE PRODUCT, AND WE SAY TO OURSELVES,
“WELL, WHAT PART OF THAT PRODUCT COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE AT GRCC?”
AND SO, WE BEGAN TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
I HAD A PROJECT IN THE SYNTHESIS OF THESE COMPOUNDS.
I PRESENTED THE INFORMATION TO TOM,
AND HE SAID, “WOW, THIS IS A REALLY NEAT OPPORTUNITY.”
AND THEN, OVER THE YEARS,
THEY HAVE SYNTHESIZED COMPOUNDS DURING THE SEMESTER.
ONCE YOU REMEMBER THAT THESE COMPOUNDS ARE NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE,
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO USE THEM IN MY RESEARCH,
STUDENTS HERE WILL SYNTHESIZE THE COMPOUNDS DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR,
GIVE THE COMPOUNDS TO ME,
THEN I WORK WITH THE COMPOUNDS DURING THE SUMMERTIME, OKAY?
WHAT HAPPENS IS, SEVERAL STUDENTS--
AND WE’VE HAD I THINK AS MANY AS FOUR OR FIVE STUDENTS WORKING AT ONE TIME--
THEY WILL WORK HERE AT GRCC,
AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE IN AN INTERNAL APPLICATION PROCESS
THAT STUDENTS CAN GO THROUGH IF THEY’RE INTERESTED IN THE APPLICATION.
YOU CAN SEE PROFESSOR NEILS.
BUT BASICALLY, THE STUDENTS WILL WORK ON A PROJECT
AND THE PROJECT, YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, IT COULD ORIGINATE FROM HOPE,
OR IF THERE’S SOMETHING THAT A FACULTY MEMBER HERE WANTS TO INVESTIGATE,
IT COULD BE ONE OF THEIR OWN PROJECTS, OKAY?
MOST TIMES, STUDENTS WORK DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER, OKAY?
NOW, HERE’S THE BENEFIT OF DOING THIS.
ONE, THIS IS RESEARCH THAT IS OUTSIDE OF YOUR NORMAL COURSEWORK.
AND SO, ONCE AGAIN, YOU CAN REALLY GET AN IDEA OF SEEING, “WOW, IS THIS FOR ME?”
NOW, THE OTHER INCENTIVE THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS IS THAT YOU ACTUALLY GET PAID
TO DO THE RESEARCH DURING THE SEMESTER, OKAY?
AFTER YOU GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION,
AND YOU’RE SELECTED TO DO THE RESEARCH,
THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO DO RESEARCH AT HOPE COLLEGE
DURING THE SUMMER.
THE RESEARCH-- IT USUALLY GOES ON FOR APPROXIMATELY TEN WEEKS.
SOMETIMES WE MIGHT GO 12 WEEKS OR A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THAT,
BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, IT’S ABOUT TEN WEEKS.
OVER THIS PAST SUMMER, WE HAD ABOUT THREE OR FOUR STUDENTS FROM GRCC
WHO WORKED IN OUR LABS.
SOMETIMES, WHAT STUDENTS DO NOT UNDERSTAND
IS THAT WHEN YOU SO RESEARCH DURING THE SUMMERTIME AT HOPE COLLEGE,
IT’S A PAID POSITION, OKAY?
IT’S A PAID POSITION.
STUDENTS, YOU CAN BE HOUSED ON CAMPUS,
WE’VE HAD A NUMBER OF STUDENTS FROM GRCC, DURING THE SUMMERTIME,
THEY ARE HOUSED ON CAMPUS.
WE’VE HAD OTHER STUDENTS WHERE THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD COMMUTE EACH DAY.
EITHER WAY WOULD WORK, BUT ONCE AGAIN,
I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE WORK THAT YOU WOULD DO DURING THE SEMESTER,
IT’S A PAID POSITION, SO, IMAGINE...
DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU LIKE AND GETTING PAID FOR IT.
THE SUMMERTIME IS ALL INTENSE RESEARCH.
WE REALLY, STRONGLY ADVISE STUDENTS NOT TO HAVE ANY COURSES
GOING ON AT THAT TIME.
WE REALLY WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON THE RESEARCH,
GETTING RESULTS.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER RESEARCH,
THEY’RE DUE AT THE END OF FEBRUARY,
AND THE REALLY NICE THING ABOUT THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN GRCC AND HOPE
IS THAT THE PROFESSORS HERE--
THEY CAN IDENTIFY STUDENTS
WHO WOULD POTENTIALLY LIKE TO DO SUMMER RESEARCH AT HOPE COLLEGE.
AND THOSE APPLICATIONS, WHEN WE GET THEM,
WE SET THEM ASIDE, OKAY?
AND THEN, THEY’RE PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY
AND IN OUR MEETINGS, WE’LL BASICALLY SAY THAT THESE ARE STUDENTS FROM GRCC
WHO WOULD LIKE TO DO SOME SUMMER RESEARCH.
SO, THERE’S A LOT OF COMMUNICATION THAT GOES ON BETWEEN THE FACULTY HERE
AND THE FACULTY AT HOPE COLLEGE.
CAN’T SEE THIS TOO CLEARLY, BUT I HAVE A LOT OF NAMES UP HERE
OF STUDENTS FROM GRCC
WHO HAVE GONE ON INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL.
(indistinct speaking)
SHANNON ALGER.
SHE GRADUATED IN 2010 FROM HOPE COLLEGE,
AND ONCE AGAIN, HER NAME WAS ON THAT PAPER THAT I MENTIONED.
JACKIE BURNS, SHE DID RESEARCH AT HOPE COLLEGE WITH DR. HLEDIN.
SHE TRANSFERRED TO GVSU.
EMILY VOGEL, SHE GRADUATED 2010 FROM HOPE COLLEGE, AS I SAID.
SHE’S NOW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI.
UH, KENT KAMMERMEIER.
HE GRADUATED IN 2011 FROM HOPE.
HE TRANSFERRED FROM GRCC.
HE’S NOW DOING GRADUATE WORK IN COLORADO.
KEVIN KLUNDER-- HE RECENTLY TRANSFERRED TO HOPE.
THE ONE THING ABOUT KEVIN KLUNDER IS WHEN HE DID RESEARCH AT HOPE,
IT WAS WITH A COMPANY CALLED TENNANT.
AND NOW, HE’S WORKING ON A PAPER FOR PUBLICATION.
KYLE BRUBAKER-- HE RECENTLY TRANSFERRED TO HOPE.
HE’LL BE GRADUATING IN MAY.
AND DAVID GROSSENS-- HE RECENTLY TRANSFERRED TO HOPE FROM GRCC,
AND DAVID GROSSENS IN THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WORKED FOR DR. HLEDIN,
AND THEN, THAT NEXT SUMMER,
HE DID HIS INTERNSHIP AT VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE.
SO, THERE’S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO DO RESEARCH,
WHETHER IT’S AT HOPE COLLEGE, WHETHER IT’S AT GRCC DURING THE SEMESTER,
OR WHETHER IT’S AT ANOTHER LOCAL COMPANY.
SO, I REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEEK OUT THESE OPPORTUNITIES,
AND IT WILL REALLY HELP YOU TO CONNECT WITH YOUR COURSEWORK.
IT WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND
WHY YOU’RE LEARNING THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE LEARNING
WITHIN THAT COURSE.
THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE PICTURES OF STUDENTS.
STUDENT EMILY VOGEL-- SHE WORKED AT MY LAB.
JACKIE KRINTZ-- SHE ALSO WORKED IN MY LAB.
JACKIE RECENTLY GOT MARRIED, AND SO, WE’RE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.
EMILY, AS I SAID, SHE’S AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI,
HER SECOND YEAR OF GRADUATE WORK.
EVERY SUMMER, STUDENTS THAT DO RESEARCH--
THEY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF GOING TO CONFERENCES.
THEY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT LOCAL CHEMICAL COMPANIES.
DR. SANFORD, A CLOSE COLLEAGUE OF MINE,
SHE AND I WERE COLLABORATING.
SHE TOOK A VAN OF STUDENTS TO PFIZER THE OTHER YEAR.
UM, SOME OF THE STUDENTS FROM GRCC.
KYLE BRUBAKER-- HE’S GOING TO BE GRADUATING PRETTY SOON.
THERE’S DAVID GROSSENS-- HE’S GOING TO BE GRADUATING PRETTY SOON.
AND THEN, HIDDEN, RIGHT THERE, IS KENT KAMMERMEIER, OKAY?
WHO’S NOW AT COLORADO DOING HIS PhD WORK.
WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO ON IN THE SUMMERTIME FOR RESEARCH.
WE GENERALLY HAVE, I WOULD SAY,
ABOUT 60 RESEARCHERS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE AN ACTIVE CHEMISTRY CLUB.
THE CHEMISTRY CLUB-- THEY HOST EVENTS DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR,
AND ALSO DURING THE SUMMERTIME.
WE HAVE ICE CREAM SOCIALS, THAT IS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE DIVISION.
SO, ONCE AGAIN, IT’S A REALLY INTENSE TIME OF RESEARCH,
BUT WE ALSO HAVE OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES, SO THAT WE CAN BUILD, REALLY,
A STRONG SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IN THE SUMMER,
AS WE’RE DOING RESEARCH,
IS EVERY WEDNESDAY, WE HAVE PRESENTATIONS GIVEN BY STUDENTS,
AND THIS IS WHERE THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
TO GIVE THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT AN UPDATE ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE DOING.
YOU CAN-- I DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE
SOME OF THE STUDENTS IN THE BACK, BUT I BELIEVE--
THERE’S KENT KAMMERMEIER RIGHT THERE.
THERE’S KENT.
SO, WE HAVE QUITE A FEW STUDENTS FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
WE HAVE ARCELIA ORTEGA, ANA ORTEGA-- THEY’RE SISTERS FROM CHICAGO.
SO, THEY TRANSFERRED TO HOPE.
WE HAVE BEN POLIK-- HE TRANSFERRED TO HOPE
FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN CHICAGO.
BUT THIS OCCURS EVERY WEDNESDAY,
AND THEN, AT THE END OF THE SUMMER,
WE HAVE WHAT’S CALLED A "RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM,"
AND THIS IS WHERE WE DEVOTE THE ENTIRE DAY JUST FOR STUDENT PRESENTATIONS.
BOTH ORAL PRESENTATIONS, AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS.
OKAY?
AT THIS TIME, I’M GOING TO OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR ANY QUESTIONS
THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AT HOPE COLLEGE,
OR ANYTHING ABOUT SOME OF THE RESEARCH THAT I DO.
YES? >> ONE OF MY QUESTIONS...
YOU SAID THAT WHEN YOU WENT INTO THE PLANT BIOLOGY,
DID YOU GET TRAINED THERE ON THAT, OR DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE CLASSES?
>> NO, YOU JUST LEARN ON YOUR OWN.
YEAH, BUT IN FACT, I ASKED ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES
IF I COULD BORROW ONE OF THEIR BOOKS TO READ,
AND SO, THIS WAS, I’LL BE HONEST WITH YOU,
IT WAS AN INTRO LEVEL BIOLOGY BOOK,
AND THEN, I BEGAN READING A PLANT SYSTEMATICS BOOK.
YES? >> FOR THE GLUCOSE TESTER,
IS THERE GOING TO BE ANY POSSIBLE TIME IN THE FUTURE
THAT MAYBE YOU DON’T HAVE TO JUST, LIKE, PIN YOURSELF TO GET BLOOD
TO BE ABLE TO TEST FOR SUGAR?
MY GRANDMA’S DIABETIC. >> RIGHT.
>> SO, I KNOW ABOUT IT. >> YEAH.
THERE ARE...
THERE IS TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE
IN WHICH YOU CAN MONITOR YOUR GLUCOSE
WITHOUT PRICKING YOUR SKIN.
THEY HAVE--
YOU CAN USE WHAT’S CALLED SPECTROSCOPY,
AND BASICALLY...
IT’S WHERE YOU CAN INSERT, LIKE, A FIBER OPTIC UP UNDER YOUR SKIN
AND IT CAN MONITOR YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE IN REAL-TIME.
THERE’S ALSO SOME-- I SHOULDN’T SAY "EXTREME"--
AREAS OF BREAKTHROUGH,
BUT THEY’RE LOOKING AT BEING ABLE TO USE THINGS LIKE CONTACT LENSES
TO MONITOR YOUR GLUCOSE.
SO, THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY THAT’S COMING OUT.
IN THE VIDEO CLIPS THAT I SHOWED YOU,
THE INDIVIDUALS WERE PRICKING THEIR FINGERS.
THEY ARE NOW DEVELOPING THE METERS WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PRICK YOUR FINGERS,
BUT, RATHER, YOU CAN PRICK YOUR FOREARM.
SO, THERE IS OTHER TECHNOLOGY THAT’S OUT THERE.
YES? >> I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK ABOUT
THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE STUDENT RESEARCH.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN FIND OUT ONLINE, AT THE WEBSITE FOR HOPE COLLEGE, OR...?
>> YES, YEP.
AND WHAT WE DO IS, WHEN WE GET NEAR THAT TIME THE WEBSITE WILL GO UP,
AND THEN, THAT’S WHEN WE BEGIN TO INFORM THE FACULTY HERE
THAT THE WEBSITE FOR SUMMER RESEARCH, IT’S GOING TO BE UP.
WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT DEADLINES.
WE HAVE DEADLINES FOR INTERNAL STUDENTS AT HOPE COLLEGE,
AND THEN, ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT,
WE’LL HAVE THE DEADLINE FOR EXTERNAL STUDENTS.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO
IS WE IDENTIFY THE STUDENTS FROM GRCC
AND WE BASICALLY SET THOSE APPLICATIONS ASIDE,
SO THAT THEY’RE NOT WITH THE OTHER APPLICATIONS.
AND THAT’S HOW WE FIRST GET A LOOK AT THEM.
YES?
>> HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN ON STAYING AT HOPE?
ARE YOU PERMANENTLY THERE, OR...? >> I THINK I’M PERMANENTLY THERE, YEP.
I WAS JUST PROMOTED ABOUT-- SEE, I’M LOSING TRACK.
I’VE BEEN AT HOPE NOW FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS NOW, I GUESS,
SO, I WENT THROUGH ONE PROMOTION
AND I GUESS I’LL BE UP FOR ANOTHER PROMOTION PRETTY SOON.
SO, I’M THERE FOR THE LONG HAUL, YEAH.
AND THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE WHAT YOU’LL FIND
IS THAT IN MANY ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS,
INDIVIDUALS WILL REMAIN THERE FOR SOMETIMES 35 YEARS, 40 YEARS.
YES, THERE’S ANOTHER QUESTION?
YEP.
>> WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH ELECTROCHEMISTRY?
>> WOW.
I LIKE THE IDEA THAT EVERYTHING IS ON A SMALL SCALE, AND THAT--
I MEAN, JUST IMAGINE.
YOU’RE ABLE TO DO CHEMISTRY ON A SMALL SURFACE.
SEE, IT’S ONE THING TO GO INTO THE LAB
AND THEN, MIX THE CHEMICALS TOGETHER
AND THEN, SEE THE COLOR CHANGES.
BUT, LET’S SAY, YOU CAN TAKE ALL THESE CHEMICALS,
ALL THESE REACTIONS, AND JUST PUT IT ONTO A SMALL SURFACE.
THAT’S, REALLY, FOR ME, THAT’S A FASCINATING THING,
ABOUT ELECTROCHEMISTRY.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS. >> YEAH...
AND YOU CAN REALLY MINIATURIZE THINGS.
THERE’S ANOTHER HAND OVER THERE, YES?
>> THAT EXPERIMENT YOU DO WITH THE ELECTRODES,
I SEE THEY’RE KINDA CHANGING WHEN YOU APPLY HEAT.
AND WHEN YOU TAKE OUT THE HEAT, THEN THEY TURN BACK TO YELLOW.
WHAT WAS YOUR CONCLUSION?
>> WELL, WHAT’S HAPPENING IS, WHEN YOU APPLY THAT VOLTAGE,
YOU’RE CHANGING WHAT’S CALLED THE "OXIDATION STATE" OF THE METAL.
SO, IN ONE CASE, YOU’RE ADDING AN ELECTRON TO THE METAL.
THEN, IN ANOTHER CASE, YOU’RE TAKING IT OUT.
AND SO, WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU BEGIN TO HAVE THAT COLOR CHANGE, OKAY?
>> SO, I MEAN, LIKE, ARE YOU NOT CREATING ANOTHER SUBSTANCE
BY THE APPLICATION OF HEAT?
>> WELL, IN A SENSE, YOU ARE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE ONE SPECIES ON THE ELECTRODE
AND THEN, YOU CONVERT IT TO ANOTHER SPECIES,
AND THEN, YOU RECONVERT IT BACK.
SO, ESSENTIALLY, YOU ARE.
AND, AS I SAID, WITH THE EXPERIMENTS, YOU CAN DO IT A SLOW RATE,
OR YOU CAN DO IT AT A FAST RATE.
YES?
>> DOES THE RESEARCH THAT YOU DO AT HOPE COLLEGE--
DOES IT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GO INTO REAL LIFE?
OR IS IT JUST SOMETHING YOU DO FOR STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE, OR...?
>> OH, I WOULD LOVE FOR IT TO GO INTO REAL LIFE.
OH, YEAH, DEFINITELY.
>> SO, THAT’S POTENTIALLY WHAT YOU’RE WORKING TOWARDS?
>> YES, YEAH.
YEP, YES.
>> SO, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR SCIENTIFIC JOURNEY?
>> UM, VERY INTERESTING.
SOMETIMES, I WONDER IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BEST
IF I STARTED MY GRADUATE WORK
AS SOON AS I DID MY UNDERGRADUATE?
BUT I REALLY-- I’LL TELL YOU THIS,
I THOUGHT THAT I WAS GONNA BE GOING INTO INDUSTRY.
SO, AFTER I DID MY WORK AT DOWELL,
I WENT INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL.
MY INTENTION WAS JUST TO GET MY MASTER’S AND TO GO BACK INTO INDUSTRY.
BUT, BEING A GRADUATE STUDENT, WE WERE REQUIRED TO TEACH WITHIN THE LABORATORY.
AND AFTER ONE SEMESTER OF TEACHING, I SAID, “WAIT A MINUTE.
“THIS IS SO MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE THAN WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY.”
AND BASED UPON THAT, I TALKED TO MY ADVISER, AND I SAID,
“WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND GET MY PhD."
AND SO HE SAID, “OKAY.”
SO, I STAYED THERE A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
HE KNEW THAT I HAD A DESIRE TO TEACH,
AND THEN, HE DIRECTED ME TO HOPE COLLEGE.
YEP-- THEN, WE’LL GO TO HERE.
>> YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE HAPPY AT HOPE,
AND THAT YOU WERE WORKING ON TWO OTHER PROJECTS
THAT WERE TO BE PUBLISHED.
DID THEY PIGGY-BACK THE ONE THAT YOU JUST PUBLISHED?
>> DID THEY WHAT? >> DO THEY PIGGY-BACK IT?
IS IT, LIKE, A CUMULATIVE RESEARCH-- >> GOOD QUESTION.
THE FIRST PAPER...
WAS BASED UPON THE RUTHENIUM METAL.
THE PAPERS THAT WE’RE NOW WORKING ON IS BASED UPON THE IRON.
>> OKAY. >> BUT, IN A SENSE--
>> USING THEM SAME TECHNIQUES?
>> THE SAME TECHNIQUES FOR THE COMPOUNDS.
>> FOR THE SAME JOURNAL? >> THEY’LL BE IN DIFFERENT JOURNALS.
>> OKAY. >> IN DIFFERENT JOURNALS, YEAH.
>> SO, BACK TO YOUR EXPERIMENT, WHEN YOU HAD THE DEEP BLACK, AND THEN THE ORANGE.
WHEN YOU APPLY THAT VOLTAGE, IS THE COLOR CHANGE,
LIKE, IS IT INSTANTANEOUS WITH YOU CHANGING THE VOLTAGE?
OR DOES IT TAKE A SECOND FOR IT TO-- >> IT’S NOT INSTANTANEOUS.
IT’S GRADUAL.
BUT THAT’S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS,
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WERE TO GO INTO A DOCTOR’S OFFICE,
AND THEY’RE CHECKING YOUR REFLEXES,
AND LET’S SAY THEY TAKE SOMETHING AND THEY HIT YOUR KNEE, OKAY?
WELL, THEY’RE LOOKING FOR AN INSTANTANEOUS MOVEMENT.
IF THERE’S SOMETHING THAT’S DELAYED, WELL, THEY REALLY DON’T LIKE THAT.
WHEN WE APPLY THAT VOLTAGE,
ULTIMATELY, WE’RE LOOKING FOR AN INSTANTANEOUS CHANGE.
SO, IN THE EXPERIMENT THAT WE’RE DOING,
IS WE’RE GRADUALLY CHANGING THE POTENTIAL
AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE A GRADUAL CHANGE IN COLOR.
BUT THE OTHER EXPERIMENT THAT WE’RE LOOKING AT
IS WHAT HAPPENS IF, INSTEAD OF GRADUALLY CHANGING THE POTENTIAL,
WE WERE TO STEP THE POTENTIAL IN A MOMENT?
IT’S VERY SIMILAR TO...
COMING OVER AND TURNING ON AND OFF THE LIGHTS.
HOW QUICKLY WILL WE GET THAT COLOR CHANGE?
AND SOMETIMES, GETTING THAT COLOR CHANGE TO OCCUR QUICKLY
IS DEPENDENT UPON THE CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT THAT YOUR SURFACE IS IN.
>> OKAY. >> YES?
>> JUST TO PIGGY-BACK ON THAT QUESTION, AS FAR AS CHANGING THE POTENTIAL,
LIKE, INSTANTANEOUSLY, YOU SAY YOU CAN THEORETICALLY
GET AN INSTANTANEOUS COLOR CHANGE?
IF THAT’S TRUE, I MEAN, COULD THIS BE USED
FOR POSSIBLE, LIKE, DISPLAY SYSTEMS IN THE FUTURE?
LIKE, MONITORS? >> EXACTLY.
>> EVEN TELEVISIONS?
IS THIS GONNA MAKE MY PLASMA TV OBSOLETE OR WHAT?
>> EXACTLY! >> I DON’T KNOW,
I'LL HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE, THEN.
>> YEAH, OKAY, YES.
>> SO, WHAT YEAR ARE STUDENTS USUALLY IN
BEFORE THEY APPLY FOR THE STUDENT RESEARCH JOBS?
>> EXCELLENT QUESTION.
MY VERY FIRST STUDENT THAT I HAD--
HE HAD COMPLETED TWO SEMESTERS OF GENERAL CHEMISTRY...
AND THEN, HE APPLIED.
AND HE WORKED IN MY LAB FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS.
WE’VE HAD SOME STUDENTS TO GO THROUGH GENERAL CHEMISTRY,
AND THEN, THEY GO THROUGH ORGANIC CHEMISTRY,
AND THEN, THEY APPLY FOR A SUMMER RESEARCH POSITION.
SOME OF THE PROFESSORS WILL WANT STUDENTS
WHO HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE SEMESTER OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
BEFORE GOING INTO THEIR RESEARCH PROGRAM, BECAUSE--
JUST DUE TO THE NATURE OF IT.
BUT WE’VE HAD STUDENTS WHO HAVE DONE EVEN COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY
JUST AFTER THEIR FIRST YEAR.
THE ONE STUDENT THAT I SHOWED YOU AT THE END, ARCELIA ORTEGA--
IN FACT, SHE JUST RECENTLY TRANSFERRED TO HOPE
FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN CHICAGO,
WELL, SHE HAD ONLY HAD ONE YEAR
OF COLLEGE CHEMISTRY,
AND EVEN THAT ONE YEAR,
SHE WAS ABLE TO GO INTO A COMPUTATIONAL-BASED PROJECT, OKAY?
BUT IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET A RESEARCH POSITION
EVEN AFTER ONE YEAR OF CHEMISTRY.
YES? >> WHAT IS A DIGITOXIN?
>> DIGITOXIN IS A COMPOUND
THAT YOU CAN OBTAIN FROM THE TREE CALLED FOXGLOVE
AND IT’S USED TO TREAT HEART PROBLEMS.
UM, THE...
ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT DIGITOXIN
IS IT’S RELATED TO THE OTHER PROJECT THAT I WAS WORKING ON--
AND I’LL MAKE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THAT.
THE PROJECT THAT I WAS WORKING ON, WE WERE LOOKING AT A CLASS OF COMPOUNDS
CALLED THE LOLINES.
AND SOMETIMES,
YOU CAN HAVE PLANT SPECIES
THAT’S INFECTED WITH A FUNGUS,
AND WHEN THE PLANT IS DAMAGED,
THAT FUNGUS CAN PRODUCE COMPOUNDS, OKAY, TO PROTECT IT.
SOMETIMES, YOU MIGHT HAVE AN INSECT THAT IS FEEDING ON THE PLANT,
CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE PLANT.
THE FUNGUS WANTS TO SURVIVE,
SO THE FUNGUS WILL PRODUCE DEFENSIVE-TYPE COMPOUNDS TO WARD OFF THE INSECTS.
SO, OUT OF THAT PROJECT, WE THEN BEGAN TO LOOK AT
THIS OTHER PLANT THAT’S CALLED FOXGLOVE.
THE ONE THING ABOUT DIGITOXIN IS THAT THERE’S A VERY THIN LINE
BETWEEN WHAT IS GOOD FOR A PATIENT, AND WHAT IS LETHAL FOR A PATIENT.
WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS USING ELECTROCHEMISTRY
TO REALLY MONITOR THE AMOUNT OF DIGITOXIN
PRODUCED WITHIN THE PLANTS.
YES?
>> HOW MANY YEARS WILL MOST STUDENTS STAY IN YOUR LAB?
IS IT, LIKE, DEPENDENT ON THE RESEARCH THEY’RE DOING, OR--
>> YEAH, I MEAN, MOST OF MY STUDENTS HAVE SPENT
AT LEAST TWO YEARS IN MY LAB.
AS I SAID, THE FIRST STUDENT THAT I HAD, HE SPENT THREE YEARS IN MY LAB.
I HAD ONE STUDENT WHO SPENT THREE AND A HALF YEARS IN MY LAB.
SO, IT’S GOING TO VARY.
WE’VE HAD STUDENTS WHO WILL WORK IN MULTIPLE LABS.
THERE’S ONE REALLY GOOD STUDENT-- HE HAD DONE SOME WORK WITH ONE PROFESSOR,
AND THEN, A YEAR LATER, HE DID WORK WITH ANOTHER PROFESSOR.
KENT KAMMERMEIER, WHO TRANSFERRED FROM GRCC,
HIS FIRST RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WAS WITH DR. STEWART IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION.
THAT FOLLOWING YEAR, HE DID WORK WITH DR. POLIK
IN COMPUTATIONAL WORK, LASER SPECTROSCOPY.
>> SO, ARE THEY GETTING A DEGREE IN THOSE TWO YEARS, OR--
>> YEAH, SO AT THE END OF THEIR ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS,
THEY WILL GRADUATE WITH THEIR BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY.
YES? >> SO, ONCE YOU’VE APPLIED FOR IT,
AND YOU’RE WORKING IN THE LAB, IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU REAPPLY FOR EVER YEAR,
OR IS IT CONTINUOUS?
>> YEAH, SO EVEN-- LET’S SAY YOU’RE WORKING IN MY LAB ONE SUMMER,
AND THEN, YOU WANT COME BACK AND YOU WANNA WORK THE NEXT SUMMER.
FOR THE MOST PART, I’M GOING TO SAY, “YES,”
BECAUSE I LIKE TO HAVE THAT CONTINUITY.
IF YOU’VE WORKED IN MY LAB FOR ONE YEAR,
MORE THAN LIKELY, I’LL HAVE YOU TO HELP TRAIN STUDENTS
WHO COME IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
BUT EVEN THOUGH I WANT YOU IN THE LAB, YOU STILL HAVE TO APPLY,
AND THAT’S JUST TO GET YOU INTO THE PAYROLL SYSTEM AND THE HOUSING SYSTEM.
YES... YEP?
>> WHAT KIND SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS WOULD YOU TEACH, (inaudible),
TO GET THEM INTERESTED IN YOUR SCIENTIFIC THEORY?
>> BECAUSE WE HAVE A GENERATION
THAT IS REALLY, REALLY COMPUTER-LITERATE,
THE EXPERIMENTS THAT I HAVE GOING ON
WOULD BE GEARED TOWARDS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE...
I KNOW I SHOWED YOU THE VIDEO CLIP
OF BEING ABLE TO OSCILLATE THE COLORS.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD FOCUS ON, IN TERMS OF THAT.
AND I REALLY ENJOY THAT-- IT’S SOMETHING THAT IS APPLIED.
THERE’S A REAL LIFE APPLICATION TO IT.
UM, AND, UM...
AND I THINK STUDENTS CAN REALLY, REALLY GRASP THAT.
THEY CAN REALLY LATCH ONTO IT.
YES? >> I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
>> SURE. >> MORE ABOUT YOUR CHEMISTRY, (inaudible).
>> OKAY. >> AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR LIFE
DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO?
I’M IN MY FIRST YEAR RIGHT NOW, SO I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING TO STUDY.
>> OKAY, THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION.
AND I COULD SAY THAT THERE MIGHT BE MULTIPLE ANSWERS,
BUT I CAN SAY THIS...
IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING,
AND IF YOU CAN’T GET IT OUT OF YOUR MIND, THAT THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO,
IT’S A REALLY GOOD INDICATION
THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULD CONSIDER PURSUING THAT.
YOU KNOW, SO, FOR EXAMPLE,
I WAS DEAD SET ON BEING A CHEMIST,
AND I KNEW THAT.
AND SO, EVEN WHEN I WASN’T IN THE LAB,
I WOULD PICTURE MYSELF IN THE LAB.
I WOULD PICTURE MYSELF BEING IN THE LAB, AND SOMEONE COMING UP TO ME,
WITH A CHEMICAL PROBLEM, AND I HAD TO COME UP WITH THE SOLUTION.
AND I DID THAT ALL THE TIME-- I DID THAT ALL THE TIME.
ANOTHER INDICATION THAT SCIENCE WAS FOR ME--
DURING THE SUMMERTIME, EVEN WHEN I WASN’T TAKING COURSES,
I CAN REMEMBER WORKING OUT PROBLEMS, JUST TO WORK OUT PROBLEMS.
I WAS WORKING AT HARDEE’S--
I THINK MANY OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD OF HARDEE’S RESTAURANT.
ON MY LUNCH BREAK, I WOULD JUST TAKE OUT A SHEET OF PAPER,
AND I WOULD MAKE UP A PROBLEM, AND THEN, I WOULD SOLVE IT.
AND I DID THAT FOR CHEMISTRY, I DID IT FOR PHYSICS,
I DID IT FOR MATHEMATICS.
AND THAT’S WHAT I DID ALL SUMMER LONG IN ADDITION TO WORKING TWO JOBS.
SO, I KNEW THAT WAS FOR ME.
I DIDN’T DO IT FOR A GRADE,
BUT BASED UPON THAT, I KNEW IT WAS FOR ME.
AND THEN, REALLY JUST BEING IN THE LAB--
I MEAN, I WOULD COME IN ON WEEKENDS TO WORK IN THE LAB.
I HAD TO DO A SENIOR PROJECT-- AND I’LL BE HONEST WITH YOU--
I WAS IN THE LAB WHEN I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE LAB.
I WOULD GET INTO THE LAB AT, LIKE, 11 O’CLOCK AT NIGHT,
12:00 IN THE MORNING,
TO DO WORK IN THE LAB.
SO, I REALLY JUST ENJOYED THAT.
AND SO, IF YOU’RE AT A PLACE WHERE THAT’S SOMETHING
THAT YOU’RE JUST THINKING ABOUT IT, YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT IT,
YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT IT, AND YOU CAN’T GET IT OUT OF YOUR MIND,
IT’S A GOOD INDICATION THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD PURSUE.
BUT DON’T BE ALARMED IF, FOR SOME REASON,
YOUR INTERESTS BEGINS TO CHANGE.
BECAUSE, AS I SAID, I NEVER THOUGHT IN A MILLION YEARS
THAT I WOULD BE DOING BIOLOGICAL-TYPE RESEARCH.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE ELECTROCHEMISTRY,
BECAUSE AS AN UNDERGRAD, I REALLY DID NOT LIKE BIOLOGY,
BUT NOW, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE,
I ENJOY IT A LOT.
I ENJOY IT A LOT.
YES, YES?
>> THERE WAS A SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION.
>> YES?
>> IF YOU HAD TO GIVE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE
TO SOMEONE JUST STARTING TO STUDY CHEMISTRY,
WHAT WOULD IT BE? >> KEEP AN OPEN MIND.
BECAUSE THINGS MAY NOT WORK OUT THE FIRST TIME AROUND.
AND SOME STUDENTS, AS THEY’RE IN THEIR COURSEWORK,
THEY’RE SO ACCUSTOMED TO GETTING EVERYTHING CORRECT.
THEY’RE SO ACCUSTOMED TO GETTING THE 100.
THEY’RE ACCUSTOMED TO GETTING THE PERFECT LAB REPORT.
BUT THEN, IN THE LAB-- IN THE RESEARCH LAB,
IT’S NOT GOING TO BE LIKE THAT.
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE SOME UPS AND DOWNS, OKAY?
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS IS, YOU HAVE TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND
AND YOU HAVE TO BE PERSEVERANT.
YEAH, OKAY... YES?
>> UM, JUST-- ACTUALLY, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE QUESTION,
I JUST RECEIVED MY ASSOCIATE’S LAST SEMESTER IN SCIENCE.
I’M SEEING THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
OF GETTING MY CHEM TECH DEGREE AND GOING ON.
SO, MY QUESTION WOULD BE,
REALISTICALLY, WHAT SORT OF OBSTACLES CAN A PERSON LIKE ME EXPECT
AFTER THEY’VE GRADUATED, BEFORE THEY GET THAT FIRST JOB?
AND WHAT SORT OF OBSTACLES--
DID YOU SEE ANY SPECIFIC OBSTACLES THAT I SHOULD EXPECT?
OR, IS IT EASIER NOW, OR HARDER NOW, TO GET A JOB IN THIS FIELD?
>> WOW.
SO, I’VE BEEN AT HOPE NOW FOR-- WELL, SINCE ‘99.
AND, UM...
WHEN I LOOK AT THE STATISTICS, OKAY,
AND THE JOB MARKET...
AND I’LL BE QUITE HONEST,
IT SEEMS AS IF IT MIGHT BE CHALLENGING.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE THINGS THAT’S HAPPENING
WITHIN THE HOLLAND AREA,
GRAND RAPIDS AREA, ZEELAND AREA.
THERE’S A NEW BATTERY PLANT THAT’S GOING TO BE OPENING UP.
THAT'S GOING TO BRING IN A LOT OF JOBS.
SO, WE’VE HAD SOME...
YOU KNOW, TIMES IN WHICH...
THINGS HAVE BEEN DOWN,
BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT’S GOING TO PICK BACK UP A LITTLE BIT MORE.
>> RIGHT, AND I’M WILLING TO COMMUTE ANYWHERE.
>> AND THAT’S THE THING--
AND THAT’S THE THING IS THAT-- YOU HAVE TO BE, AS I SAID,
ALSO, OPEN-MINDED...
IN THE SENSE THAT MAYBE YOU MIGHT FIND A JOB
ON THE EAST COAST SOMEPLACE.
OR, YOU KNOW, RIGHT HERE IN MICHIGAN.
BUT I WOULD SAY THIS,
IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT NOT TO BURN YOUR BRIDGES.
NOT TO BURN YOUR BRIDGES.
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT...
YOU ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS,
AND THIS IS WHY IT’S REALLY GOOD TO DO RESEARCH.
BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU DO RESEARCH FOR AND WITH,
THEY’RE GOING TO BE WRITING YOUR LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION, OKAY?
AND SO, THAT’S WHY I SAY DON’T BURN YOUR BRIDGES.
KEEP IN CONTACT WITH FACULTY FROM GRCC.
I MEAN, I KEEP IN CONTACT WITH FACULTY FROM O.R.U.
AND SO, THERE’S THAT CLOSE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE.
SO, I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU’RE NOT KEEPING IN CONTACT
WITH FACULTY FROM GRCC,
THEN YOU’RE PUTTING OBSTACLES IN YOUR OWN PATH.
THERE’S ANOTHER QUESTION-- YES?
>> AFTER YOU’RE DONE WITH YOUR RESEARCH,
DO YOU TRY TO STUDY YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU GO AND PUBLISH IT,
AND TRY AND RECOUP SOME OF THE MONEY,
OR DO YOU ALREADY HAVE A FUND FOR THE RESEARCH?
>> EXCELLENT QUESTION.
WHEN YOU DO RESEARCH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU’RE OFTEN LOOKING TO DO
IS TO GET FUNDING FOR IT.
SO, LET’S SAY, I HAVE AN IDEA...
AND WITH THIS IDEA,
I’M THINKING THAT I COULD POSSIBLY GET SOME FUNDING, OKAY?
AND THERE HAVE BEEN CASES WHERE INDIVIDUALS
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OF FUNDING
TO PURSUE THEIR RESEARCH.
NOW, ON THE FLIP SIDE, IF YOU DECIDE
THAT YOU WANT TO, LET’S SAY, GET A PATENT,
MAYBE SELL YOUR RESEARCH IDEA TO SOMEONE,
THERE’S A POTENTIAL THAT YOU COULD GAIN SOME MONEY OFF OF THAT.
THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE, INSTEAD OF SELLING THEIR IDEA,
THEY HAVE STARTED UP THEIR OWN COMPANY,
AND THEY’VE GONE IN THAT DIRECTION.
SO, YOU CAN TAKE AN IDEA, A RESEARCH IDEA THAT YOU HAVE,
AND YOU CAN BEGIN TO GENERATE, POSSIBLY, A WAY TO START UP A COMPANY,
GENERATE A BUSINESS PLAN,
YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET, MAYBE, SOME SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS.
YOU CAN SEEK SOME FUNDING FROM THE GOVERNMENT
TO REALLY CAUSE THE BUSINESS TO GROW.
SO, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO.
UM...
IF YOU’RE AT AN ACADEMIC INSTITUTION
AND YOU’RE SEEKING TO MAKE A PROFIT OFF OF YOUR RESEARCH,
YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE REMINDED THAT
BECAUSE YOU’RE DOING RESEARCH AT THAT INSTITUTION,
THAT INSTITUTION’S GOING TO WANT THEIR CUT.
>> OF THE MONEY? >> YEP.
YES?
>> WHAT ARE SOME BIOLOGICAL PROJECTS YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
>> THERE’S ONE PROJECT THAT I DID NOT TELL YOU ABOUT,
WHICH IS A REALLY, REALLY NEAT PROJECT.
I’M WORKING WITH THIS COMPOUND THAT’S CALLED GENISTEIN.
GENISTEIN IS WHAT’S CALLED A POLYPHENOL, OKAY?
AND I’LL JUST SHOW YOU THE STRUCTURE OF...
PHENOL, OKAY?
IT’S A MUCH MORE COMPLEX MOLECULE THAN THAT,
BUT THE COMPOUND GENISTEIN--
IT’S FOUND... IN A PLANT
AND THE PLANT RESEMBLES A POTATO.
AND IT’S CALLED A GROUNDNUT.
THIS PLANT-- IT ORIGINATED FROM JAPAN.
THE NICE THING ABOUT THIS GROUNDNUT
IS THAT IT HAS A GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN.
GENISTEIN HAS MEDICINAL TYPE PROPERTIES, ANTI-CANCER PROPERTIES,
ANTI-HYPERTENSION PROPERTIES.
BECAUSE OF THE HIGH PROTEIN CONTENT,
AND BECAUSE OF THE GENISTEIN PRESENT WITH THE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES,
IT’S BEING CONSIDERED TO BE AN ALTERNATE FOOD SOURCE
FOR UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES.
JUST LIKE THE POTATO, YOU CAN PEEL IT, YOU CAN BOIL IT, YOU CAN EAT IT.
AND SO, THAT’S ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE’RE WORKING ON.
AND IN THE SPRINGTIME, WE’RE GOING TO BE SEEKING FUNDING FOR THAT PROJECT
FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.
THE COLLABORATION THAT WE HAVE GOING ON WITH GRCC,
THAT IS, IN PART, FUNDED THROUGH THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.
SO, YOU HAVE A RESEARCH IDEA,
AND YOU THINK THAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY BRING IN SOME FUNDING,
YOU WILL SAY, “HEY, LET’S GET TOGETHER, LET’S PUT TOGETHER THIS PROPOSAL.”
VERY SIMILAR TO BEING IN...
IN A PRIVATE SECTOR WHERE YOU HAVE A BUSINESS
AND YOU’RE PUTTING TOGETHER A BUSINESS PLAN,
AND ARE WANTING MONEY FOR YOUR BUSINESS, OKAY?
YOU PUT TOGETHER THIS PROPOSAL, YOU SUBMIT IT TO THE AGENCY,
AND THEY WILL HAVE OTHER SCIENTISTS TO REVIEW THAT PROPOSAL
TO SEE IF IT’S WORTHY OF FUNDING.
OKAY?
SO, THAT’S ONE PROJECT THAT WE’RE WORKING ON,
AND IN FACT, UM...
WE HAVE, I WOULD SAY, WELL OVER 50, UM...
DIFFERENT PLANTS THAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO THIS ANALYSIS ON.
SO, WE’RE LOOKING AT THE LEAVES, WE’RE LOOKING AT THE STEMS,
WE’RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE ACTUAL GROUNDNUT THAT’S ACTUALLY IN THE GROUND.
WE’RE LOOKING AT THE ROOTS...
AND I CAN EVEN GO ON THE RECORD
TO SAY THAT THIS IS WHERE, I BELIEVE,
THAT STUDENTS AT GRCC CAN HELP ME OUT.
THERE WAS ANOTHER QUESTION-- YES?
>> HOW REALISTIC IS IT TO ACTUALLY GET A DEGREE IN THIS FIELD?
>> HOW REALISTIC IT IS TO GET A DEGREE?
VERY REALISTIC.
I MEAN-- WELL, I’LL BE HONEST WITH YOU,
WHEN I COMPLETED MY FIRST TWO YEARS O.R.U.,
AND I RAN OUT OF MONEY, I WAS WONDERING, “WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO DO?”
BECAUSE, FOR ME, I DON’T LIKE UNFINISHED PROJECTS, OKAY?
AND I DIDN’T WANT TO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW...
THAT I WASN’T FINISHING SOMETHING,
SO, I MADE A DIFFICULT DECISION.
AND THAT WAS GO INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY RESERVE.
BUT WHEN I FINISHED MY INITIAL TRAINING, FOR TWO YEARS OF TRAINING,
THAT’S WHEN THE INITIAL WAR BROKE OUT.
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED, IT’S LIKE, “WHAT IN THE WORLD DID I DO?”
I THOUGHT I’D MADE THE WORST DECISION OF MY ENTIRE LIFE.
WELL, LOOKING BACK, I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I’D EVER MADE,
GOING INTO THE MILITARY.
I HAVE NO REGRETS ABOUT THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT...
THERE IS ALWAYS AN OPEN DOOR FOR SOMETHING.
THERE’S ALWAYS AN OPEN DOOR TO FINISH YOUR EDUCATION.
THERE’S ALWAYS A CHANCE TO GET THE ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE.
THERE’S ALWAYS THAT CHANCE TO GO BEYOND THAT TO GET YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
THIS IS WHY I ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE,
HERE AT GRCC.
YOU KNOW, TALK TO YOUR FACULTY.
THEY KNOW WHERE THESE RESOURCES ARE.
SO, IT’S VERY REALISTIC THAT YOU COULD FINISH YOUR ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE.
IT’S VERY REALISTIC THAT YOU CAN GO ON AND GET YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
EVEN SOME OF THE STUDENTS THAT WE HAD
WHO TRANSFERRED, YOU KNOW, FROM GRCC TO HOPE,
THEY’RE LIKE, WONDERING, “HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO DO THIS?”
AND NOW, THEY’RE IN GRADUATE SCHOOL.
SO, IT IS VERY POSSIBLE.
OTHER QUESTIONS?
YES?
>> I GUESS I JUST HAVE ONE THAT I JUST THOUGHT OF.
IT’S FROM YOUR MENTIONING BEING IN THE MILITARY,
AND YOU’RE WORKING WITH CHEMILUMINESCENCE...
I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS ON,
YOU KNOW, JUST GENERAL TALKS ABOUT CERTAIN FABRICS THAT CAN BE WOVEN
USING THAT SORT OF TECHNOLOGY, AS FAR AS FOR, LIKE, ADVANCED CAMOUFLAGE
IN THE MILITARY.
HOW PROMISING DO YOU THINK SOME OF THOSE-- >> I THINK IT’S VERY PROMISING.
I THINK IT’S VERY PROMISING.
IN FACT, I CAN EVEN ENVISION HAVING A CERTAIN FABRIC
THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO DETECT BIOLOGICAL COMPOUNDS,
OR CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS.
>> OKAY, SO INSTEAD OF HAVING THE MONITORS, LIKE, IN NEW YORK CITY,
IT COULD BE RIGHT INTO THE UNIFORM.
>> EXACTLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE’S A COMPOUND THAT’S CALLED HYDRAZINE.
HYDRAZINE IS A COMPONENT THAT IS USED IN ROCKET FUEL,
IT’S USED IN EXPLOSIVES, AND WE WERE DOING RESEARCH WITH HYDRAZINE,
AND USING ELECTROCHEMISTRY TO DETECT THAT.
AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, WHEN HYDRAZINE REACTS WITH RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS,
A REACTION OCCURS, AND WHEN THAT REACTION OCCURS, IT PRODUCED LIGHT.
SO, LET’S SAY YOU WERE TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF EXPLOSIVE,
OKAY, THAT’S IN THE AREA,
OR SOME TYPE OF A CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENT THAT’S IN THE AREA,
AND YOU HAVE ON A FABRIC OF SOME SORT...
THAT’S ABLE TO DETECT THAT.
AND MAYBE YOU’D WANNA THINK ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT YOU'D WANT LIGHT BEING PRODUCED,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE IN A COMBAT SITUATION,
YOU DON’T WANT LIGHT BEING PRODUCED.
BUT THERE’S OTHER WAYS THAT YOU CAN USE
TO PICK UP THAT SIGNAL FROM THAT REACTION, YEAH.
YES?
>> NOW, YOU SAY THAT YOU WERE IN THE INDUSTRY,
AND THEN YOU WENT BACK TO THE LAB AND STUFF?
>> YEAH. >> I WAS LIKE YOU,
I WAS AT DAVENPORT, TAKING ALL THE BUSINESS CLASSES
AND I GOT WORK AT PERRIGO, DOING SCIENCE STUFF, AND THEN--
AT WHAT POINT DID YOU DECIDE WHICH ONE YOU LIKED BETTER?
>> WELL, HERE’S ANOTHER THOUGHT.
INSTEAD OF DECIDING ON WHICH ONE YOU LIKE BETTER,
WHY NOT MAKE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS?
WHY NOT COMBINE THEM?
FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD A COLLEAGUE WHO WAS WORKING AT PPG INDUSTRIES OUT EAST,
AND HE WAS THE DIRECTOR OF HIS LAB.
AND THEN, THINGS WERE GOING GREAT, AND THEY SAID, “WAIT A MINUTE,
"WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO GET YOUR MBA.”
HE HAD NEVER TAKEN A BUSINESS COURSE,
BUT NOW THIS COMPANY IS WANTING HIM TO GET HIS MBA.
THEY WANTED HIM TO GET HIS MBA BECAUSE THEY WANTED SOMEONE
THAT HAD SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
TO HELP THEM MAKE THE RIGHT BUSINESS DECISIONS.
SO, YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THEM SEPARATELY,
BUT WHY NO THINK ABOUT THEM-- SOMEHOW COMBINING THEM?
THAT’S MY SUGGESTION, YOU KNOW?
THINK ABOUT THAT. >> ONE MORE QUESTION.
>> YES?
I THINK THERE WAS...
>> AT WHAT POINT AFTER COLLEGE DID YOU GET YOUR JOB AT HOPE?
>> WOW.
AFTER I GOT MY PhD,
I HAD APPLIED TO, LIKE, FIVE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
I HAD FOUR OFFERS...
AND SO, I WAS ABLE TO GET THAT JOB RATHER QUICKLY.
I WOULD SAY WITHIN LESS THAN...
TWO WEEKS AFTER INTERVIEWING FOR ALL PLACES.
>> WE’RE JUST GETTING CLOSE TO-- >> OH, OKAY.
>> ANY BURNING QUESTIONS-- ONE MORE BURNING QUESTION?
OKAY. >> YES?
>> WHAT MADE HOPE STAND OUT MORE THAN THE OTHER OFFERS THAT YOU WERE--
>> THE RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT.
AND THEN, JUST INTERACTING WITH THE STUDENTS.
I THINK HOPE STUDENTS ARE GREAT.
HOPE STUDENTS ARE GREAT.
FACULTY-- THEY'RE GREAT.
BUT HOPE STUDENTS... THEY'RE REALLY GREAT.
SO, THAT WAS KINDA LIKE THE TIPPING POINT FOR ME.
YUP.
>> LET'S THANK DR. BROWN.
(applause)
AND SO, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL HAPPEN SOON IS--