What I Learned

Michael Fuller, Senior Completions Subject Matter Expert, Chevron Technical Center, shares how he secured that first job out of graduate school, the current focus for the Chemical Sciences Roundtable (Mike is a member), and chemistry’s role in addressing oil production challenges

Mick Hurrey, InCarda’s VP, Product Development, shares his thoughts on why lifelong learning is so critical to career advancement at all levels, and why he thinks biopharma won’t necessarily burnish its reputation despite its stunning success developing COVID-19 vaccines

Sergio Nanita, a mass spectrometrist who recently joined International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) after a 15-year stint with DuPont, credits his university educators for launching his professional career, and his long and impressive body of volunteer work with ACS

Maria-Jesus Blanco, Head of Chemistry and Senior Director, Sage Therapeutics, explains why scientific literacy matters, how mentorships are key to advancing the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and respect, and how early career chemists can build a career in medicinal chemistry.

Cargill’s Michelle Rogers reflects on joining a company at the start of the pandemic, how an ‘off-the-scale’ introvert has evolved in her reaction to the pandemic, and the importance of self-reflection to her career advancement

Kelly Brush, a research scientist at Ashland Specialty Chemicals, talks about what makes for a successful leader, and how to adapt to working for a new company

Check out the staff’s take on the fourteen most interesting questions and answers we published last year from our many What I Learned contributors. Dorothy Phillips, Chris Bodurow, Tom Lane, Kevin Edgar, Dawn Mason, Lisa Houston and eight others are back for an encore appearance

“How have your parents influenced your leadership style?” Tom Lane, Chris Bodurow, Richard Cobb, Kevin Edgar, Beth Lorsbach, and six others have interesting things to say on the topic

DuPont’s Christine McInnis explains how the lines between industry and academia are blurring, the benefits from her internships at Wyeth and AstraZeneca, a key reason why she spends so much time volunteering on behalf of ACS, and what she did to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award

Thomas H. Lane, former ACS President, provides his take on the current state of science and engineering in the U.S., lists the five things teachers need to succeed, shares some advice for mid-career chemists, and reveals the heart-warming reason he wears bow-ties.

Alexia Finotello, Dow Chemical TS&D Scientist, shares what she most likes about working at Dow, how her university years helped prepare her for a career in industry, where academia could stand to improve a bit, and the instrumental role of internships to careers in industry

Erica Ocampo, formerly with Dow and one year into her new role as Global Director of Sustainability with Sims Metal, shares some suggestions on how each of us can help reduce the 50m tons of e-waste generated each year, and identifies three fundamental learnings from Dow that are instrumental to her success at Sims Metal

Jennifer Maclachlan shares how the pandemic has impacted her family’s small business, a strategy for getting girls interested in science, and how the Cape Cod Science Café encourages chemists and others to discuss scientific topics in a relaxed atmosphere

CoorsTek’s Lynn Andrews shares 10 proven tips on successfully leading teams. MBA or PhD? Lynn tells you which to pursue. And the one business leader with whom she would like to have dinner

Katie Hunt discusses her tenure as ACS President, what it was like working for Rohm & Haas and Dow, and teaching at UVA. Katie also provides advice for younger chemists, and why it is so important to always ask questions – specifically the question “Why?”