Victoria was a chemistry major at Linfield (Class of 2010). At Linfield, she was involved in research with me, where she really got us going on making Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles. At the time, it was a difficult thing to do, and she was only the second student I’d worked with who could do it. Thanks to what she did, we have gotten much better at this sort of work. You’ll see that she is working in a very different area of chemistry than the work she did as an undergraduate. I see this frequently, and highly approve of it. And now she’s starting to think about going for a Ph.D.!
1. How many schools did you apply to, and what was/were the important factors in making your final decision?
I applied to four schools (two out west and two out east). Honestly, a very important part of my decision was funding. I wanted/need a program where I wouldn’t have to worry about “soft money” (basically the rug could get pulled out from under you when you least expect it). I also connected very well with my advisor when I met him. After taking some time to work after graduating from Linfield I had a better idea of the type of environment I knew I needed to succeed.
2. What attracted you to the sub discipline and research area that you are studying?
While I love chemistry, by the end of my time at Linfield I knew I didn’t want to pursue a “pure” chemistry sub discipline. I wanted to be able to apply chemistry on a larger scale and after reading a variety of articles I felt environmental science, specifically oceanography, was right for me. Monterey, CA has been my favorite city in the world for a long time. I love the aquarium and the work done by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute). The time I took after Linfield allowed me to sort out what was important to me personally and professionally.
My research area is atmospheric chemistry (a “sub discipline” of oceanography at my school). As much as I enjoy oceanography, I have also grown to appreciate atmospheric chemistry, which surprised me. Working in these fields is certainly an adjustment. I need to consider the world as a whole leading to lots of puzzle pieces so it is fun and frustrating (no more beaker chemistry!).