have won a Nobel prize. Did you get the great Dudley Herschbach, molecular beam pioneer? I’ll bet you got Tom Hanks. What seems particularly strange is that we’re conscious of the people who immediately deliver technology to our lives. Doctors, inventors, and, of course, former researchers like myself who now work at DHS, all reap the glory that comes with making modern times a fine time to be alive. I don’t mean to in any way diminish the impressive and laudable acts of the surgeon who, against all odds, is capable of staggering feats like heart transplants. I just wonder why the thousands of biologists who slogged their way through the details of the inner workings of the heart never get fan mail from transplant survivors. It’s funny, because when I was doing research, I never really thought about this. I, like all my colleagues, simply loved the work, the sense of discovery, the feeling that comes with solving a problem that no one else in the world has been able to solve. It’s only when I left research, when I stopped doing science and started applying science, that I became disturbed by our society’s disinterest. It seems that I was perfectly comfortable doing something important (research) and receiving no recognition, but I am extremely
uncomfortable being lauded for doing something important (homeland security) when my current work rests heavily on the work of so many other unrecognized individuals. The closest analogy I can come up with is that I feel like a businessman running a sweatshop. The scientists do the hard work. I’m a social superstar. When you wake up tomorrow, try to keep track of all the ways science has made your life better. And then imagine life without it. Did you wake up to an alarm clock? Microwave your breakfast? Use that shiny new coffeemaker? Sure, these are conveniences rather than necessities. But what about plumbing? Modern agriculture, making sure we all have enough to eat. Clean drinking water. Drugs and vitamins to keep your blood pressure low and your energy level high. Spend a day trying to trace the technology (for example, your car) back to the science (combustion, thermodynamics, modern oil retrieval and processing; the list goes on an on). And keep in mind that many of these technologies are based on scientific ideas that had little or no perceivable practical use when they were discovered. So the next time you meet a scientist, remember: he or she may be working on something really, really, boring, but twenty years from now, you’ll be glad they did. So thank them. - Dr. Eric Yisroel Brumer
Eric Yisroel Brumer currently works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He completed undergraduate studies at U of T’s Chemistry Department in 2000, and obtained an M.Sc. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Harvard. If you have questions for him, please feel free to e-mail him at brumer@post.harvard.edu. This article first appeared in the “My Turn” section of Newsweek magazine on Oct. 23, 2006.
DIFFUSION Many bright young undergraduate and graduate students pass through Chemistry’s doors each year to seek out futures in R&D, academia, and other fields. But where do they really end up? Distillations’ new feature, Diffusion, traces the path of some of these graduates.
UNDERGRADUATE PROFILE Mary Ellen Ash
I presently work as a Research Associate for Gilead Sciences, Inc., a pharmaceutical company based in Foster City, CA. It’s located about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. I work within the Analytical Chemistry department. I moved out to California on a whim. I grew tired of job hunting in the GTA and since I knew there was a large amount of pharmaceutical companies located within the
SF Bay Area, I flew to CA. With my U of T degree and chemistry background, I knew I would have no problems finding a job. Within a short period of time, I had a good job at Gilead. Gilead is known for its anti-viral drugs. And I was lucky enough to work with its newest HIV drug product, Atripla, prior to its being released to the market. Currently I am working with research scientists to develop better methods for drug compound separations using a variety of analytical methods, including HPLC and LC-MS. Presently my goals are to continue learning about the Pharmaceutical industry and what is required for drug analysis and release of drug compounds to the public. Gilead is a growing company and has a lot of new projects for the future; I am fortunate to work with a brilliant group of scientists. Thanks to the guidance from many Chemistry DISTILLATIONS 2006 • 59