Cynthia House
My formal professional career was rather brief...four years in
the Wood Fiber Division of the United States Gypsum research center.
I did earn two U.S. patents in that time for a chemically modified
wood fiber product and process. Since then, I have been largely
occupied with raising Anne (19), a junior at Northwestern University,
Stephen (15) and Catherine(12), while being heavily involved in
the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Science Olympiad coaching. The
latter, as well as IJAS Science Fair, bring us back to campus
on a regular basis. I recently returned to paid employment as
a part-time teaching/technical assistant at the nearby elementary
school where my knowledge of things scientific is often called
upon.
My memories of six years in the School of Chemical Sciences
are for the most part fond ones. I cannot say that I'd relish
a return to spending most evenings until midnight in the "old"
chemistry library translating Bielstein or searching for obscure
compounds in the Marvel Stockroom. How could I forget that first
semester of organic chemistry lab in Noyes? The words had been
largely obliterated from the utility knobs so we rookies often
turned on the wrong thing. We had water shooting out of the Bunsen
burners, steam coursing through the cold-water condensers, and
one unfortunate young man cleared his bench of glassware when
he attached his high-pressure vacuum hose to the compressed air.
I well remember the thrill of being allowed to use the "big"
(I cannot recall the actual designation) NMR machine after hours
to run samples in liquid nitrogen to observe a rearrangement phenomenon.
I still marvel that the school would entrust an undergraduate
with such an expensive and important piece of equipment.
My best memories, though, revolve around Dr. Coates and his
research group. As undergraduate senior research project students
Roger Fujimoto and I were welcomed by all, and our inevitable
mistakes were gently corrected and forgiven. As a graduate student
I so appreciated Dr. Coates encouraging us to take a break during
the day to take classes to rejuvinate our minds and bodies. Figure
skating, synchronized swimming, and oil painting had little to
do with chemistry but I know they helped my laboratory work. The
training and practical experience I received in the group prepared
me well for my industrial lab position.
