Industry vs. Academia, Students Receive an Inside Look Into Careers in Chemistry Through Avomeen’s SSRI Tour
(PRWEB) June 16, 2014 -- Avomeen Analytical Services is a contract laboratory skilled in analytical testing, product development, and complex problem solving. The Ann Arbor laboratory also has built quite a reputation among the area universities, partnering with the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University Chemistry Department to utilize their specialized equipment for unusual projects and pour into the next generation of elite chemists. Recently Avomeen hosted a tour of their facilities for students as part of the EMU Summer Science Research Initiative (SSRI).
Two of the laboratory’s expert chemists presented an overview of career options available in analytical chemistry and delved into the types of projects they might see when working in the various sectors of government, manufacturing and industry. The students were also presented detailed case studies from Avomeen’s project files about everything from complex deformulation (chemical reverse engineering) to innovative product development. The students particularly related to these discussions as it provided a unique opportunity to hear about on-the-job problem solving and the high-pressure aspects of delivering to client expectations.
The tour also allotted the students a unique opportunity to walk through the company’s various labs, ask questions, and interact with chemists. They were guided through the various segregated laboratories of the 25,000 Sq. Ft. facility to see the GMP and R&D laboratories, and Avomeen’s brand new pharmaceutical clinical trial manufacturing suites among the other state-of-the-art labs. Students were able to ask about the various instrumentation in each area, identify which techniques they were familiar with from their coursework, as well as discover new analytical techniques of which they were unaware.
EMU faculty members, Dr. Maria Milletti, Dr. Ruth Ann Armitage, and Dr. Christine Clark led this group of predominantly graduate students and were extremely vocal about the important insight the presentations and tour provided the students. They were also impressed with Avomeen’s capabilities - finding the chemists’ daily work to be quite interesting. EMU was also heavily represented on Avomeen’s side of the tour as two of the Avomeen hosts, Evan Boyst and Tiffiny Micyus both graduated from the school and studied under Dr. Milletti.
The reunion fostered informative discussion of the vast differences between work in an analytical contract laboratory vs. academic research. Ms. Micyus explained from her personal experience that familiarizing herself with common acronyms of industry had proven shocking in the beginning of her career and the strict deadlines of client-based projects added a new challenge she was not used to in the academic setting. She went on to say that adjusting to the new environment and challenges came quickly and the successful transition was due in no small part to the collaboration of Avomeen colleagues providing cross-training and mentorship.
As students consider their career options after graduation, Avomeen hopes this and similar tours will help new chemist make informed decisions of how to contribute to the field. Avomeen also offers internships to promising students, giving them industry experience while still in school. EMU’s SSRI continues throughout the summer to help students discover their potential in chemistry and sees Avomeen as a great partner in fostering the development of new chemists. Dr. Milletti and her colleagues encourage their students to consider pursuing employment with the laboratory upon graduation.
For more information regarding Avomeen’s wide range of services visit their website at http://www.avomeen.com or call 800-930-5450 to speak with one of their Ph.D. chemists. All internship and employment inquiries can be submitted to hr(at)avomeen(dot)com.
More career information can also be found on our social media channels:
https://plus.google.com/+Avomeen/posts
https://www.facebook.com/avomeen
https://twitter.com/avomeen
Sarah Carroll, Avomeen, http://www.Avomeen.com, +1 8009305450 Ext: 121, [email protected]
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