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The following feature story appeared in the campus publication Mosaic in February, 1996.
Matt Mohill '96
Chemistry eight hours a day - An Open Semester at Oakridge
There was no magic moment when Matt Mohill '96 suddenly realized that he wanted to make a career as an analytical chemist. Instead, his love of science and the environment grew gradually out of childhood passions for sports, recreation, and the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
"I started out at Trinity as a person who wanted to go to medical school, but during my first year here I realized that medical school wasn't quite right for me," said Mohill, who is from Portland, Ore. "I just fell in love with chemistry here. I like challenges. If someone challenges me with a problem or a puzzle, I jump on it.
"When you are a kid, time flies when you are playing. If you are doing something that you love, time flies," said Mohill, who is engaging, enthusiastic and good-humored. "For me, time flies in the chem lab."
A knack for lab work
"Matt has a real knack for work in the lab," said Richard Prigodich, associate professor of chemistry and Mohill's adviser on a senior research project. "Some kids are all thumbs. But Matt has a special aptitude for making experiments work."
Last fall, Mohill tested that aptitude during an intensive Open Semester project at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, which is operated by the federal Department of Energy. He received four course credits for his work as an undergraduate research fellow.
"It was the greatest experience ever," Mohill told a group of chemistry students and faculty gathered at the department's weekly research forum. "It was a unique opportunity to do hands-on chemistry eight hours a day and sometimes seven days a week." At Oak Ridge, Mohill joined a team of scientists developing new methods of testing soil to detect environmental pollution, particularly the toxic substances arsenic, tin, lead and mercury, which often pollute soil as a result of the disposal of industrial by products and the use of pesticides and fertilizers. "Accurate testing is the first step toward repairing the damage that's been done," said Mohill, who is deeply interested in preserving and protecting the natural environment.
In a presentation marked by lively give and take, Mohill said he was particularly drawn to the project because the team was seeking to develop methods of using mass spectrometers as diagnostic instruments. "Mass spectrometry is the most powerful analytical technology available and I wanted to go as far with it as possible," said Mohill, who plans to earn a doctorate in analytical chemistry and has already won a fellowship at the University of Florida.
Planned failures
"At Oak Ridge, you are immersed in basic research. The goal is to use sophisticated instrumentation to develop methods of testing that others can then use," he said.
In fact, Mohill spent most of the semester running experiments expected to expose the limitations of using glow discharge mass spectrometers to pinpoint the presence of arsenic and mercury in soil samples. "It can be a little frustrating, but it is just as important to prove that a given technique or instrument doesn't work for a particular application."
"Matt did outstanding work here," said Dr. Christopher Barshick, the federal scientist who supervised Mohill's work. "Trinity prepared him to take up the responsibility of independent research."
Mohill learned about the fellowship program from a flier posted in the Clement Chemistry Building and then talked with Ralph Moyer, Scovill Professor of Chemistry. "He told me to do it if I could. When I heard that I had been accepted, I was literally jumping up and down," Mohill said.
As a result of his experience, Mohill feels very confident about his decision to seek to become what he calls an applications chemist. "I think there are two ways to be a chemist. One is to work with instruments and attempt to perfect instrumentation. Or you can be a chemist who uses instruments to help resolve problems like environmental pollution. I want to be the second kind.
"The national lab was like a big taste of graduate school, and I found out that I was ready to go," Mohill said. "Trinity's chemistry department is small and very well equipped, and we get to know all of the professors very well. I don't feel a lot of negative competition among students. We encourage each other."
Seeking the greatest opportunities
Mohill said he chose Trinity because he "wanted to go where I had the greatest opportunities. I wanted a small school and a good liberal arts education. I also like to go to interesting and new places." A student-led tour of the College sealed his choice. "Trinity seemed like the best possible place for me.
"My idea of what college is for is to do as much as you can," Mohill said. For him that has meant immersion in science, a semester on the frontier of basic research, a place on Trinity's golf team, and the fun of exploring New England and Tennessee.
As he approaches the end of his Trinity education, Mohill feels the next steps for him are laid out clearly: graduate study in analytical chemistry with a focus on environmental problems and a special concentration on mass spectrometry. After graduate training, he plans to work on environmental problems as a government or corporate scientist.
- Andrew Walsh