CAREER ADVICE

Starch, Iowa Corn, and Cyanide? 

We visited with Erin McCormally, an Applications Chemist with Penford Products in Cedar Rapids, to learn more about a career in chemistry.  Erin has been with the company for seven years.  Penford is a corn wet milling operation that manufactures carbohydrate-based products for use in the paper industry, as well as for other uses.  The product that Penford manufactures is integral in their customer’s process of producing quality paper. 

Chemists find ways to improve products and create new products through research and by using scientific analyses of chemicals.  Some chemists are researchers as Erin is, looking for new and better ways; other chemists may be lab technicians who test products.  The research chemist needs to know the key to products.  Lab technicians confirm the quality of the product.  They may also monitor environmental testing.  Chemists may work somewhat independently and other times as a member of a team, depending on the needs of the specific project.  They wear safety glasses, a lab coat, latex gloves, and sometimes may even need to wear a full-face respirator.   

Erin states that the list of activities she performs over time is probably larger than one might think.  She said, “I find myself working with strange things.  I had an occasion to work with cyanide at one point.  Everything from the exotic to the not-so-exotic.”  Because of the nature of Penford’s products, however, she works primarily with starch and water.  She measures the viscosity or consistency of products, and in some manner she finds herself “cooking” starch quite often.  She measures acidity.  She records and compares results to previous results and specifications.  Her range of work goes from helping to develop a product for a new customer, perhaps modifying a starch to fit their particular needs, to working on a means to improve the company’s manufacturing process.   The hours of work for a chemist at Penford are generally 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Occasionally there may be a need for additional work to be done after 5:00 p.m. or on a Saturday. 

Erin attended Washington High School in Cedar Rapids and remembers taking two chemistry classes there.  She said she always liked science—understanding how and why things work in the world around us.  While attending Grinnell College in Iowa where she received a Batchelor of Arts in Chemistry, however, the intensity of study increased as she focused on her major.  She stated that a person doesn’t have to be the “typical science geek” and she feels that a well-rounded education is best and one should study other subjects of interest such as history and Russian as she did.  She studied physics and now wishes she had taken more biology courses.  Biology courses would be beneficial for Iowa careers since the trend is towards agricultural sciences.  

Because of the nature of a chemist’s work, it is not necessary to know the specialty of a company’s product when you begin to work for the company.  Chemistry skills are transferable from one industry to another.  She learned about starch industry after she started to work for Penford.  

Other skills essential to a chemist’s success are basic computer skills such as Word, Excel and being able to use the Internet and e-mail.  In addition, a chemist would need to use the company’s individual computer programs, which are learned on the job.  Effective communication skills are important to chemists.  They must be able to speak to people on the phone to share and gather information.  Chemists interact with colleagues and therefore, must be able to communicate well in order to make their points understood by others.  Periodically it is necessary to make presentations in front of a group of co-workers.  Writing is also important.  Chemists must be able to summarize data and draw conclusions when preparing reports.  Others must be able to understand what the chemist has written, both in report form and in the daily lab book in which they record their day’s work.  Entries in the daily lab notebook must be written in such a way so that if another qualified person was asked to take over a project that s/he could pick up the notebook, follow what has already been done, and continue with the project.  Proper grammar is necessary for both the written and spoken word.  Erin, a self-taught microscopist, uses the microscope a lot in her work, especially when she is doing competitive analysis.   

We asked Erin whether there was stress on the job as a chemist and what she found particularly rewarding.  Erin said, "Deadlines, which are inevitable, cause stress.  When an instrument or a process doesn’t work, it bugs me, but when I can fix it, I feel really good.  I like it when I can find a better way to do things and when I can help a customer do something well.  I like to help customers solve their problems.” 

Erin believes it is a little difficult to describe a career path, but possibly after being a chemist for a while, one might advance to a supervisory position, and then on to a senior research chemist.  It is possible that some companies may require an advanced degree in order to move up.  She likes to keep abreast of the industry and does this by reading industry-related professional magazines and she attends at least one training course per year, generally out of town, where she would learn how to use a new piece of equipment or receive updates on starch chemistry. 

Asked what advice she might have for a high school student who is thinking about chemistry for their future, she said “Pay attention in classes.  Don’t think you have to know everything all the time.  They make reference books for a reason.  It is important to be familiar with highly theoretical issues, however, because somebody will come to you for that information.  There is nothing wrong with saying ‘I don’t know’ and then finding the answer.”  She also said to ask questions.  “Just because you don’t understand something the first time, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.  Don’t assume everybody else understands and you’re the only one who doesn’t.  Ask questions.  Have somebody help you understand.”  She also said once more that it would be a good idea to take more biology classes.

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