For senior chemistry major Emily Pacek, undergraduate research was the primary reason she chose Ohio Northern University.
“I love experiments, gathering data, and discovering new things,” she says. “I chose to major in chemistry for a simple reason: everything is chemistry. Across all fields and industries, chemists are there.”
Emily is currently working in Dr. Chris Spiese’s research lab on a project investigating the possible sources of phosphine gas – traditionally considered a sign of early life – on the planet Venus.
“What we may be able to prove with this data is that phosphine on Venus does not indicate the presence of life, but rather meteors on its surfacing reacting to form the gas,” she said.
As part of the project, Emily uses a lab instrument called a gas chromatograph to separate and analyze compounds, as well as a mass spectrometer to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions.
“I enjoy how hands-on my project is,” says Emily. “I get to work with a variety of instrumentation, which is my favorite part about lab work. I truly feel like I'm gaining valuable experience every hour I spend in the lab.”
Something that has surprised her is just how much repetition is required in research.
“A lot of times, I need to repeat the same experiments over and over again with slight variations in order to get legible results,” she explains, “but that’s part of research! Perseverance is key.”
In addition, Emily has gained valuable experience that has opened doors to further learning opportunities, such as a summer research experience at Emory University that she describes as life-changing. Currently, she is in the process of applying to graduate school to earn a Ph.D.
“All aspects of research are instrumental in being a good scientist,” Emily states. “I have not only learned hard skills like lab techniques and presentation/reporting skills, but there are many soft skills I've learned that are applicable as well. Research requires problem solving, communication skills, and patience.”