Chemistry senior Lindsay Most completed her capstone last fall at Friends Medical Laboratory. She is still working there, with a standing invitation to join the team full time when she completes her education. She had the following to say about her experience:
“From day one, I was given a list of tasks, shadowed supervisors and laboratory technicians to learn the ropes, and then was in charge of running the samples efficiently and correctly in the TLC unit to produce reliable results. In the GC/LC unit, I was responsible for extracting drugs from patient samples using standard operating procedures for solid phase extraction and by observing fellow technicians. I handled hazardous materials such as fentanyl calibrators, and prepared batches of samples for extractions and injection for liquid chromatography. I was able to apply my chemistry knowledge and laboratory skills gained at Stevenson University in a professional laboratory setting, in order to excel in the TLC and GC/LC unit. By working on an individually assigned fentanyl project, I was able to analyze data and determine additional steps that would yield in greater, more accurate results.
The experience gained from Stevenson and this capstone experience allowed me to become employed and to pursue a career path that I have been considering for a long time, which is drug analysis. While I am still determining whether to pursue a passion for ballistics analysis, I know that I am comfortable with and thoroughly enjoy identifying illicit drugs in patient samples and that I really enjoy using liquid chromatography and analyzing data, all thanks to this fantastic opportunity.”
