I graduated in 1984 with a BS in Medical Technology

After graduation I started work at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. I was a Research Associate assigned to support Dr. Toledo and others in their study of preservation fluids for hepatic allografts. I was involved with surgical research which included collecting blood and tissue samples and preparing the data for publication in various medical journals. I also attended several medical conferences that were devoted to improving the science of transplant surgeries.

Then I accepted a position with a company called White & Bagley, a Division of Dryden Oil Company in Detroit. This facility blended metal working fluids, lubricants, and automobile oil products. I performed product quality assurance tasks during the blending process, provided customer support for our metal working clients, as well as research and development for new/customized products. I also performed various tests on the products in order to prepare the Material Safety Data Sheets.

The next position I accepted was with a company called Chemical Waste Management which is a division of Waste Management International. I was hired as a Field Chemist where I was responsible for leading “Lab Pack“ Teams. Lab Pack Teams were sent to customer locations in order to package chemical wastes for disposal at various facilities owned by the corporation. In order to do this job successfully, I was trained in applicable environmental and safety regulations (local, state and federal). Our clients included pesticide manufacturers, municipal disposal facilities, auto manufacturers, metal working/fabricators, refineries, and specialty/petrochemical plants. I also provided sampling and chemical fingerprinting support at “Super Fund” sites. I was the first woman in the corporation to enter a tank used for chemical storage to obtain samples in order to certify the tank as decontaminated. This was no easy task- I had to obtain the proper safety training and become certified in order to do the job. We actually had a mock up of the job and I practiced rappelling from 30 feet in the air while wearing all my safety gear (protective chemical suit, gloves and self-contained breathing apparatus as well as trying to hang on to my sampling equipment!). I traveled all over the country doing this job and eventually landed in the state of California.

Here I accepted a position with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, owned by the Department of Energy and operated by the University of California. I started in the Environmental Protection Department ten years ago, managing the wastes generated by the various research programs. The last two years I have moved into a program that studies and models processes associated with the production of weapons (chemical, nuclear, biological) of mass destruction.

Recently I have been working towards a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and am considering a PhD program at UC Davis. I want to study the thermodynamics of reacting organophosphorous systems. I think it a good combination to have a BS in Medical Technology and a graduate degree in Chemical Engineering. They "go together" very well! I feel I made the right decision 20 years ago to attend MSU and the Medical Technology Program in particular.