Personal Statement: How Can I Help?

Personal Statement "How can I help?" is a simple question that we normally either dismiss or greet with lukewarm enthusiasm. In this question though, rests a core intention of trying to be part of the solution. It may not seem important, but the simplest of ideas, motivations or questions can begin most journeys, which is true in my case. I remember that as a young child of around 4 years old, I would sit on the counter next to the medicine cabinet and read the back of all the medicine bottles. My adolescent mind was just barely able to sound out the words on those bottles: acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, and dextromethorphan. I had no clue what these words meant or what the molecules that were represented did in our body. The only thing I …show more content…
That question was the spark, that ignited this burning desire to know more about the world around us. As I progressed toward answering these questions I quickly realized that answers are complex and never as straight-forward as one might hope. Chemistry always gave the best context to answer my questions and explain the world around me. This context and understanding in turn allowed me to better help others. Throughout my journey so far in science and becoming a Chemist, those questions I asked my 4-year old self while sitting next to the medicine cabinet still acted as a motivation. By now, the original questions of what those words meant and how the medicines worked have long since been answered. It was not those questions that were motivating me, but they were just the beginning push to realize my scientific curiosity. I always believed that the most straight forward blend of helping people and scientific research is pharmaceuticals, developing new medications. The clearest source of suffering is normally disease. Being able to treat diseases is the most obvious way to help others. It was in my junior year of college that I realized that better living can be achieved through other routes than just a pill. Broader …show more content…
Joseph Cradlebaugh. The project was a environmentally friendly synthesis of trifluoromethylated pyridines. This research project was of immediate importance due to the fact that the planned synthetic route eliminates the use of solvent and standard agents in adding a trifluoromethyl group, which may be toxic1,2. Trifluoromethylated pyridines are found in many pharmaceuticals3 and this synthesis installs two reactive functional groups on the 2 and 6 positions of the ring, which are normally unreactive3. The inclusion of a fluorine, or fluorine containing substituent as in pharmaceuticals has significantly increased, since the fluorine can drastically improve bioavailability, protect against metabolism and change polarization of the molecule with limited