Careers in Chemistry Workshop Session 1

15. Safety is extremely important in industry, particularly at pharma and agro companies. The materials you are making/testing are meant to be bioactive and in some cases, lethal to biological systems. Your time is money. The cost for you as a salary employee to synthesis simple reagents is huge. In the agricultural industry, if a reagent is that expensive to hedge at buying it, it is better to think of a different route or target altogether. Meetings break up the day. Rare are long stretches that you can be in front of your bench. Time management is essential. You are a professional in your field. For instance if I am working on a developing a fungicide I need to know what current fungicide am I trying to replace. What attributes will this chemistry need to gain market shares, etc.Safety is extremely important in industry, particularly at pharma and agro companies. The materials you are making/testing are meant to be bioactive and in some cases, lethal to biological systems. Your time is money. The cost for you as a salary employee to synthesis simple reagents is huge. In the agricultural industry, if a reagent is that expensive to hedge at buying it, it is better to think of a different route or target altogether. Meetings break up the day. Rare are long stretches that you can be in front of your bench. Time management is essential. You are a professional in your field. For instance if I am working on a developing a fungicide I need to know what current fungicide am I trying to replace. What attributes will this chemistry need to gain market shares, etc.

16. Being a team player�Generally you are not going to be working on a project yourself. You�ll need to know what everyone else is doing (to avoid repeating mistakes/targets) and what their results were. A lot of communication is needed. Also, everyone�s history and background is different. You may have experience with a chemistry that is giving someone fits, but if you don�t know that they are doing that work, a lot of time is wasted. Embrace suggestions!! It doesn�t matter, ultimately who came up with an idea as long as the project is driven to a decision point. Look out for #1�You are your own best advocate. Simply showing up day after day does not get you ahead. Be eager to present your work to those in the company (or externally). Show that you deserve being promoted Being a team player�Generally you are not going to be working on a project yourself. You�ll need to know what everyone else is doing (to avoid repeating mistakes/targets) and what their results were. A lot of communication is needed. Also, everyone�s history and background is different. You may have experience with a chemistry that is giving someone fits, but if you don�t know that they are doing that work, a lot of time is wasted. Embrace suggestions!! It doesn�t matter, ultimately who came up with an idea as long as the project is driven to a decision point. Look out for #1�You are your own best advocate. Simply showing up day after day does not get you ahead. Be eager to present your work to those in the company (or externally). Show that you deserve being promoted

19. Everything else different = How to get information, what information you are trying to get (how do you find out the price for a raw material? Based on scale? Are you now looking more at patents than at literature? And what happens if the patent you need is in Japanese?)Everything else different = How to get information, what information you are trying to get (how do you find out the price for a raw material? Based on scale? Are you now looking more at patents than at literature? And what happens if the patent you need is in Japanese?)

20. Communication = able to both communicate and work with people from diverse backgrounds who are located all over the world Analytical nature = Look at the data, then decide what it�s telling you. Not vice versa. Decisiveness = Anybody can make the right decision given 100% of the data Productivity = Don�t make a career out of being a helper; also, At the end of the day, results count. Nobody buys your product because you tried hard. Asking questions - Proposals for new projects or opportunities can sound compelling. Your response can lead you to the weak link or down a bunny hole Communication = able to both communicate and work with people from diverse backgrounds who are located all over the world Analytical nature = Look at the data, then decide what it�s telling you. Not vice versa. Decisiveness = Anybody can make the right decision given 100% of the data Productivity = Don�t make a career out of being a helper; also, At the end of the day, results count. Nobody buys your product because you tried hard. Asking questions - Proposals for new projects or opportunities can sound compelling. Your response can lead you to the weak link or down a bunny hole

21. Talking to people = you have a network, even if you don�t know it. Talk to those you know, and remember that you may be asking your colleagues for a job someday. Who would hire you? Who wouldn�t, and why not?Talking to people = you have a network, even if you don�t know it. Talk to those you know, and remember that you may be asking your colleagues for a job someday. Who would hire you? Who wouldn�t, and why not?

23. Intellectual Property � Patents are the most important documents to defining the course of your research. They determine what areas you can work in, and what work you do is truly meaningful. Publications have very little value. How the company you work for interprets others patents (conservative or aggressive) can drastically effect the course of your research. Personal Conduct � you must be more aware of how you conduct yourself on a day to day basis. Always treat your peers and managers with complete respect � regardless of the situation. Efficiency � Optimizing your reactions for the highest yield no longer important. Rapid synthesis of small amounts ( 2 � 5 mg) of final compound for biological testing most important. Maintaining Corporate Line � Efficient use of company resources and financial bottom line drives the business. The best scientific discovery means very little if there is no market for the product it produces.Intellectual Property � Patents are the most important documents to defining the course of your research. They determine what areas you can work in, and what work you do is truly meaningful. Publications have very little value. How the company you work for interprets others patents (conservative or aggressive) can drastically effect the course of your research. Personal Conduct � you must be more aware of how you conduct yourself on a day to day basis. Always treat your peers and managers with complete respect � regardless of the situation. Efficiency � Optimizing your reactions for the highest yield no longer important. Rapid synthesis of small amounts ( 2 � 5 mg) of final compound for biological testing most important. Maintaining Corporate Line � Efficient use of company resources and financial bottom line drives the business. The best scientific discovery means very little if there is no market for the product it produces.

24. Diversity � you will be asked to work with people of many different races, abilities, beliefs, etc. � not just co-exist and respect, but to actively involve others in what you do. Innovation � Following the status quo will not get you far. Have to develop new ideas and ways to accomplish your work to get recognition. Although as a synthetic chemist you are not expected to know much about Biochemistry and in vivo Biology, the quicker you pick it up, the more quickly you will become a respected contributor. Focus � Many more distractions in industry on a daily basis (meetings, trainings, project issues). Have to be able to remain productive despite it all. Adapt to Change � Daily and weekly data can change the course of a project quickly � have to be willing to drop some ideas and develop new ideas quickly to keep up. Diversity � you will be asked to work with people of many different races, abilities, beliefs, etc. � not just co-exist and respect, but to actively involve others in what you do. Innovation � Following the status quo will not get you far. Have to develop new ideas and ways to accomplish your work to get recognition. Although as a synthetic chemist you are not expected to know much about Biochemistry and in vivo Biology, the quicker you pick it up, the more quickly you will become a respected contributor. Focus � Many more distractions in industry on a daily basis (meetings, trainings, project issues). Have to be able to remain productive despite it all. Adapt to Change � Daily and weekly data can change the course of a project quickly � have to be willing to drop some ideas and develop new ideas quickly to keep up.

25. (1) Every company has a set of core values and principles that will always trump what you believe to be the practice of doing good scientific research � companies are much more conservative than academic university research which is driven by intellectual discovery. (2) Until you have to do it, you don�t realize how tough it is to write an honest, constructive evaluation of someone you work with. (3) In order to be productive, you have to be a master of many trades � you have to understand a lot of different areas of science other than your thesis work in order to move projects forward quickly � including even how to fix instruments so that you don�t have to wait for IT and service techs to come and fix things. (4) Most companies are Philanthropic organizations, you will be asked to participate in various charity and social events.(1) Every company has a set of core values and principles that will always trump what you believe to be the practice of doing good scientific research � companies are much more conservative than academic university research which is driven by intellectual discovery. (2) Until you have to do it, you don�t realize how tough it is to write an honest, constructive evaluation of someone you work with. (3) In order to be productive, you have to be a master of many trades � you have to understand a lot of different areas of science other than your thesis work in order to move projects forward quickly � including even how to fix instruments so that you don�t have to wait for IT and service techs to come and fix things. (4) Most companies are Philanthropic organizations, you will be asked to participate in various charity and social events.