Fall 2008 Newsletter
Q & A with Matt Dunn, M.S.
This issue’s featured employee is Matt Dunn, M.S. Matt has been at Chemir for almost 2 years and was recently promoted to Quality Assurance Manager. We sat down with him to discuss his experiences at Chemir, his new position, and his most recent charity fundraiser.
Q. What did you do before coming to Chemir?
MD. I was a graduate student studying atmospheric chemistry at the University of Colorado and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Q. Before becoming Quality Assurance Manager, you were one of Chemir’s High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) specialists. What are some memorable projects that you have worked on?
MD. Detecting formaldehyde trapped in the matrix of a window shade was my most memorable project involving HPLC. Formaldehyde would not be detected directly by our technique, so I produced a derivative of the compound with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), making an odd, iridescent yellow solution. In the end we did detect formaldehyde at part-per-million (ppm) levels.
Another interesting project was determining the concentration of sulfite in shrimp. It was an especially difficult project, initially. I tried to measure sulfite and sulfate through ion chromatography (IC) first, another liquid chromatography technique, but components of the shrimp matrix interfered with the test. After a little more research, I discovered that a very specific method existed to detect sulfite in foods, and I was able to construct the apparatus and conduct the analysis. I had never performed that method before, and I was able to detect sulfite below 10 ppm!
Q. What do you like best about working at Chemir?
MD. It is reassuring to know that I am surrounded by dedicated, knowledgeable and creative professionals.
Q. What are you looking forward to in your new position?
MD. I look forward to working directly with top management to continually improve Chemir's product and processes and, of course, with customers to learn first-hand what they think Chemir is doing right or wrong for them.
Q. You organized a roller skating party fundraiser earlier this year called Wonder Wheels. Can you tell us more about it?
MD. In July, I threw a fundraiser for BWORKS, a non-profit organization in St. Louis that teaches bike mechanics and computer technology to kids especially in need of constructive things to do. When the kids complete a hands-on course of these skills, they earn a bike or a computer for their work!
The idea for the party was little more than a silly idea - a roller-skating party to the music of Stevie Wonder – but many people came together to make it happen. It was a blast and we raised money for a good cause.