On Wednesday, November 16, the TABC science department hosted alumnus Daniel Shlian ‘12, who recently earned his PhD in experimental chemistry and currently works as a scientific developer at Emerald Cloud Lab.

The first of Dr. Shlian’s two presentations was for the freshmen and sophomores in TABC’s Scholars Program, an independent honors program which affords invited students the opportunity to identify and master a field of intellectual study that appeals to them by working on an in-depth project in that discipline. Dr. Shlian spoke to the underclassmen about his graduate research and dissertation on using zinc and cadmium complexes to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide. As the Scholars Program students engage in their research projects throughout the year, they will benefit from the advice Dr. Shlian shared, such as his recommendation to always critically evaluate claims, even from reliable sources.

In his second presentation to the entire sophomore class, who are all taking chemistry this year, Dr. Shlian shared aspects of his journey from TABC to a career in chemistry; from what electives he chose in senior year all the way to applying for PhD programs. The sophomores were thrilled to learn about the steps that lead to a career path in science, and were inspired by the story of a TABC student like them who discovered a subject he enjoyed and was able to build a career out of it.