Jason Scott 1996
General Manager/Principle of Tri-iso, Inc.

Tri-iso is a U.S. West Coast distributor and sales agent of specialty chemicals. We sell chemical additives, resins and related raw materials to the following markets: Coatings (paint, ink, adhesives and sealants), Plastics (polyurethane, polyurea and thermoplastics) and Lubricants (metalworking fluids, grease and lubes).

Tri-iso is currently in a large growth cycle where I oversee the sales force and the supplier relationships.

My time at Hiram College helped in many aspects of my current day to day responsibilities. Obviously, Hiram is responsible for the ground work of my chemical dexterity but the diversity of the Hiram College campus, the professors and the other Hiram staffers allowed me the knowledge to relate with the different cultures and backgrounds of my sales group as well as my supplier and customer base.

My undergraduate research got my foot in the door at my first job, which in turn allowed me to see the many opportunities within the field of Chemistry, and for that I am deeply indebted to Dr. Scalzi, who gave me my first research project, and Dr. Fried, who took a large leap of faith allowing me (me of all people!) to be her first advisee - she took a big chance!

Words of Wisdom to all current Hiram College students:
You read the word "Sales" in my biography and you probably think of a sleazy, cheap suit wearing, peddler. I did when I was in your shoes and swore I'd never get into Sales. I was wrong, very wrong.

This is not a song and dance to make you a sales person, but it is an honorable career and if you find the right situation for yourself at an ethical company that truly wants to help its customer base and push the edge of technology, you are in for a treat that will expose you to many different opportunities and ideas!

Warmest regards,
Jason Scott, Class of 1996

Kristi Huntington 1997
Sr. Technical Services Representative, Bioprocess Research and Development, Eli Lilly and Company

I obtained my chemistry degree from Hiram College in 1997 then went on to earn my M.S. degree in chemistry (biological) from The Ohio State University (1999). Following my tenure at OSU, I accepted a position with Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana providing technical support for the commercial manufacture of Humalog®, a recombinant human insulin analog product for the treatment of diabetes. My current job responsibilities at Eli Lilly and Company are within the area of Bioprocess Research and Development and include chemistry and engineering support for the pilot scale manufacture of potential early phase drugs for use in toxicology studies and clinical trials.

While at Hiram College, I was fortunate to be accepted into a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Mississippi State University during the summer between my junior and senior years. My research focused on the synthesis of organometallic compounds, specifically using rhenium and tungsten metals and an organic ligand (depe) to further investigate the crystallographic and spectroscopic properties of this particular family of complexes. This summer research coupled with the knowledge and experience gained from the chemistry courses and the emphasis on writing at Hiram College provided me with a strong technical background to succeed in graduate school as well as in my career in pharmaceutical research and development and manufacturing with Eli Lilly and Company.

Bridgette (Roth) Christopher 2002
MD/PhD Student

I graduated from Hiram in 2002 with a major in chemistry and a minor in creative writing. I had entered Hiram planning to pursue a PhD in either organic or biochemistry, but my plans changed after a summer of research at Case Western Reserve University. I studied cardiac metabolism changes during heart failure, and I found myself wanting to mix chemistry with medicine. I spent a semester at the National Institutes of Health, and I studied calcium changes in cardiac mitochondria at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. I decided that an MD/PhD degree would help me to understand the unique challenges of medical science, and I entered into Case’s Medical Scientist Training Program in the fall of 2002. I am currently doing research for my PhD with Dr. Frank Brozovich in the Physiology and Biophysics department. My project studies the molecular and cellular changes involved in decreased cardiac contractility during a state of chronic low coronary artery blood flow. We are focusing on individual protein modifications and how multiple changes contribute to this disease process, which is known as myocardial hibernation. After I complete my PhD, I plan to finish medical school and then pursue a residency and fellowship that will allow me to start a lab of my own.

I found my background in chemistry at Hiram to be extremely helpful in preparing me for my future studies—the laboratory skills and teaching assistant experience I received was invaluable. I enjoyed the personal interaction with my professors, and my advisor was always looking for new opportunities for me, like the NIH research semester. Even though I changed direction in the middle of college, I knew that I already had the skills I needed to move in a variety of directions.