{"id":2592,"date":"2009-06-12T06:14:10","date_gmt":"2009-06-12T06:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/2009\/06\/reactions-aaron-wright.html"},"modified":"2011-12-20T11:08:12","modified_gmt":"2011-12-20T11:08:12","slug":"reactions_aaron_wright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/2009\/06\/reactions_aaron_wright.html","title":{"rendered":"Reactions – Aaron Wright"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aaron Wright<\/a> is in the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate<\/a> at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory<\/a> and works on the development of chemical proteomics to facilitate myriad biological investigations.<\/p>\n

1. What made you want to be a chemist?<\/em><\/p>\n

When I was about 10 years old I received my first chemistry kit. I distinctly remember being fascinated by the changes elicited by mixing two or more chemicals together. Of course, I didn\u2019t really understand what caused the changes, but it piqued my interest. Later, in high school, I had probably the best chemistry teacher of my life, who fostered my interest in the field, and helped direct me toward a future in chemistry.<\/p>\n

2. If you weren\u2019t a chemist and could do any other job, what would it be – and why?<\/em><\/p>\n

A landscape designer\/architect. I love working in the yard, whether it is mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, or completely renovating some part of the landscape.<\/p>\n

3. What are you working on now, and where do you hope it will lead?<\/em><\/p>\n

We are working in several diverse areas all incorporating chemical and activity-based proteomics. This includes utilizing the excellent mass spectrometry instrumentation and informatics available at PNNL<\/span> to perform chemical proteomics in novel ways. Currently, our work is spread across research into subcellular fractionation, tuberculosis, microbial communities, and a smidge in biofuels.<\/p>\n

4. Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?<\/em><\/p>\n

Martin Luther King, Jr. There are only a few individuals in history who have so resolutely stood upon their convictions and faith to bring about change for so many while their life was in constant danger. I imagine I could learn a lot over a dinner with him.<\/p>\n

5. When was the last time you did an experiment in the lab – and what was it?<\/em><\/p>\n

I performed a microscale vacuum distillation to purify a product from a reaction yesterday.<\/p>\n

6. If exiled on a desert island, what one book and one music album would you take with you?<\/em><\/p>\n

If exiled on an island I\u2019d want my Bible; I wouldn\u2019t feel so deserted with it along. As for a music album, probably the best of Johnny Cash.<\/p>\n

7. Which chemist would you like to see interviewed on Reactions?<\/em><\/p>\n

Lei Zhu at Florida State University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aaron Wright is in the Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and works on the development of chemical proteomics to facilitate myriad biological investigations.  Read more<\/a> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reactions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/thescepticalchymist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}