MSU Chemistry is excited to introduce Dr. Steven Hurney as an Academic Specialist
and one of two new Analytical and Physical Chemistry Laboratory Coordinators. Dr.
Hurney completed his bachelor’s degree at Saginaw Valley State University, during
which time he also worked at DOW Chemical Company in the Food Packaging Research and
Exposure Laboratory. These experiences, he explains, helped set the stage for a passion
and interest in Analytical Chemistry: “Getting the chance to do separation science
and quantitative analysis from the very beginning and working with processes like
mass spectrometry and chromatography—I found I was given a lot of opportunity, and
that heightened my desire to learn more and go further.”
Dr. Steven Hurney. Courtesy Photo.
Dr. Hurney would eventually complete his PhD in the Department of Chemistry at MSU
in the laboratory of Professor A. Dan Jones (Chemistry and Biochemistry) with an emphasis on strategies for profiling and discovery
of plant metabolites, before working in the pharmaceutical industry as well as the
State of Michigan Public Health Lab. This latter position offered him unique exposure
to issues in public and environmental health, such as the development of methods for
the analysis of trace heavy metals, pesticides, and other toxins of public health
concern.
Dr. Hurney’s return to MSU as an Academic Specialist builds on a deep commitment
to curating an engaging and memorable chemistry education for undergraduates. “One
of the greatest aspects of Analytical Chemistry is how we can exploit chemical features
and properties to find our answers,” he says. “It’s cumulative, and every step of
the way—each measurement we take—there’s something to define and demonstrate.”
The result is an educational approach that foregrounds hands-on, student-driven discovery.
To date, Students in Dr. Hurney’s labs have analyzed different beer and hops for their
flavor profiles and metals content, quantified lead from contaminated soil samples,
evaluated capsaicinoids from pepper extracts to compare hot sauces, and even measured
trace amounts of cocaine on US currency. In such labs, the goal is to provide Students
with a high degree of scientific agency, and to allow their curiosity and research
instincts to take over.
“We ask them to use all the chemistry knowledge they’ve gained to solve these problems.
Alongside our guidance as teachers, we want them to come up with their own methods
of approach. They track down the appropriate literature, then head into the lab to
measure and extract, and through trial-and-error will end up surprising themselves
with what they’re able to find out, and what they can do as chemists.”
A defining element of coordinating the A/P Chemistry Laboratory—alongside colleague and co-A/P Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator Specialist Dr. Elizabeth
McGaw—has been the wide range of instrumentation that MSU Students use for learning in courses
and in their research. In the newly renovated A/P Laboratory space, Students have
access to equipment across the realms of Analytical and Physical Chemistry, including
mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, inductively coupled
plasma spectroscopy, and a wide range of spectrophotometers, in addition to supportive
analytical systems and software. Dr. Hurney views this as especially crucial in providing
Students with the skills and experience to practice chemistry beyond their time as
undergraduates, whether they pursue further education or a full-time scientific position
outside academia.
“Creating a lab experience with real-world applications is an ongoing goal. We can’t
teach Students everything there is to know about chemistry, but we can provide them
with some really great tools. I’m constantly asking, ‘What do they need? What skills
will translate well for them, and make them competitive?’ Hands-on knowledge of mass
spec, chromatography, and other systems can mean a foot in the door. It’s also a way
to accent their chemistry education—here’s a chance to learn the fundamentals, while
also coming at the topic from a very unique angle.”
This faculty spotlight was completed with the help of Chrissy Schumm.
