The Sunday Review
Hey there,
It is Sunday and we are getting closer to spring here in New England. The picture above is the last time I went skiing here in New England and was probably my last trip of the season. I’ll be watching YouTube videos until next season and getting my paddleboard ready for the warmer weather that is coming our way.
What I Wrote Last Week
Career Stories: Navigating the Chemical Industry
This is the second half of my interview with BPS Agriculture’s technical leadership team. Robert, David, and Dawn shared with me how they got to where they are now and the advice they would give to their younger selves. Publishing this made me think about things I would tell my younger self. I hope this brings some value to the audience.
The Aftershocks of The Texas Freeze
I’m trying to get better at naming these things, but this is the specialty polymers issue of the newsletter. The Texas freeze is still dominating my life in some ways and until production comes back that is the title I went with here. I’ll hopefully stop writing about this as plants come back up, but it’s a good reminder of how our manufacturing grid’s fragility. I also wrote about Saint-Gobain’s investment into Continuous Composites, which appears to be a really exciting additive manufacturing technology.
Things That I Read This Week That Stuck With Me
Tiny Town, Big Decision: What Are We Willing to Pay to Fight the Rising Sea?
by Christopher Flavelle for The New York Times
Small-Town Natives Are Moving Back Home
by Grace Olmstead for The Wall Street Journal
By Derek Lowe of In The Pipeline
By Stefania Costa et al. in Environmental Research
What I’m Watching
Awesome video on hemp. A lot of hemp is grown in Kentucky and there is a whole host of applications to be had. My polymer chemist mind immediately goes to thinking that it is a great way to get cellulosic fibers without a lot of water. For areas that are experiencing fluctuations in water tables or lack of rain this could be a great substitute for farmers. As a polymer chemist there is opportunity in trying to commercialize new products from long cellulose fibers and even the byproducts of hemp. We can make the future we want to see.
One Extra Thought
I’m thinking about trying to put together some product development tools for chemists. My idea is a framework of how to take your research from graduate school and figure out how to commercialize it and maybe pitch it to investors. It would be based on my last five years of product development experience in the chemical industry from many different angles. If you are interested let me know by responding to this email or leaving a comment. The one regret I have from graduate school is that I didn’t think big enough outside of just publishing papers about epoxy resins (that is what my grant entailed). I had the time and resources in theory to develop a product. Perhaps I can help a younger version of myself by providing some tools.
Talk to you Tuesday,
Tony
The views here are my own and do not represent those of my employer nor should they be considered investment advice.
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