NLGI Interviews Mr. J. Andrew Waynick Research Fellow, NCH Corporation, Irving, TX By Mary Moon and Raj Shah
Photos courtesy of J. Andrew Waynick except where noted.
South Dakota became the 40th state of the US in 1889; 40 courses were served at a recent nine-hour marathon dinner at Italian restaurant Le Virtu (Philadelphia); and there are 40 stories in the tallest building in the state of Arizona (Phoenix). Forty U.S. patents? Read (and rock) on! Career NLGI: How did you become a scientist? JAW: Well, to answer that, I need to go back to the fifth grade. Up until then, I had been, at best, a mediocre student with little interest in any subject except recess. But our country entered the so-called “space race” with the Soviet Union and started a new approach to teaching arithmetic in public grade schools called ‘the new math’. Basically, it was arithmetic taught from an algebraic view-point. My fifth-grade arithmetic text book, with equations that had letters instead of numbers, triggered my interest. I spent hours each evening with my (nonelectronic) tablet, pencil, and
textbook doing problems, manipulating equations, and exploring algebra. This started a cascade effect where I became interested in science. By the time I was a junior in high school, I knew I wanted to go into chemistry. I chose to attend Central Methodist College (Fayette, MO) because it was a college that offered smaller classes and more direct interaction with the professors than larger schools. Also, Central had a very good Music Department, and I would be able to be an active part of it even without being a music major. (Besides chemistry, my other great love was and is music, as a trombonist and an avid listener.) I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry.
planned to concentrate in inorganic chemistry. But during my first year in grad school, I was seduced by quantum chemistry and its mathematical foundation. Remember, I loved math, especially calculus, differential equations, and matrix algebra. So, I concentrated in physical chemistry – specifically quantum chemistry. After three years, I had taken all the required courses and passed all my written exams to qualify for a Ph.D. But when I reviewed my priorities and the job market, I decided to graduate with my Masters degree and launch my career. I have had a very good career, and I am happy with how everything turned out.
NLGI: What happened next? JAW: When I was a junior at Central, I knew that I wanted to continue my education in chemistry and get an advanced degree. One of my chemistry professors had a good friend who was a professor in the Inorganic Chemistry Department at Purdue, and I was impressed by what I learned about that Department. So I applied to Purdue and was accepted. I had originally
Andy working hands-on at the bench
- 42 NLGI Spokesman | VOLUME 84, NUMBER 2 | May/June 2020
