The West Virginia University C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry will explore career opportunities on April 8 at 7 p.m. as part of the 21st annual C. Eugene and Edna P. Bennett Careers for Chemists Program.
This event is free and open to the public and will take place in the Erickson Alumni Center on the Evansdale Campus. A dessert reception will follow.
Three professionals with degrees in chemistry will discuss their career trajectories and personal experiences as part of the event.
“The Bennett Program acquaints high school students, undergraduate students and graduate students in chemistry and related disciplines with the variety of career opportunities that are available to them,” said Kenneth Showalter, C. Eugene Bennett Chair in Chemistry.
“The program brings professionals from throughout the country to campus to interact with students and discuss the usefulness of an education in chemistry as the basis for career opportunities.”
This year’s speakers include:
Jonathan W. Boyd, PhD
Dr. Jonathan Boyd is an assistant professor in the C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry. His research is in environmental toxicology, and he received his doctorate in environmental toxicology from Texas Tech University.
His recent publication on forecasting cell death has been named as a key scientific article contributing to biomedical research excellence in 2014 by Global Media Discovery.
His awards and recognitions include the DARPA Young Faculty Award, WVU Early Career Innovator of the Year Award, Society of Toxicology Best Abstract Award, Hart Prize for Excellence in Independent Research, and the ANSER Board of Trustees Award.
Lauren W. Morgan Swager, M.D.
Dr. Lauren Swager is an assistant professor in the West Virginia University Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry where she is a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist. She is now the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training director at WVU. She also serves as the medical director of Monongalia County Juvenile Drug Court and as a consultant to Monongalia County Schools.
She completed a general psychiatry residency program and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from WVU in 1999 and was a University Honors Scholar. She received her M.D. from WVU in 2003.
In addition to being involved in medical student education through the Psychiatry Medical Student Interest Group and the Psychiatry Medical Student Summer Externship program, Swager has received seven departmental awards that recognize her teaching abilities from resident physicians and fellows.
Her clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of childhood depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, autism, developmental delays, ADHD and other anxiety disorders. Other interests include emotional and behavioral problems, effect of video games on youth, sexual functioning in breast cancer patients, and dry mouth treatment.
Eric J. Adkins, M.D., M.Sc.
Dr. Eric Adkins earned two bachelor degrees (chemistry and biology) from WVU and completed his medical degree at WVU in 2002. He then completed a three-year fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in 2010 and served as chief fellow.
He is currently an assistant professor of emergency medicine and critical care at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He is the medical director of the emergency department of the main campus. He is the co-creator and associate program director for the Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency program.
He has a joint appointment with the Department of Internal Medicine and the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
He has been awarded Fellow status within the American College of Emergency Physicians and was recognized as a Best Doctor in Emergency Medicine in 2013 and 2014 by Columbus Monthly Magazine and was named one of 40 Under 40 by Columbus Business First.
His academic interests include patient safety, quality improvement, critical care, and ultrasound in the emergency department.
The first C. Eugene and Edna. P. Bennett Careers for Chemists Program took place in 1995 and has been made possible through the generosity of C. Eugene Bennett and Edna Bennett Pierce and the Bennett Family. They established the C. Eugene and Edna P. Bennett Careers for Chemists Program and the C. Eugene Bennett Chair in Chemistry at WVU in 1994. In addition to these programs, they have established
the C. Eugene Bennett Chemistry Program Enhancement Fund, the C. Eugene Bennett Graduate Fellowship Program in Chemistry and the C. Eugene Bennett Academic Enrichment Endowment through the WVU Foundation.
The WVU Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation that generates and provides support for WVU.
For more information, please contact Kenneth Showalter, at 304-293-0124 or Kenneth.Showalter@mail.wvu.edu.
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CONTACT: Devon Copeland, Director of Marketing and Communication, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 304-293-6867, Devon.Copeland@mail.wvu.edu
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