Behind the Test Tube: Q&A
David McCamant—Associate Professor of Chemistry
Where is home/Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Denver, Colorado, in the middle of the U.S. near the Rocky Mountains. It was a nice city to grow up in, especially because I grew up when they were trying to racially desegregate the schools so all the kids got bussed all over town in an attempt to mix up the schools despite having quite racially segregated neighborhoods. It meant that you got to go to school with lots of different kinds of kids. I only bring this up because of its relevance to the work of the DEIO committee: Inclusion takes effort and it’s worth the effort.
Why did you choose chemistry as a career?
In college, I debated between being a Physics major and being a Chemistry major. I chose chemistry because it was really interesting! I then got into spectroscopy and I loved the way that it allows you to make real life measurements of very cool theoretical ideas from quantum. This can really expand your ideas about what’s in the Universe.
What is your proudest accomplishment while at the UofR?
Back in 2009-2011, we made a series of measurements pursuing two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy, 2D-FSRS specifically. Ironically, our big contribution was a negative result: we showed that the thing that everyone thought was a 2D spectrum was actually an artifact that didn’t measure anything new. Instead of a 5th order transition on one molecule, two different molecules made ordinary run of the mill 3rd order transitions to produce signal that looked very much like the 5th order spectrum, but which carried no new information compared to a simple Raman spectrum. It was fun to discover and tricky to figure out.
What do you like to do when not in the department?
I’m a dad, so my non-work time is busy with family. My kids are pretty big now, so family demands are tapering off actually, but there’s always lots of cooking and cleaning to do. I also love bicycling and repairing bicycles, so I do lots of that.
A 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ must?
91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Cyclocross! It’s this exciting off-road bicycle race that takes place in Genesee Valley Park each fall. I’m out there every year with my family cheering and ringing cow bells as the top North American racers zipping around our local park. Check it out!
Feast/meal of the times?
Donuts, apples and cider from Schutts Apple Mill!
An inspiring book/movie/show?
Anything by Fredrik Backman, especially Anxious People and Bear Town. I love these books that deal with realistic characters struggling to figure it out.
A holiday that rocks? Care to tell us why?
Halloween. It’s so weird! What a bizarre night when kids get dressed up in wild costumes and ask all their neighbors for candy. Also Thanksgiving, because of pies.
Ask me about…
Bicycles! I enjoy all kinds of bikes and repairing them. Stop by if you have a flat tire.
The goal of this initiative is to highlight the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives in the Department of Chemistry and help our community develop stronger connections and synergies. You can think of these spotlights as the beginning of a conversation that we very much hope you will continue in the corridors of Hutch and beyond.
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