Cadets Host Curator from National Museum of American History

Inorganic Chemistry recently partook in two enrichment activities that provided an opportunity for the class to see different applications and viewpoints of topics discussed in the course. They hosted Dr. Kristen Frederick-Frost, Curator for the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History. She spoke with the class about some of the challenges and responsibilities associated with an item in the Museum’s collection containing a small amount of lewisite, an organometallic compound. They also visited the U.S. Mint at West Point. Chief Assayer Jeanette Grogan guided the class through a tour of both the production area of the Mint as well as the laboratory. She discussed some of the instrumentation and techniques used onsite for trace analysis to assess the quality of metals. Cadet Jacob Fitzgerald '17 assisted with the tour and described work he completed in the laboratory during an Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) at the MINT.