Spenser Congram

Brownsburg, IN

2019

Double major in Chemistry and Environmental Science

Lansing, MI

Research Assistant , Biomass Analytics Facility @ Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center

Since graduating from Alma, I’ve explored various avenues of research in environmental chemistry. My first job right out of college landed me in the Exposure Science Lab at MSU where I performed ICP-MS heavy metal analysis on roadway pollution in underprivileged communities. After that grant had expired, I moved to a US DOE-funded research lab with the GLBRC. Here, I work as a biochemist doing R&D for the future of biofuels.

• My Alma education gave me unique hands-on experience that has allowed me to excel in my current field. Their chemistry program allowed me to work directly with the same analytical instruments that I use today, providing me a leg up in the competitive STEM job market. Balancing the chemistry and environmental programs further offered me insight in applying the theoretical and technical chemistry knowledge to real-world problems. Lastly, my independent research with Dr. Strait gave me perhaps the most useful tools for success: real-world experience performing real-world research. This independent research allowed me to perform unique experiments, develop experimental methods, collaborate with experts from different institutions, and communicate my research to both the scientific community and the local community.

My time at Alma also brought me overseas to Peru; I studied Inca culture and engineering for my Spring Term.