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An analytical chemist with on-the-job training in human nutrition

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 77, pages 409–412 (2023)Cite this article

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Like many, my career in nutrition did not follow a straight path. In high school and later in college, I had always been interested in mathematics. When I had to pick an avatar from among the Sesame Street characters, I choose the Count, although I must admit Cookie Monster was a close second. I was interested in answering questions such as “How much, How many and How fast”? The academic exercises that were of most interest to me were not in my science classes, but were the word problems in my math and calculus classes. They were surprising fun to solve because they were usually revolved around one of those same three questions and they involved a solution based on a combination of logic and math. While they were fun to solve, I did not choose math as a major, but instead pursued chemistry because that too allowed me to ask those same questions and allowed me to spend time in a laboratory setting. In my third year of college, I narrowed my choice of a major to Analytical Chemistry. Analytical Chemistry was centered on answering the question of “How much”. The next year, I selected an analytical chemistry problem for my Senior Thesis project Dr. Huber’s lab. While engaged in that project, I discovered that independent research was an opportunity to enjoy myself while learning something new [1].

Graduate school was the next logical step after college. Dr. Huber advised me to apply to graduate schools in the Big Ten. A visit to Indiana University convinced me to attend IU to earn my PhD degree. Two new Assistant Professors at IU were pursuing exciting projects. Drs. Hieftja and Hayes were both performing cutting edge research interfacing computers to analytical instruments in order to make real time decisions that would enhance the performance of analytical instruments. Dr. Hayes, a member of both the Departments of Geology and Chemistry, was applying isotope abundance analysis to the study of the origins of life. An interdepartmental stable isotope project acquired using advanced techniques in Analytical Chemistry sounded interesting and I asked to join Dr. Hayes’ research group. Among the many things I learned from Dr. Hayes was an appreciation for scientific literature. Old literature was valuable for laying the groundwork for understanding the topic I was researching while the new literature was vital for identifying the next most important questions to ask. During my training, he introduced me to propagation of error analysis. This allowed me to employ my previous training in calculus to identify the factors that limit the precision of the analysis I was then trying to develop. My thesis project was the construction of an ion counting isotope ratio mass spectrometer, which was aimed at reducing the sample size required for isotope analysis. While pursuing this project I was provided with training in the geochemistry of isotopes of the light elements including hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. This project ignited my interests in stable isotope tracer methods in medicine [2, 3].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Dale A. Schoeller

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  1. Dale A. Schoeller
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Correspondence to Dale A. Schoeller.

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Competing interests

Between 1970 and the present, the author has received honoraria for speaking or writing, economy class travel, or consulting fees from corporate sponsors including Coca Cola Iberian, Taylor and Francis Group, Henry Stuart Talks, Merck and Co., Monsanto Co., and Quaker Oats Co. The author has received research grants or contracts from corporate sponsors including Cognis, Dairy Management Inc, Impedimed Inc, Home Health Care, Merck and Co, Loders Craklaan, and Piccaro Inc. This was supported in part by NIH grants DK26678 and DK30031.

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Schoeller, D.A. An analytical chemist with on-the-job training in human nutrition. Eur J Clin Nutr 77, 409–412 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-01052-8

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