| When asked to identify a young employee who particularly embodied
sought after skills, officials at LI-COR named Dr. Amy Schutz of Lincoln,
NE.
Since being hired by LI-COR in 1998, Dr. Schutz has worked on a
new scientific instrument called the Odyssey. Specifically, she
helped to develop a product line of peripherals used in protein
analysis. She also formulated laboratory protocols and techniques
for using the equipment.
As the project advanced toward completion, Dr. Schutz has faced
new challenges. "There are a million things I never thought
of-what should the labels look like, what factors are involved in
setting prices, how to target the product to the right audience…
What a learning experience," she said. Although she devotes
about 40-50% of the workday to laboratory research, she also presents
research data at conferences, writes manuals, and trains technical
support staff. These efforts involve a variety of people with varying
backgrounds, such as marketing, manufacturing, and chemistry. As
a result LI-COR employees need to be able to communicate effectively
in a multidisciplinary environment.
Dr. Schutz's journey to LI-COR took about 10 years; throughout that
time she honed her research skills, contributing to interesting
and useful research along the way. In 1991, she graduated from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Biological Sciences.
During her stay at UNL, she worked three years as an undergraduate
laboratory assistant for Dr. Marty Dickman in the Plant Pathology
Department. Describing her lab work as a "tremendous experience,"
Dr. Schutz explained that the lab showed her "what day-to-day
work in the lab is like, and allowed me to discover that I liked
it and was good at it."
Because she attended a large state school, Dr. Schutz feared that
she "wouldn't be noticed by prestigious graduate programs."
However, these concerns proved to be unfounded. In fact, due to
her undergraduate lab experience she was ready to "hit the
ground running" in graduate school, well prepared for the research
assistantship which formed an integral part of the Ph.D. program.
For her Ph.D. thesis, Dr. Schutz researched molecular and cellular
biology. Molecular biology studies the function of DNA, RNA, and
proteins within the cell. Dr. Schutz analyzed the cell division
of baker's yeast. She explained, "Normally cell division is
a tightly controlled process. Division is only allowed to occur
if the appropriate circumstances exist. However, sometimes the regulatory
mechanisms become damaged." Uncontrolled cellular growth proceeds,
the cause of cancer in humans. According to Dr. Schutz, the regulatory
mechanisms in yeast are quite similar to those in human beings.
By studying the behavior of yeast, researchers hoped to obtain a
greater understanding of cancer mechanisms.
After finishing a Ph.D. program in 1997, Dr. Schutz accepted a
postdoctoral research position. Common in the field, postdoctoral
programs help recent doctoral graduates obtain further experience.
Wanting to learn about research in an industrial setting, she joined
the Monsanto Company. There, Dr. Schutz studied the impact of drought
and salt stress on plants. An understanding of plant responses would
help develop genetic alterations making the crops more resilient.
From Monsanto, she assumed her present position. As to the future,
Dr. Schutz remains content at LI-COR. "I hope to remain involved
in research and product development… The company will be growing
and changing over the next decade, and I'd like to be a part of
that," she said. |
