Diane Botelho, Chief Science Officer, Research and Productivity Council
Why did you join the ACPO?
The ACPO is an organization comprised of a diverse array of scientific professionals. Being a part of the ACPO provides opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing.
What Chemical Industry do you work in? What do you love about your Industry?
RPC is offers a diverse array of services. Projects vary day-to-day from fish health, forensics, cannabis analytics, customized research projects and analytics of food, water and environmental samples. I enjoy that each day is different with respect to projects underway and as a result, I am continuously learning new things.
Why would you encourage a student to major in the Chemistry field?
Having a solid foundation in chemistry opens doors to endless opportunities. Everything we know, understand and see is derived from atoms and molecules. For that reason, there will always be a need for chemists across many different sectors.
If you could have coffee with any chemist in the history, who would that be and why?
Rosalind Franklin. I would let her know that she has been recognized as providing crucial data for our understanding of the structure of DNA. I would love the opportunity to brief her on how her work contributed to a vast array of genetic technologies we use today. Imagine the look on her face if told about CRISPR!
