Ryan Garrett Brennan

Ryan worked as a guest researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from November 1, 2005 until June 1, 2008. On June 1, 2008, Ryan was accepted into the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) at NIST, allowing him to complete his remaining dissertation research under the direction of Dr. Gregory C. Turk. The main focus of Ryan’s Ph.D. dissertation work was the use and improvement of micro-nebulization devices for the direct injection of samples for chemical analysis. Financial support from the STEP program at NIST allowed Ryan to successfully incorporate an automated sample introduction system, utilizing a demountable direct injection high efficiency nebulizer (d DIHEN), for the first time with an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) for the measurement of the phosphorus content in acid-digested nucleotides and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). A second project supported by NIST through the STEP program allowed Ryan to design a heat-assisted argon electrospray interface that was successfully coupled to an ICP-OES and an ICP-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for the first time.

Currently Ryan is working to address key challenges in the ICP-MS analysis of biological samples by developing an innovative and efficient sample introduction approach that will enable analysis of samples of limited quantity at reduced sample flow rates while achieving maximum sensitivity. The accurate mass determination of DNA and other nucleic acids is of critical importance in many clinical diagnostic, forensic, and molecular biological studies. In addition, these measurements could aide in the determination of transgenic material in agricultural and food products.

Awards:

• Hilger Spectroscopy Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry, BNASS Conference, July 2008
• HPLC Inc. Student Travel Award, HPLC Conference, February 2008
• Best Poster Award, Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, January 2008
• Benjamin D. Van Evera Memorial Prize, The George Washington University most effective Graduate Teaching Assistant in Chemistry Department, May 2007
• Society for Applied Spectroscopy Student Poster Award, FACSS Conference, September 2006
• FACSS Student Travel Award, FACSS Conference, September 2006
• The George Washington University Chapter of Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research, May 2006
• American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award for Analytical Chemistry, May 2003

 Membership and Professional Activities:

• Member of the American Chemical Society, 2000 to present
• Student member of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, 2006 to present
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2008 to present