Kevin G. Owens

Education

B.S. Chemistry, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, May 1982
Ph.D. Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, September 1989

Major: Analytical Chemistry  Minor: Physical Chemistry

Bachelors Thesis

The Statistical Analysis and Use of Analytical Calibration Curves

A comprehensive statistical background to the calibration problem is presented, emphasizing the practical use of statistics to extract useful chemical information from experimental data.

Doctoral Thesis

Analytical Applications of Supersonic Jet Spectroscopy and the Application of Correlation Analysis Techniques in Mass Spectrometry

Experiments focused upon efforts made to improve the selectivity of both fluorescence and ionization detection (using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer) through the use of supersonic beam sampling techniques. A dramatic increase in mass resolution due to the geometric cooling effect was demonstrated. The excited state spectroscopy and dynamics of internally cold sample molecules and weakly bound van der Waals clusters produced in expansions of both rare gases and supercritical fluids was studied . In order to perform these experiments a supercritical fluid chromatograph time-of-flight mass spectrometer system utilizing a supersonic jet interface was designed and constructed. Simplex optimization techniques were applied for the improvement of instrument resolution. The application of correlation analysis techniques (from information theory) was examined as both a means of increasing the trace analysis sensitivity of the mass spectrometer and as an alternative tool in the automated identification of compounds from their mass spectra.

Professional Experience 

9/95-present  Associate Professor with tenure, Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104.

9/89-8/91, 9/94-8/95  Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104.

9/91-8/94  DuPont Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104.

8/87-8/89  Instructor, Department of Chemistry, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104.

 

Sabbatical Leaves

6/98-8/98      Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY. 

Worked in the Analytical Technology Division under the direction of Dr. Kenji Kawaoka upgrading a Cambridge Instruments Ltd. Laser Ionization Mass Analyzer (LIMA) model 2A for use in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization studies of synthetic polymer systems. Gained experience with: operation of the LIMA-2A; object oriented programming using the Hewlett-Packard VEE (Virtual Engineering Environment) programming language for data acquisition and control.

2/99-9/99      Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA. 

Worked in the Pre-Clinical Drug Metabolism Department under the direction of Dr. Timothy Olah learning quantitative mass spectrometry. Gained experience in: preparing biological samples using solid phase extraction techniques; analytical scale separations using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography; quantitative mass spectrometry assays using a Sciex API 3000 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer system and a Perkin Elmer Biosystems (Perseptive Biosystems) Mariner electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometer system.

Professional Service

Selected, since 1995:

Symposium Organizer (Synthetic Polymer Analysis), 1996 American Society of Mass Spectrometry Meeting, Portland, OR, May 1996.

Coordinator, Polymeric Materials Interest Group, American Society of Mass Spectrometry, 10/96-10/98.

Symposium Organizer (Innovations in Time-of-Flight and Hybrid Time-of-Flight Instrumentation), 1998 American Society of Mass Spectrometry Meeting, Orlando, FL, May 31-June 1, 1998.

Symposium co-organizer (with Dr. Charles Guttman, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, MD), “Mass Spectrometry for Polymer Analysis”, Spring 2000 American Chemical Society Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March, 26-30, 2000.

Symposium Organizer (Industrial Polymers), 2000 American Society of Mass Spectrometry Meeting, Long Beach, CA, June 11-15, 2000.

Symposium Organizer (Quantitative ESI & MALDI), 2002 American Society of Mass Spectrometry Meeting, Orlando, FL, June 1-6, 2002.

Workshop co-instructor (with Dr. Martha M. Vestling, University of Wisconsin), "Fundamentals and Applications of MALD/I TOFMS", presented at the American Society of Mass Spectrometry Meeting:

Palm Springs, CA, May 31-June 1, 1997

Orlando, FL, May 31-June 1, 1998

Dallas, TX, June 10-11, 1999

Long Beach, CA, June 11-15, 2000

Chicago, IL, May 27-31, 2001

Orlando, FL, June 1-6, 2002

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 8-12, 2003 

Nashville, TN, May 23-27, 2004

Professional Organizations

  • American Chemical Society, Division of Analytical Chemistry, Division of Polymer Chemistry
  • American Society of Mass Spectrometry
  • Society of Applied Spectroscopy
  • Sigma Xi
 

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Last modified August 10, 2005

Copyright © 2001-2005 by Kevin G. Owens, All Rights Reserved.

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