William (Bill) Harris is an FIB Microscopist and Senior Surface Scientist at Analytical Answers lab in Woburn. Though being a scientist might be considered a conscious decision, Harris says his path might actually be more basic. He forged a career in the industry simply because science is interesting.
According to Harris, “I think I was attracted to science as a kid because doing experiments was just plain fun and seeing how various systems worked caught my imagination.”
Originally, he was drawn to biology as a focus but soon found the techniques and methods in the field of chemistry were even more intriguing. Borne out by his doctorate in Chemistry from Cornell, he says that chemistry was much more interesting as an undergraduate, particularly analytical chemistry.
Using chemistry’s strength as a scientific concentration where there are multiple ways to identify and measure components in a system, Harris continued on a path toward that at the lab at Analytical Answers. In fact, when asked about alternate careers, he’s stumped, eventually sharing that he has never really considered anything other than a scientific career.
Ultimately, Harris said, “I think science is born out of curiosity and so what makes it enjoyable and stimulating is that it provides, or at least attempts to provide, an understanding of how the world around us works.
One of the most fun projects was working on the development of a new contact metallization process. I think the aggressive timeline for the work produced a camaraderie among the team involved and close collaboration with process and yield engineers throughout the course of the project. There was also a need to combine data from a variety of characterization techniques to understand and optimize the formation process.
“The projects I have enjoyed the most have always involved being part of a small group of people who are all truly focused on the goal and work together to achieve it,” said Harris.
Though being in the lab has sparked his love of nature and the outdoors. He says that he’s always hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, or enjoying anything that gets him outside.
Bill Harris is married and has four children – bringing the theme full circle, he says that two of his kids are already working in science fields and suspects at least one more is headed in that direction.
When it comes down to basics, scientific discovery is probably in Bill Harris’ genes.
With a background and a degree in mechanical engineering, working in an analytical lab is almost a seamless transition. Many of the mental gymnastics required of structural and mechanical engineers are close to failure analysis and other tasks at Analytical Answers.
Powell explains that these include “TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis), DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), GC (Gas Chromatography), and…classic wet chemical preparation and analysis techniques such as gravimetric and volumetric analysis, pH and ion measurement, Soxhlet extraction, distillation, and others, up to and including organic synthesis.”
“What makes chocolate tasty? What makes a rainbow stunning? What makes a rainbow? What makes the mosquito find you while you’re contemplating the rainbow? How can I make the mosquito go away?” he said. “All of the whats, hows and whys of the physical world is not what makes science great, it is science. Knowing and understanding the details of the physical world allows us to adapt it to our benefit, and to minimize or eliminate those factors which could be to our detriment. What other reason do you need?”
In ice cream, sugar helps to slow down the freezing process during the churning, which creates the rich and creamy texture we all know and love. In meringues, sugar helps to stabilize the structure. It does this by preventing the egg whites from being over-beaten by slowing down the production of foam, and it protects the foam from collapsing by dissolving in the water bubbles to support them. Sugar can also add a richer, deeper flavor to desserts by caramelizing. When sugar caramelizes, the molecule breaks down into smaller parts and turns a darker color with more complex, richer flavors.
Brown sugar is white sugar that has cane molasses added to it, and comes in either light or dark depending on the amount of molasses added. Brown sugar is better at retaining moisture than white sugar, so it makes baked goods extra moist. “There’s a reason your banana bread is super moist and yummy, it’s that brown sugar and banana!” says Amanda. Unfortunately, brown sugar can harden and clump much easier than white sugar, so it’s a good idea to store it in an airtight container.
So what powers does this mystical compound hold? Specifically, salt can enhance the flavors of other foods by simply increasing the perceived saltiness on our tongues, and it can balance other flavors like sweet and sour and override bitter flavors by suppressing the perception of bitterness. Salt can also denature the rigid structure of proteins, making their flavors tastier and more aromatic, which is why salt and meats go so well together. Salts can bring out aromas by helping release aroma molecules from food into the air, which in turn stimulates our olfactory receptors and helps us smell better. Additionally, as we all know, salt can preserve foods by drawing out the interior moisture of the food and allowing the food to dry out faster, therefore preventing bacteria and mold to grow. This is just a few from the long list of skills of salt.
Not only does salt have a lot of different skills, but it also has a lot of different types. From table salt to sea salt to Himalayan salt, each of these has a distinct taste and texture, as well as things such as different sodium and mineral contents.
Himalayan salt, or Himalayan pink salt, is harvested from the Khewra Salt Mine in Pakistan, the second largest salt mine in the world. It gets its pink color from small trace amounts of iron oxide, otherwise known as rust. Himalayan salt typically has a slightly smaller sodium chloride concentration, and contains small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. Other than its pink color, however, Himalayan salt is fairly equal to regular salt in regards to taste.
Flour is an essential ingredient in lots of recipes, mostly for baked goods. But do we really know how flour works? Time after time we mindlessly add flour to our cookies and cakes, overlooking the true importance of it and just waiting for the moment when we get to lick the spoon clean. The truth is, knowing the science behind flour and how it interacts while baking can give us lots of insight about the foods we’re making, the type of flour we should choose for specific recipes, and helpful tips on how to improve these recipes to get the most delicious results.
comes to baking. Gluten plays such an important role in baking for many reasons. First of all, it acts as a binding agent for the dough and holds it together. Also, it traps the gases that are released by yeast during fermentation, which prevents bread from being too dense. Furthermore, gluten is ultimately responsible for the shape and texture of baked goods.
require different levels of gluten content. For example, foods such as breads, pizza dough, pasta and other yeast-raised dough have higher gluten content; the higher amount of gluten makes the breads elastic and stretchy. Other baked goods, such as cakes, cookies and other pastries, require less gluten, which keeps them lighter and fluffy. Therefore, as expected, bread flour has a higher protein content than pastry or cake flour.
Bread flours, durum semolina and whole-wheat flour have the most protein, about 12-15%. Bread flour is made from hard wheat and forms strong, durable gluten to make the elastic dough necessary for good bread. Whole-wheat flour will provide a more wheat flavor, and is slightly darker than white flour. It is made by milling the whole-wheat berry instead of just parts of it. These flours are therefore ideal for yeast-raised dough and pizzas.
