Megan Brady

Can we identify and quantify the presence of hormones in the breath?  This is the question that Megan Brady (iCons ‘2017) is trying to answer through her analysis of “breath fingerprints”.  By breathing into an H2O methanol solution and theoretically trapping the compounds and then testing the liquids using an LCMS instrument, Megan is hoping to get closer.  The ultimate goal of this work--is to be able to help predict things like cancer, as some of these compounds, or volatiles, could be indicators of disease in the body. 

Before going into her summer internship at Waters Corporation, Megan had no idea that she would be analyzing breath fingerprints in the fall in the ISB, let alone carrying over an idea that she got to work on over the summer at Waters. 

Megan and Jacob Lytle (iCons Class of 2016) were accepted as interns at Waters Corporation last summer and loved it.  “They really wanted us to learn”, Megan smiled as she described the feeling of being part of the team instead of just being interns.  Waters Corporation has been a valuable member of the iCons community as a part of the Corporate Alliance Program and its commitment to supporting students like Megan is indicative of the company’s team mentality.

Megan initially thought that she wasn’t interested in research – and had turned her long-term focus to doing clinical work, such as nursing.  She began the experience at Waters this summer with an open mind, and she found herself in awe of the balance of autonomy and support that she and Jacob were given by their supervisors at Waters.  They received a general direction and a problem and then were let loose and tasked with finding creative solutions.  To Brady, it was very important that she and Jacob got to work as a team.  Although both Biochemistry and Molecular Biology majors, Jacob had developed a different, more technical skill set in his advanced study work and had graduated the previous semester. 

Megan completed the experience at Waters with a deep appreciation for her exposure to instrumentation, research, and a supportive team provided by Waters this summer.  She remains on track to pursue a career in a clinical field upon graduation, and knows that the knowledge gained during this valuable internship is something she will carry with her in all endeavors ahead.