{"id":67919,"date":"2020-08-04T12:32:02","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T16:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=67919"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:18:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:18:32","slug":"amy-rand-focuses-pollutants","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/amy-rand-focuses-pollutants\/","title":{"rendered":"Journey of Discovery: Carleton’s Amy Rand Focuses on Pollutants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Journey of Discovery: Carleton's Amy Rand Focuses on Pollutants\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

As a poster designed to disrupt stereotypes and inspire careers in chemistry, it was simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The image: a man watching a polar bear amid the Arctic snow. The caption: \u201cNot all chemists wear white coats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its effect on Amy Rand<\/a>, then newly graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, was electrifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amy
Prof. Amy Rand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world of chemistry opened up for me at that moment,\u201d Rand recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cBeing outside in nature was a big part of my childhood and really shaped who I am, and I suddenly realized that I could combine these two worlds that I loved.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now an assistant professor in chemistry and biochemistry in Carleton University\u2019s Department of Chemistry<\/a>, Rand combines environmental chemistry\u2014the study of how chemicals move through and interact with our environment, whether outside or inside our homes\u2014with toxicology. Her particular focus is on a class of pollutants called poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which have rung alarm bells among scientists, environmentalists and policy-makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the main challenges of PFAS,\u201d says Rand, \u201cis their persistence. Because they don\u2019t break down or biodegrade, they accumulate over time. They were first synthesized in the 1950s and have been found in the environment ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also ubiquitous. The incredibly strong bonds formed by carbon and fluorine atoms linking together can be used to make items greaseproof, waterproof or stain-resistant. PFAS appear in an immense range of consumer products, including non-stick cookware, cosmetics and cleaning products, and they have widespread applications in industry.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Compounds Enter Blood Stream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Despite research linking PFAS exposure with a range of health impacts such as reduced immune function, decreased fertility and obesity, and despite some of the oldest PFAS formulations being banned because of their association with various cancers, thousands of newer, proprietary compounds remain in use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVirtually every blood sample taken from anyone in North America will show levels of PFAS,\u201d reports Rand.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cOne aspect of my research looks at how our bodies work to detoxify them\u2014and if we can\u2019t eliminate them, what effect they have on cell function.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Her lab also looks at how they come into our bodies in the first place. \u201cIndoor dust is a hotspot for chemical accumulation, and depending on their size, dust particles can be ingested or inhaled. We examine the chemicals that can adhere to inhaled dust and what the consequences might be for our lungs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s sobering work, but Rand\u2019s enthusiasm is palpable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe most exciting aspect is when you come across a question or a knowledge gap. By designing and working through an experiment, your results can help answer a larger question or make an impact on their own. There is also,\u201d she adds, \u201cthe fun of seeing the research play out, with all of the hiccups and the trouble shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also relishes multidisciplinary collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Amy<\/figure>\n\n\n

Capital Region a Bonus for Research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs a toxicologist and environmental scientist, it\u2019s wonderful to be in the National Capital Region with Environment Canada<\/a> and Health Canada<\/a> and potential partnerships with scientists (who have) their own expertise. If you can\u2019t translate your work across disciplines, then that project just doesn\u2019t have the same potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microscopes and petri dishes were a regular part of Rand\u2019s childhood, given that both her parents were biologists. \u201cScience started out as a game for me. But my parents encouraged me to explore different disciplines and figure out what I was passionate about on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, alongside her bachelor\u2019s in chemistry, Rand took a degree in pipe organ performance. \u201cDoing two different degrees took five years instead of four, but it was worth it. I always loved music growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, music and chemistry have their own kind of harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThere were many times when I solved a scientific problem by playing through musical pieces. Music created a space where I could step away from science. I think it allowed for a kind of slow thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Preludes and fugues by Bach are particularly helpful. \u201cThere are a lot of patterns in his music, and piecing them together requires problem-solving by a different part of your brain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays, Rand often wears that white coat, and she has yet to make a field trip to the Arctic, but she\u2019s happy where she is. \u201cA career in science can be serendipitous,\u201d she says. \u201cDefined by the people you connect with and experimental results, it\u2019s a journey of discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Amy<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
\nMore Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a poster designed to disrupt stereotypes and inspire careers in chemistry, it was simple. The image: a man watching a polar bear amid the Arctic snow. The caption: \u201cNot all chemists wear white coats.\u201d Its effect on Amy Rand, then newly graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, was electrifying. \u201cThe world of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":68205,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[13,31],"cu_story_tag":[1919],"class_list":["post-67919","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-research-discovery","cu_story_type-sustainability","cu_story_tag-faculty-of-science"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97372,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67919\/revisions\/97372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=67919"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=67919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}