Shawn Opfer '19 didn't plan on a major in chemistry.

He came to Pacific University with his eye on a path to physical therapy. But one fermentation chemistry class was "just a blast," he said. It opened his eyes to the real-life impact of chemistry and changed the trajectory of his education and career.

Participating in undergraduate research at Pacific gave Opfer the chance to dive deeper into real-life applications of his studies. He used computational chemistry to study the behavior of surfactant compounds. It may sound abstract, but it's got serious applications.

His research, he explained, “can improve or enhance any kind of soap, detergent; pretty much any kind of cleaning product. This is really important for the remediation of oil spills.”

After graduating from Pacific in 2019, Opfer went on to earn a master's degree in chemistry, looking for the opportunity to use the scientific method to make a meaningful impact on the world.