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This podcast series explores the future of work, leadership, and innovation through conversations with Fairfield University alumni and industry leaders across a wide range of fields. Each episode examines how industries are evolving in response to new technologies, shifting workplace demands, global challenges, and how those changes affect today’s students.
Episodes
Jul 28, 2026
Jul 28, 2026
41 min
How can chemistry prepare students to solve problems in science, business, and their communities? In this episode of Fairfield University’s The Future of series, Dean Richard Greenwald speaks with alumna Mary De Duke ’91 and longtime chemistry professor Ed O’Connell about organic chemistry, scientific research, and career development.
The conversation explores the growth of undergraduate research at Fairfield, the value of faculty mentorship, and the communication skills students gain through a liberal arts education. De Duke shares how her Fairfield experience prepared her for graduate study, pharmaceutical research at Pfizer, and the launch of Traveling Toys, a nonprofit expanding access to play. They also discuss artificial intelligence, laboratory technology, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the resilience required when experiments fail. Watch to learn how curiosity, hands-on experience, and critical thinking can prepare students for meaningful careers in chemistry and beyond.