This article is the fourth in a new series on the summer experiences of our undergraduate majors. In the coming weeks we will feature brief stories from undergraduate Chemistry and Biochemistry majors who worked in unique research and internship positions.

From undergraduate Chemistry major Jessica McKenzie,

My name is Jessica McKenzie, and I am a fifth year chemistry major here at Tech. In fall of 2023, I interned with the Library of Congress’s Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD). This was an amazing experience that allowed me to explore preservation science and analytical chemistry at the largest library in the world. I worked with portable instrumentation on a project that pushed the limits of analytical instrumentation in preservation, using multiple techniques such as Infrared Spectroscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence, and Fiber Optics Reflective Spectroscopy. I helped develop a database of pigments commonly used before the 1800s across different binding media and substrates. 

The goal of this project is to identify characteristic spectral peaks for different pigment types, with hopes that spectroscopy can be used to determine the main composition of pigments. Scientist in the PRTD will use this database to recognize trends in similar pigments, helping them to identify materials more quickly.

During my internship, I was fortunate enough to assist in applying my work to artifacts in the Library of Congress. The photo below shows a portable IR setup as it takes measurements of a 16th century Portolan chart.

If you would like to learn more about my internship, you can check out my blog post here.

https://blogs.loc.gov/preservation/2023/12/the-art-of-color-analysis-using-analytical-chemistry-in-pigment-research/