2015 Capstone Kayce Burns in Partnership with Dr. Jennifer Herrmann

Job Description Dr. Herrmann works at the National Archives and Records Administration as a research chemist/conservation scientist. Her main purpose is to preserve documents for people of the future to enjoy. The National Archives even uses caves to keep the documents safe because of there non humid atmosphere. What Dr. Herrmann does is very important, she does something not only that she enjoys but other people can too.

Background To get where Dr. Herrmann is today she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. From there she achieved her Ph.D. in Analytical chemistry from The State University of New York. Along the way Dr. Herrmann also earned her English minor from Penn State. She says she is glad that she earned her English Minor because it has really helped her be more marketable with her job.

Scientist in the Classroom Program The scientist in the classroom is a program that allows students to communicate with scientists from all over the world on their profession. This gives students an understanding on how scientists interact with their careers. This year my mentor is Dr. Jennifer Herrmann who works as a research chemist/conservation scientist.

Ghost Image Project One of the projects Dr. Herrmann has worked on is a Navy Album Ghost image. The photo from the 1900’s is creating some sort of ghost image on a separate sheet of paper that was touching the photo. Her team was able to show that both images had taken about 100 years to form, so both images had to take less than 100 years to form. Than the album was taken apart and reorganized in the 1960’s. The team estimated that the second image took about 50 years to form. Dr. Herrmann used all sorts of analytical techniques to figure out why something like this would happen.

Glow in the dark Whiskey Project Another one of the projects Dr. Herrmann has worked on is something called Glow in the dark Whiskey. Dr. Herrmann is studying the project she has almost no information on why this is happening. Dr. Herrmann analyzed a paint fragment of the photo by FTIR and XFR and found that it was probably lithopone which contains zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. The image does indeed glow in the dark. The team believes that the mechanism involved both nano-mental particles of platinum, and the cellulose degradation of the products. That means the team was able to prove that it was not a metal transfer or stain transfer mechanism.

Fading Curve Dr. Herrmann is also working on a graph project that is showing a fading curve for one of the historic ghost images from a platinum photograph. The graph is showing a comparison of the ghost image with two different blue wool cards. (BW1 faded very fast and BW3 considered light stable.) This can help them determine if they can display a record safely. You can see that one matches BW3 so it’s stable.

Oven Project Dr. Herrmann has also been working on a historic photo that has been put in an oven with a piece of high quality paper. The photo was put in the oven for six weeks at 70 degrees Celsius and 65% humidity. The photo was not a record from NARA, so they weren't ruining something that was one of a kind. The team also did a comparison using FTR on the lab that created the ghost image. They also analyzed different areas of the image and an unaged control. This was done to find out if there were any differences in the molecular structure of the different areas. They know that whatever is causing the ghost image to appear is probably related to the degradation products of cellulose.

Climate Change Climate change also effects Dr. Herrmann's job because many of the documents need a non-humid atmosphere to stay protected. The NARA uses caves as a way to protects the documents, right now they are using the caves Lenexa and Valmyer. Also several of the NARA buildings have been certified green by the environment. The building Dr. Herrmann works in also has a roof top garden and solar panels. They also collect rain water to water the gardens which are based mostly upon natural plants.

Boxes and Folders ● Specifications are important because they explain the requirements that the boxes and folders the NARA buy must meet. It is important that the boxes and folders are good quality because paper records are stored in these folders and boxes for a long a long period of time. The two specifications have been around in about 1990, so they really do keep the records safe. The boxes and folders have calcium carbonate in it which serves to neutralize acid that comes off of documents. The boxes and folders keep the documents safe and from falling apart from the acid. Where Dr. Herrmann works they run some of the specification tests in the lab, especially the pH and alkaline reserve. Where as others must be run by the companies that supply the boxes and folders so that they prove that companies are supplying what they need.

Conclusion ● I have had a very great time working with Dr. Herrmann this year, she has really helped me through every project and given me the most information possible. She has taught me many things about her job that I didn't know about before. The Scientist in the Classroom has been an amazing experience for me. It has helped we with my writing and social skills. Everyone should join the SIC if the have a chance to.

Credits ● Special thanks to: ● Dr. Jennifer Herrmann ● Ms. Worssam ● file:///C:/Users/Anita/Downloads/NARA%20Spec%20- %20Letter%20and%20Legal%20Size%20File%20Folders % pdf file:///C:/Users/Anita/Downloads/NARA%20Spec%20- %20Letter%20and%20Legal%20Size%20File%20Folders % pdf ● file:///C:/Users/Anita/Downloads/NARA%20Spec%20- %20Low%20Lignin%20Archives%20Box% pdf file:///C:/Users/Anita/Downloads/NARA%20Spec%20- %20Low%20Lignin%20Archives%20Box% pdf