By Katie Monigan

Staff Writer

Timothy Strein is a professor of chemistry, chair of the chemistry department and has been at the University for so many years that his email address is just “Strein.” Although he primarily only teaches two classes, analytical chemistry and a forensic chemistry foundation seminar, he is always up to something.

“There are two types of chemists: those who make things and those who measure things. I measure things,” Strein said.

Specifically, measuring concentrations of certain chemicals in blood and urine using something called capillary electrophoresis. Apparently he’s pretty good at it too, since he just had a paper accepted this week, another a few weeks ago and yet another late last semester which was a collaboration with another chemist at the University of Pittsburgh. To date, he’s published “about 30” papers, he said. He has a lab next door to his office and an entire team of students working with him, both undergraduate and graduate.

When he’s not teaching and working on his research projects, he has additional administrative duties as chair of the chemistry department. His current project is to individually approve every chemistry course that students wish to take over the summer for credit. He also makes sure the department stays within budget and occasionally answers calls from angry parents or makes sure leaky lab sinks get fixed.

All in all, Strein is happy with his position.

“As long as I get the money, which we’ve been pretty lucky with so far, I can research pretty much whatever I want,” he said. Plus he’s friendly and likes to work with people. As both a professor and administrator, that’s exactly what he gets to do every day.