Born to be a Buckeye: Michael Hines

Posted: 

Born and raised in Westerville, Ohio, chemical and biomolecular engineer Michael Hines said he and his family bleed scarlet and gray.

 

Michael Hines
Michael Hines

Hines chose to attend Ohio State not only because of the academic opportunities offered, but also to carry on a Buckeye family tradition. His great uncle was a former Ohio State University president and his grandfather was president of the alumni association.

On top of his course load as an undergraduate student, Hines became involved in pharmaceutical research, working with Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Assistant Professor Nick Brunelli. He studied how to improve a specific catalyst and chemical reaction that could be used as a part of the pathway of chemical reactions occurring in pain relievers. Although the specific reaction he studied isn’t currently in use, it could be one day.

“Mike has taken a research project from a mere suggestion to the point of publication in an area that bridges the research fields of chemistry and chemical engineering,” Brunelli said. “He took on a leadership role in advancing our mechanistic understanding of cobalt catalyzed hydrovinylation chemistry that has the potential to make pharmaceutical development more sustainable.”

The research earned Hines and partner Montgomery Gray, a chemistry major, first place in the 2019 Denman Forum’s science: statistical and mathematical modeling section. Presenting at the Denman also helped Hines hone his technical communication skills.

“Research has trained me in dealing with incredibly complex technical problems and trying to come up with creative solutions to solve the problems,” Hines said. “But I think the more important thing for me is that it [provides] practice communicating technical problems to a wide audience.”

After graduating, Hines plans to attend law school at either Ohio State or the University of Houston and pursue a career in patent law.

Category: Alumni
Tag: Brunelli