{"id":2879,"date":"2026-07-27T16:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T20:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/?page_id=2879"},"modified":"2026-07-27T16:17:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T20:17:35","slug":"mullen-irelynn","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/career-development\/internships-jobs\/mullen-irelynn\/","title":{"rendered":"Irelynn Mullen \u201925 &#8211; Rivier Student Researcher"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Taking a Chance on Chemistry<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2881  alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Irelynn-Mullen-NHINBRE_cropped-753x980.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Irelynn-Mullen-NHINBRE_cropped-753x980.jpg 753w, https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Irelynn-Mullen-NHINBRE_cropped-768x1000.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Irelynn-Mullen-NHINBRE_cropped-285x371.jpg 285w, https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Irelynn-Mullen-NHINBRE_cropped.jpg 878w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For Irelynn Mullen <em>\u2019<\/em>25, an unexpected passion sparked in the chemistry lab turned into a professional career. A Rivier University graduate, Mullen double-majored in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/all-programs\/b-s-biology\/\">Biology<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/all-programs\/b-a-psychology\/\">Psychology<\/a> and served as president of the Biology Club. Today, she works as an Upstream Production Chemist at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lgcstandards.com\/US\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LGC Standards<\/a> in Manchester, N.H.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never thought I would get into chemistry,\u201d Mullen says. \u201cBut my professor, Dr. Brian Patenaude, formerly the Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Rivier, encouraged me to pursue a chemistry internship, and I thought it would be a great experience to add to my resume.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her year-long internship began in June 2023, where she worked as a student researcher alongside Dr. Patenaude in Rivier\u2019s organic chemistry laboratory in the Science and Innovation Center.\u00a0There, Mullen discovered her passion for chemistry not by memorizing concepts, but in the focused, hands-on nature of the work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuch of the lab work during my internship involved handling chemicals or hazardous materials,\u201d Mullen says. \u201cIt prepared me for my current role, where I work daily with a lot of corrosive acids. Having that prior knowledge of pouring chemicals correctly, proper techniques, and safety handling helped me in learning how to work in a lab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At LGC Standards, Mullen helps produce reference materials used to calibrate scientific instruments and ensure accurate testing results. Whether made with precise amounts of metals such as copper, gold, nickel, or cobalt, these customized standards serve as benchmarks that laboratories and manufacturers use to verify measurements and product quality.<\/p>\n<p>During her internship, as part of Rivier\u2019s partnership with the New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (<a href=\"https:\/\/geiselmed.dartmouth.edu\/nhinbre\/about-us\/program-partners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NH\u2011INBRE<\/a>), Mullen presented a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/department\/science\/nh-inbre-at-rivier-university\/\">biomedical research project<\/a> with Dr. Patenaude and other faculty members. She also practiced her public\u2011speaking skills by presenting her research at academic conferences, including the Transformative Learning Conference at the University and the NH\u2011INBRE conference hosted by Dartmouth College at Mount Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Working every day in the labs on Rivier\u2019s campus, Mullen gained essential experience conducting scientific research, developing laboratory techniques, and applying classroom concepts in an industry-relevant setting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRivier helped me gain the confidence to move forward in my career,\u201d she says. \u201cThe people I met, especially my professors, were incredibly supportive, and I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today without them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mullen credits the real-world laboratory work in her courses and internship at the University with expanding her learning beyond the classroom. Together, these opportunities pushed her outside her comfort zone and advanced both personal and professional growth, deepening her interest in chemistry while strengthening her ability to communicate research and develop practical skills that support her role today and wherever her career leads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taking a Chance on Chemistry For Irelynn Mullen \u201925, an unexpected passion sparked in the chemistry lab turned into a professional career. A Rivier University graduate, Mullen double-majored in Biology [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"parent":622,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2879","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Irelynn Mullen \u201925 - Rivier Student Researcher - Rivier Academics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/career-development\/internships-jobs\/mullen-irelynn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Irelynn Mullen \u201925 - Rivier Student Researcher - Rivier Academics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Taking a Chance on Chemistry For Irelynn Mullen \u201925, an unexpected passion sparked in the chemistry lab turned into a professional career. 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