Rate My Professor David Schrum

Schrum's research focuses on analytical chemistry applications, notably electrophoretically mediated microanalysis (EMMA) employing capillary electrophoresis (CE) for enzyme assays and substrate quantification via Michaelis–Menten kinetics. His enzyme studies center on lactate dehydrogenase using lactate or pyruvate substrates with NADH or NAD+ cofactors, enabling calibration curves for clinical unknown concentrations. Additionally, he analyzes mesembrine-type alkaloids from the South African plant Sceletium tortuosum, which acts as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; this involves extraction, purification, thin-layer chromatography, automated accelerated column chromatography, and GC–MS confirmation. Schrum actively mentors undergraduate researchers, resulting in numerous conference presentations, including Klausner, A.; Lyons, R.; Schrum, D. P. "Analytical Determination of Kidney- and Bladder-Stone-Causing Minerals and Compounds in Dog Foods" at SCCUR 2023; Ionescu, L.; Schrum, D. P. "Isolation and Characterization of the Four Major Alkaloids in Sceletium tortuosum" at ACS 2022; and several EMMA-related works from 2016–2017. His efforts have been supported by awards such as HEDCO Foundation grants for GC–MS (2016) and LC–MS (2010) instrumentation, and the Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Grant (2003–2007).