Birkeland '91 is a senior research chemist in the catalysts division of Dow Chemical Company at its main research location in Midland, Mich. She received her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Northwestern University in 1995. Birkeland's dissertation, entitled "A Spectroscopic and Catalytic Study of Silica-Supported Vanadium-Phosphorus Oxides Used in Selective Butane Oxidation," reflects her expertise in the area of catalysis. She is a graduate of Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Wash.