Jeremy Feldblyum is not just an accomplished chemist and teacher; he holds a bachelor of music from the University of Maryland in piano performance. The intermingling of science and art — and the possibility of one inspiring the other — carries poetic potential too strong to ignore. So of course, we had to ask: Is tuning a MOF like tuning a piano?

Here's what Jeremy said:

"Many people ask if there’s a connection between my music and science, and I always have the disappointing answer that as far as I know, I have not found a relationship between the two. Even the music I listen to in my office is not piano music. That would be too distracting. 

When I studied piano during undergrad, I played at a level that made me happy — after much struggling and a lot of time in the practice room. That kind of work ethic and obsession that I actually first had in music, not so much in chemistry, helped me to shift gears when I got to graduate school. I knew I had to lay music aside — not completely — but that I had to let that go a little bit to give myself time and space for science, which I threw myself into wholeheartedly. And I would say that up to that point, my passion in music set my science back a little bit. I probably did not study chemistry quite so much as I should have as an undergraduate. But as a graduate student, I had the work ethic. I knew how to be obsessed with something, and I threw myself into chemistry feet first. By the end of graduate school, I was quite happy. I felt, finally I could do research successfully. And I didn’t have to be miserable while doing it, as many grad students are. So perhaps that work ethic is the closest relationship between them. But otherwise, music just makes me happy, and when I’m happy, I do my science well."  

And while chemistry might have the spotlight for the moment, Jeremy still finds time to play — even with his hands full.

"I have two very young kids now, and so I'm learning some left-hand repertoire while I'm holding the baby in the other arm."

Learn more about the Feldblyum Group

Read a MOF Nobel explainer with Jeremy

Here from Omar Yaghi directly via the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

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Research and interview by Erin Frick 
Audio editing and production by Scott Freedman
Photos by Patrick Dodson
Written and hosted by Jordan Carleo-Evangelist

The Short Version is produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing at the University at Albany, which is part of the State University of New York.

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