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The Perovskite Project
How’s this for a good chemistry yarn? A crack team of knitters from the University of Surrey’s Chemistry Department have spun out an unlikely collaborative project by rallying weavers everywhere to help them string together a cuddly [...]
“Get a job, Ken!” Part 8: The Offer, Second Visit, and Negotiation
This is the eighth and final post in my “Get a job, Ken!” series. In this post I’ll talk about what follows job interviews: job offers, second visits, the negotiation process, and signing the contract. [...]
Safety & Effectiveness of Triclosan in Household Products
I saw this interesting article about the antibacterial ingredient triclosan ( 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) by CBS news. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57582621/does-antibacterial-soap-cause-more-harm-than-good-fda-to-decide-after-four-decades/...Show More Summary
Thanksgiving
When the Protein Data Bank releases a much-awaited protein structure which shows you exactly what you wanted to see, it's much like looking at a newly written Mozart symphony. There is a purpose to every single atom and water molecule,...Show More Summary
Good luck to B.R.S.M!
B.R.S.M. is off to the US for a postdoc. And he does Woodward Wednesdays. What's not to like. 1. What is your message for BRSM? It's the only time in your life when (unless you have a family) your only responsibility will be research; no teaching, no exams. Show More Summary
California: call to open access action!
California people - call to action to support the California Taxpayer Access to Publicly Funded Research Act
Oil pump desanguination – brilliant!
I just had the fastest pump oil change of my career, thanks to invention of my colleague. We use giant Welsh belt-driven pumps installed in steel cabinets under the hoods and these beasts are reliable – but so heavy: they take just over 3 liters of oil to fill, and the whole thing weights about […]
“Get a job, Ken!” Part 7: Research/Proposal Talks and Meeting with the Chair
The research talk and proposal talk are arguably the most important parts of the on-site interview. This post, part seven in the “Get a job, Ken! series” delves into both, as well as the final [...]
The Smell of Chemistry in the Morning
One of my professors once told me quite categorically that if you can smell someone’s chemistry, they are doing a bad job. His point was that any chemist worth their salt would be doing stinky [...]
“Get a job, Ken!” Part 6: Phone and On-site Interviews
In the “Get a job, Ken!” series, I’ve so far retold my experience coming up with research ideas, writing the ideas down as formal research proposals, assembling the different pieces of the faculty job application, [...]
Guest Post: The Periodic Table of T-Shirts.
Guest post by Dr Simon Norris a Chemistry teacher at a college in the UK. As his alter ego The Cycling Scientist he has visited primary schools with his science road show. His current interests are using [...]
“Get a job, Ken!” Part 5: Submitting and Waiting
In this blog post—the fifth in my eight-part “Get a job, Ken!” series—I share my experience submitting job application materials. This includes the research proposal (Part 3) and other materials like a cover letter, CV, [...]
Chemistry, fluid dynamics and an awful radioactive mess
When it comes to handling radioactive waste the Hanford site in western Washington state is the opposite of a role model. Ever since its reactors started producing the plutonium which was used in the Nagasaki bomb, Hanford has been generating waste with little foresight and responsibility. Show More Summary
On synthesis, design and chemistry's outstanding philosophical problems
Chemists need to move from designing structure - exemplified by this synthetic receptor - to designing function (Image: Max Planck Institute).
Yesterday I wrote a post about a perspective by multifaceted chemist George Whitesides in which he urged chemists to broaden the boundaries of their discipline and think of big picture problems. Show More Summary
“Get a job, Ken!” Part 4: Other Content
This blog posts continues my “Get a Job, Ken!” series. My last post focused on writing research proposals. This post describes the other pieces of the application package. There isn’t a standard, one-size-fits-all set of [...]
George Whitesides on the responsibility of chemists and the future of chemistry
Catching up on a few articles I had missed, I came across a characteristically deep and wide-ranging essay called "Assumptions" by George Whitesides about science, its future and our responsibility as scientists. It's a very generalShow More Summary
“Get a job, Ken!” Part 3: Proposal Format
Continuing my “Get a job, Ken!” series, this post builds upon the last by suggesting how to turn research ideas into written proposals. Strong proposals contain a competitive research idea (as discussed in my previous [...]
Splenda and - wait for it - DDT? You've got to be kidding me
Just when you think the perpetrators of chemophobia (actually this particular case makes chemophobia look like a knight in shining armor) cannot outdo themselves, someone seems to hit a new high. This time it's "alternative" "medicine" "physician" Joseph Mercola. Show More Summary
Polymers from Elemental Sulfur
This post is contributed by John Spevacek, an industrial polymer chemist and the author of the blog “It’s the Rheo Thing” While organic chemists are familiar with the elements, very seldom do we ever make [...]
Health and safety testing
Chemistry affects the public’s health and safety numerous times a day. Every product you use, drink, eat, take, touch, and smell has a chemical component to it. Public health and safety testing companies like NSF International, play a vital role to keep the public safer. Show More Summary
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