Author Archive
What's in Lemi Shine?
by azmanam on May 18 2012 (4735 Views)
source: lemishine.com
Lemi Shine is magical. We must have the hardest water ever. Any harder and I'd be able to walk on it. Our dishes had the grossest white film on it that just kept getting thicker and grittier and grosser. I thought we were going to have to wash dishes by hand or buy new dishes. Then we tried adding Lemi Shine. No joke, after 2 or 3 cycles, the dishes look like new. I wish I had before and after pictures. Imagine an opaque drinking glass next to a crystal clear drinking glass. Actually, the picture on the bottle could have been taken in our kitchen.
So I wanted to know what voodoo powder is in Lemi Shine that allows for such magical transformations to happen. Looking on the innertubes, people making home-made dishwasing detergent often have a line like 'add Lemi Shine or lemon Kool-Aid packets.' So that's weird. The label on the bottle says it contains 'natural fruit acids and citric oils.' Ok, so maybe the lemon Kool-Aid isn't so weird. Here's a list of natural fruit acids.
So I turned to the MSDS in hopes that it would divulge the ingredient list. The Lemi Shine MSDS was really easy to find, but the composition section reads:
Well, thanks. That could not be less informative. So my bottle contains between 61-105% of something? (maybe the rest is chemical free. oooooh!) The only actual quantitative information the MSDS provides is a pH of 3 and some LD50 data: Compound1: 3000 mg/kg (rat, oral); Compound2: 2840 mg/kg (rat, oral), 5000 mg/kg (rabbit, dermal - what did that experiment look like?)
So I guess since I'm a chemist, I should bring some into lab and figure it out myself, eh? So I did.
CLT #35: Sudoku
by azmanam on May 16 2012 (1949 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
Did you know the word chemistry is 9 letters long and every letter is unique 
via azmanam
Enjoy!
CLT #34: Summer Break
by azmanam on May 08 2012 (1536 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
Ahh... to be young again. Here's to a happy summer to all the students out there.
I <3 Calvin and Hobbes.
Enjoy!
The Nine Types of Exam Takers
by azmanam on May 03 2012 (4340 Views)Having done extensive research over the last three hours while proctoring my OChem final, I have discovered nine basic types of exam takers, listed below.
Which one are you?
The Shape Shifter
This type of exam taker cannot get comfortable in their chair, with the postage stamp-sized thing they call a desk. Legs crossed. Legs uncrossed. Slouch. Sit up straight. Pull hair back. Let hair down. Shift right. Shift left. This type of exam taker just cannot sit stil.
The Infirmary
Bottle of water, OJ, tissues, cough drop, banana, and air sickness bag just in case. Bonus points if tissues are loose and all scattered and not in a travel pack.
The Bridge of Sighs
Very nervous and anxious about the exam... and very audible about it. Loud sighs accompany every page turn, glance at the clock, or frantic erasure.
The Whites of Their Eyes
via: youtube.com
These students spend about 20% of their exam time looking at things that aren't their exam. They constantly glance at the clock, the periodic table, their watch, the ceiling, their neighbor's exam (!), the professor, back to the clock, the hallway, and finally their watch again.
Note to students: This type of student is realllly easy to spot. Remember the demolition scene in Ocean's Eleven? When everyone's looking one direction and all you see is hair, and when one or two people are looking a different direction, it is so easy to spot. You're not fooling anyone. It's also really easy to tell when you're just surfacing to take a breath and when your eyes are wandering. Trust us - you're not fooling anyone.
The Star Gazer
Related to the Whites of Their Eyes, the Star Gazer searches the constellations in the pattern of the drop ceiling while thinking deeply about their answer. Maybe they're hoping for divine inspiration.
The Nervous Tic
We all have different ways of biding our time while thinking about the answer. The nervous tic attempts to incorporate all of them into the exam time. Tics include: cracking knuckles, twirling hair, that piece of voodoo where you flip your pencil over your thumb, shaking legs, biting pencils, biting nails, biting shirt collars, biting neighbors (just kidding), stretching arms, legs, or backs, rapping fingers on desk, running hands through hair, and many many others. May also be a Shape Shifter
The Quicksand
This exam taker will manifest in one of two ways. Either the exam taker will slouch lower and lower into their chair, until by the end of the exam only their eyebrows are visible above the desk and most of their spine is actually on the seat of the chair. Alternatively, the Quicksand may hunch further and further over their desk. First resting their head on their hand, then on their forearm, then in their elbow, and eventually they are laying their head directly on the desk while they write their exam.
The Trail of Tears
via icine.org
Like Bob in Fight Club: their eyes already shrink-wrapped in tears. Before the exam begins. May also be a Bridge of Sighs. Should sit next to an Infirmary to borrow tissues. Often does not do as bad on the exam as they feared.
The Zen Master
Cool, calm, and composed, this exam taker is oblivious to the world around them. Oh, there's a clock? Never looks around, never changes position in their chair, sometimes will surface for air and stretch. The professor could catch on fire at the front of the room, and the Zen Master won't even look up while they turn to the next page of the exam. Professor often forgets they're taking the exam.
CLT #33: Finals Week
by azmanam on May 01 2012 (2629 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
Sorry I spaced it last week. It's finals week this week! Wish my students luck
via azmanam and RageBuilder
Enjoy!
CLT #32: Tax Day
by azmanam on Apr 17 2012 (4203 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
...You did remember to file your (US) taxes... right...
via Off the Mark
Enjoy!
#ChemSongTitles
by azmanam on Apr 11 2012 (3039 Views)We're having a lot of fun over on Twitter coming up with Chemistry Song Titles. Feel free to join in
3:00pm (EST) Update. This is probably not a full list, but it's what I managed to copy down as I went
Not everyone provided the artist whose song they were parodying... I Googled the best I could. If yours is mislabeled, let me know.
Full list below the jump.
CLT #31: Science Fair
by azmanam on Apr 10 2012 (2988 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
I just judged our state science fair a few weekends ago. It was my first time judging a science fair. I really enjoyed the experience, will certainly do it again, and encourage others to volunteer as well. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing a teenager geeked out about science
via Off the Mark
Enjoy!
Imposter Syndrome as a ChemProf: Not what you think - Diversity in Science Blog Carnival
by azmanam on Apr 06 2012 (7984 Views)Thanks primarily to Dr. Robert Grossman's excellent (if not unfortunately titled) book The Art of Writing Reasonable Organic Reaction Mechanisms*, I don't have a huge Imposter Syndrome when lecturing in front of my undergraduate organic chemistry class. I can handle pretty much any organic chemistry question an undergrad just learning the course for the first time can throw at me. Sometimes they start asking smart questions that aren't really organic but are more physical chemistry questions (and way beyond the scope of the course), and I'll gladly punt those questions to a future semester if I don't know the answer.
Credit: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
No, my Imposter Syndrome happens while I'm sitting comfortably in my office and students come in to talk. I've only been a university professor for 2 years, but I've already had a few students open up about some deep personal issues in their lives. Being an ear and a mentor certainly falls in the job description of a university professor, especially when schools market themselves as offering 'great relationships with great professors who greatly care.' People with Impostor Syndrome sometimes complain of 'never being taught how to be a teacher' in grad school... but at least we were aware we were going to teach. No one talks about the 'being a counselor' part.
This has been my biggest source of Imposter Syndrome that I've experienced in my short professional life. On the one hand, I'm happy to be in this position - I'm glad students trust me enough to feel comfortable opening up about their personal lives. On the other hand, I am not at all qualified to be giving advice. These students are going to leave my office and have to make really difficult choices, and they want my opinion on what they should do. (And I'm not talking about 'should I drop this class' or 'should I change my major' decisions, I'm talking about tough life choices for these students.)
What have I done about this? The answer may surprise you. I always preface all my conversations with students that I can't make their decision for them, they shouldn't do something just because Dr. [azmanam] said to, and they should probably run this by some other adult, too, to make sure they get a range of opinions. But they did come for advice, and I'm not going to just send them away because I feel awkward. My two biggest sources of strength in overcoming my Imposter Syndrome have been my wife (who has an undergraduate in psychology and can sometimes offer insights on how to approach these conversations), and the various marriage seminars and workshops I've attended.
I've been through enough marriage workshops to know a few things about interpersonal relationships. Your spouse is not your enemy. The goal is understanding, not winning the point. You're not listening if you can't repeat the feelings and emotions back to them. These gems have transferred so well to office conversations with students. I use them as often as possible. I use them for all conversations ranging from 'I got a bad grade on my exam' to 'this just happened in my life. Help.'
Reflective listening would be my single biggest piece of advice to other profs who feel the same way. If your students feel like you understand them and what they're saying, it doesn't really matter what advice you give. They usually just want to vent and have someone (with authority) listen to them. Then, to the best of my limited ability, I try to ask questions to see what they think about the various facets of the scenario. The best thing I can give my students is perspective. I try to make sure they're seeing all the angles that I can see that maybe they haven't thought about. If it's safe to do so, I may offer my personal opinion, or I may just help them realize they already know what the next step should be and give them encouragement and affirmation to do so.
And, if it's way out of my league, I make sure they're getting in touch with the counseling center or whatever resource they need - in the litigation age, I do not want to give the sole piece of advice on which they base their decision.
Patience. Reflective listening. Socratic questioning. And a smile. That's how I'm working to overcome my Imposter Syndrome.
-Thanks to Scicurious for hosting the blog carnival
*If you're an organic PhD student, buy it today. Especially if you haven't taken your orals yet.
CLT #30: Bomberman
by azmanam on Apr 03 2012 (3319 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
Here. Now no one yell at me for 'impossible structure errors'
via digital unrest
Enjoy!
CLT #29: Wild West Chemistry
by azmanam on Mar 27 2012 (5248 Views)Welcome Back to CLT!
Today's cartoon from Nick Kim, previously of "Base = Neutralized" CLT fame.
via Lab-Initio
Enjoy!
CLT #28: Carbon Dating
by azmanam on Mar 20 2012 (4327 Views)Welcome back to CLT!
Welcome to spring!
via Jesse Springer (I think?)
Enjoy!
