Back to School: Chemistry and Society

It’s my last quarter at big midwestern university and I am ecstatic. Not only for my pending graduation (Yay!/Finally!), but also I have been assigned to teach a lovely course on “Chemistry and Society.” It’s a GEC course for non-science majors to fulfill a core science requirement, so there’s not a lot of actual chemistry that they will have to take on. But, what we will address is how chemistry (and science in general) have an impact on decision making (everyday and otherwise) on some hot button current issues/events. Things like what, if anything, should be done about global climate change? What renewable energy sources would be most viable? What are these so called “green fuels” and how “green” are they? In short, I am thrilled to have to rare opportunity to step outside the “let’s learn how to balance equations and work out limiting reagents” that dominates most chemistry courses.

On my first day back in the classroom I wore my favorite “green” shirt and purple plaid tie. I just love that this shirt is somewhere between summer and fall and fits the timing of the autumnal equinox perfectly.

I accessorized with my ever-necessary timepieces. This particular watch was a gift from the hubby on our 2 year anniversary. He was away in Germany in the archives and I was stateside preparing for my general exams. During that tough time apart he was super supportive. Lovingly, he had engraved on the back “Du liegst mir im herzen”. Cheesy, I know, but every time I check the time I think of how sweet he was during that rough time. Do you have some accessories that hold fond memories of the giver? I love utilitarian gifts that make me remember a place, time or person, don’t you?

Work Spaces: The Laser Lab (aka the disco-“tech” of flashing lights)

I must geek out. I <3 Sum Frequency Generation! Now that’s out of the way, let me share some of my workspace with you reader. The work enviroment in chemistry research is often not that pleasant. It's ussally smelly and at times can be dangerous. My lab in a photochemistry research group involves the wonderful technique of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The laser lab can be a not so glamorous place. It's dark, cold, and draped in dark curtains, and if you look the wrong way you can put your eye out! But once the frequency doubling starts to happen, the laser starts to pulse, I fall in love! The room turns into a disco of sorts with a flashing green 532 nm laser pulsing at a romping 8 ns. It makes you want to put on some tunes while you measure your time constants.

Of course, with chemistry work comes some pretty pimp accessories. Like these amazing orange laser googles. Don't they go great with my new snap-button orange shirt. What do you think? Does it scream 600 nm?



What about my fellow scientists out there? Anybody get to work with some fun instrumentation? How do you dress for the laboratory?

I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK

The NY Times photographer, Bill Cunningham, hits the streets of Manhattan weekly to photograph the styles “On the Street.” In a recent post by Bill he talks about the growth of “Lumberjack plaids ……in painters palette colors” I really have been afraid of all things flannel and steered clear of plaid prints. Something about them doesn’t quite fit with my personality. But taking my cues from the trends I have recently added a piece of red, black and yellow flannel plaid to my closet and I must say that I would not want to live without it now. Here I wear it with a blue high waisted track jacket and boyfriend jeans while I get some work done in the lab. I’m embracing my inner lumberjack, and it feels warm and cozy and doesn’t look half bad either. Who knew that I would like the lumberjack-wearing flannel look? Is there a fabric or pattern that you have stayed away from because of tropes associated with them?

It's time to make a change

On Friday, I decided to change things up a bit. I had grown my hair out for my wedding back in July so that I could have a hairstyle that was classic. Something that I wouldn’t look back on and say “Goodness gracious what was I thinking?” I had been thinking about going back to my shorter more modern hairstyle and was talking it over with a friend when she suggested, what about going darker. I was intrigued. I had never gone for all over color, and I have been some version of blond all my life. I had to go for it. I went to a local salon on Friday, wearing my red cashmere scarf, and discovered that they were doing a “tip for a cause” that went to the American Heart Association Go Red Campaign. Perfect! I debuted the new haircut at a dinner with my husband’s colleagues and our friends on Saturday night. I dare say, I like being a brunette? What do you think?

Before:

After:

1. Vest-- Target

2. Shirt --Banana Republic

3. Shoes --Robert Wayne

4. Jeans --Filene's Basement

4. Tie--- Gifted (from J. H. in GA!

Men with PhDs without Corduroy Jackets

Close your eyes and picture that chemistry professor, the older gentleman, lecturing you through undergrad. Your remember him, right? Corduroy jacket, leather patches on the elbows. Shoes from 10 years ago. And the tie and shirt combo that was clearly picked out in the darkest of closet. We all have worried about becoming this frumpy, dated academic man. But for lots of us, we haven’t resigned ourselves to sloppy vintage wardrobes just yet.

For me, it’s always important to look set apart from my students. I’m finding to do that, and to keep up with this fall’s men fashion, I’m going bold by bringing together pattern on pattern shirt/tie combinations. Mixing these prints can be intimidating, but like combining chemicals to yield the desired product in the lab, when blending these prints together the perfect ratio will ensure the right reaction. There are a couple of pattern hybrids that I love for the fall (and in particular color combinations). The first is the stripped dress shirt and large print plaid tie. This look is exceptional in a saffron yellow stripe and an amethyst plaid. The key here is to keep one item strong while the other gets center stage. In this case I play up the tie while the shirt supplies a warm backdrop. When it’s grey out, sometimes I don’t fight the climate and just go with nature’s mood of overcast. Wearing a large-scale check shirt set on the diagonal in white, slate blue and grey is great with a coordinating tie picked out for it’s stripe on the same diagonal with tone on tone slate blues and grey. Take it down a notch, and keep warm, by adding a grey cable shawl neck sweater for a great seasonal rainy day look. And while there are still some autumn colors on the trees I get noticed with a persimmon tie and starched white shirt with pencil thin charcoal pinstripe and charcoal vest. It’s not a bad thing to mimic nature when she is looking so good!

The growing trend for young men in academia, and in tons of other occupations, is recognition that style makes a difference. Being fashionably minded is no longer just for the opposite sex. We know that style cannot only make us more confident about ourselves, but it can make the difference in how people recognize us, and who listens to us when we talk. No longer does the PhD have to look like he stopped shopping when he finished his dissertation. You can keep up with the trends in your field and in your closet too.

The Skinny on Skin Health

In response to my recent beauty product recommendation, one of our readers, thechemist-coture wrote in and offered some expertise based on his knowledge of chemistry and his delight in pampering the skin. He had the following to say:

"I love beauty regimens. Nothing lifts my spirits, or my baggy under eye, like devoted personal pampering. But behind all the crèmes, potions and chemical concoctions I wondered, not surprisingly, what was the science behind the facial potpourri’s of our beloved regimens. To dig deeper into how we make ourselves look lifted, rested and restored I thought I might do some research into the science of skin. In my quest for the dermatological truth, I found that taking care of our skin’s health can be divided into three areas: cleaning, nutrition and aging.

"As for cleaning, there are loads of scrubs, washes, soaps and lathers that claim to be for any of a variety of skin types. But overwhelmingly dermatologist suggest an unscented, 30% moisturizing, dye free soap for daily cleansing. Nothing with extreme detergents. Mild is the name of the game when finding the right facial bar. Special soaps such as acne creams containing a range of chemicals like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can dry out skin if overused. So only use these during an outbreak, not as a prophylactic. So when it comes to cleaning, stick with bar soaps like Ivory. Unscented, undyed and non-deodorant. This soap is the cleanest of clean for healthy skin.

"The next two areas, aging and nutrition are really one set of cause and effect. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and your diet has an enormous effect on it’s health. And while many of the skin care products on the market lay claim to give results from the mixture of vitamin, minerals, retinol(vitamin A), and chamomile-rose petal-serum-oil-of-the-gods-awesomeness. The truth is that while you need (most) of these awesome things, it is much better for you to get them from the food you eat than from topical application. That doesn’t mean that these products don’t work (I mean they sell like hot cakes, somebody is getting results!) It’s just that it is so much better for you when you get the nutrition your skin needs naturally. Getting nutrients form the “inside” where the skin is growing is like feeding a tree at the root. Think of it this way—taking a daily multivitamin orally is a great way to get every mineral vitamin and metal you need for the day in one pill. But while this gets us the dose we need, our body doesn’t uptake as much of those awesome nutrients as when we eat some green leafy veggies simply because that isn’t the form that your body expects and is made to process. So put down the eye-lifting-micro-derm-smoothing cream and pick up a carrot, blackberries, and plums (to name a few). And don’t forget the 8 glasses of water a day to wash away all those nasty toxins that make our skin blotchy and oily. 'Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look,' (Samantha Heller, MS, RD)

"Lastly, I feel that my dermatology summary wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t say something about sunscreen. You’ve heard it before, but it’s so so very true. The sun is the enemy when it comes to skin health. So apply strong (high SPF) and often. Remember that even in the middle of winter the suns UV-B rays are still coming in just as strong to attack our precious skin’s DNA. This is the perfect time to have a little moisturizer action added to your routine. But remember to keep it mild. Keep away from products with any oils or PEG-ylated lipids in the top 5 ingredients. Of course it must be said that just like your overall health, your skin’s health is unique to you. These tips are the basis for good skin health, and may need to be supplemented."

Regarding, thechemist-coture's observations about nutrition and skin health, from my own personal experience and the fount of knowledge that is the professional make-up artist, who is doing my make-up for my wedding, I couldn't agree more. Even if it's pure placebo effect or more related to self-perception, I feel like my skin looks better when I drink 8 glasses of water a day and when I eat a nutrient-rich diet, including some healthy fats from my beloved olive oil.

As we head into the middle of the semester (or quarter), it's a good time to remember to take time to pamper ourselves (it's all too easy to get bogged down with article revisions, mid-term grading, lecture prep, and student emails), and one of the best things that we can do to take good care of ourselves is to care for our skin. This is the kind of pampering that will pay us back ten-fold (and hopefully through the tenure process).