Periodic Tabloid

Getting a general audience excited to visit a chemistry museum can be a bit daunting. Therefore, it was with much sympathy that I recently visited a museum about death.

The calorie, scientifically popularized by an agricultural chemist, was once used as a tool to maximize efficiency among laborers: to “promote the largest production of brick per man.” But as you may be aware, America doesn’t make a lot of bricks anymore. I was reminded of this when I saw a new report linking long-term shifts in the job market with a corresponding rise in obesity rates.

On this Memorial Day, ceremonies in towns, cities and villages across America honor those who served and who are now serving in the U.S. military. Since I am one of those who served in the past and are now serving again, I want to remember and celebrate Army field rations: remember the 1970s C-rations and celebrate today’s MREs.

Fox News used this alarming headline last week in reporting on a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Toxicology. At issue is risk and how risk is perceived and assessed.  

The goal of public engagement is to find creative ways to help people understand the basic principles of science and how its methods produce new knowledge. To this end CHF gathered a group of 13 top thinkers for a daylong exploration of the subject.

Greetings from the American Association of Museums conference in Houston! My colleagues and I are have gathered here to discuss what the museum of the future might look like—including CHF.

Late in the 19th century, Dmitri Mendeleev embarked on a most modest journey to create a table of all that was known, and yet to be known, of elemental matters.  Yet scientists today believe that the elements in the periodic table make up only about 5% of all the mass in the entire Universe. That’s less than you give the government in sales tax each time you buy something!

The Cold War influenced chemist Mary L. Good’s education and career, providing not only the funding but much of the public rationale for scientific research and training. As the tensions of the 50s and 60s eased, part of her job as a political science advisor was to convince both the government and the public to continue their support.

Considerable research has gone into highly sensitive detection systems that can be used to screen airports and other potential targets for explosive devices. One promising strategy is described in a new publication from the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT, which uses a chemical sensor to detect as little as one molecule of TNT.

National Bike to Work Week has been difficult this year: rain in the northeast has stopped all but the most addicted riders from a two-wheeled commute. But the sun will be out soon. In the meantime, you might consider how bicycling is the most chemistry (and chemical) friendly ride in the world.