Author Archives: alan

Open that Door?

Posted on October 28, 2011 by alan

A college education is all about opening minds. Even when I am presented with two open pathways for growth, the possibility that a life-changing experience lies behind the red door dictates that I open it as well, right?… Continue reading →

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Multitasking – Bad for the Brain?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by alan

The question is not whether we multitask (we all do), but how much do we do and what effect does it have on us? Is switching quickly from email to homework problem to text message to Facebook to YouTube to… Continue reading →

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It looked like a good idea …

Posted on September 12, 2011 by alan

I'm fascinated by how our brains and minds work. We like to think of them as loyal computers, reliably eating up the information we provide, and then issuing the ideas and directions we need to guide our lives. Long before… Continue reading →

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Test Anxiety Anyone?

Posted on August 23, 2011 by alan

I have found that many more students talk to me after an exam than before. Many more.The conversations span all kinds of test-related topics, chief among them, anxiety. For example, any number of students will tell me, "I'm not a… Continue reading →

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Mechanism – A Tool for Stealing Your Dreams

Posted on May 17, 2011 by alan

Have you seen the movie trailer for Inception? If you have, you will be able to appreciate the movie trailer for Mechanism.You could say that Mechanism is an organic chemistry student's worst nightmare, but if you did that, you just… Continue reading →

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Hate this Bad Project (YouTube)

Posted on January 25, 2011 by alan

What happens if you cross Lady Gaga with an underpaid biology graduate student? The Hui Zheng lab at the Baylor College of Medicine has the answer and it turns out to be a tricky combination of dominant and recessive genotypes…. Continue reading →

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Dealing with distractions

Posted on January 21, 2011 by alan

Can I get your attention for a sec? Just a sec. I know you’re really here to do some o cheming, but just hang on to that thought for a moment and take a quick look at this:  Maybe worth… Continue reading →

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When is a 'glycol' not a glycol?

Posted on November 29, 2010 by alan

In class today, I gave you a special name for 1,2-diols: glycols. Since a 1,2-diol requires a minimum of two carbon atoms, the simplest compound in this class is ethylene glycol, HOCH2CH2OH.It turns out that one glycol has been in… Continue reading →

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Hg-free Exams? Not quite

Posted on November 29, 2010 by alan

Homework assignment #6 contained an important announcement, but many students who worked on the homework either ignored the announcement or didn't fully understand it (and many students may not have even seen the announcement given the small number of completed… Continue reading →

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How to finish the acetylferrocene lab

Posted on November 20, 2010 by alan

We do not have any lab work scheduled for this week or beyond. The only thing that needs to be accomplished by most students is printing the NMR spectrum of acetylferrocene. This can be done during the lab periods this… Continue reading →

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