Chemistry For Your Life

#061

Be honest. Have you ever glued yourself with super glue? Everyone should accidentally make that mistake at least once, so you can literally feel the impressive stickiness of super glue. Well today, you can learn about the chemistry within super glue, without putting any fingers or other body parts at risk! Let's do this.

 

References from this episode

1. Introduction to Polymers R.J. Young and P. A. Lovell


2. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/superglue/superglueh.htm


3. https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/cyanoacrylate/6261.article


4. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/86/8624sci5.html


5. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/March_ChemClubCal.pdf


6. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articlesbytopic/bonding/chemmatters-dec2006-glue.pdf
   
   

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AI is everywhere in education right now, but is that the only technology chemistry educators should be thinking about?

In this bonus BCCE preview episode, Melissa talks with Resa Kelly about technology in chemistry education, from visualizations and videos to flipped classrooms and AI. What do we actually want students to be able to do in a technology-rich world? How should that shape our teaching? And how can educators stay curious without feeling pressured to adopt every new tool that comes along?

 

Important Links

• bcce.divched.org/2026


• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife


• chemforyourlife.com

 

Time Stamps

• 0:00 – Introducing the Community Conversation on technology


• 1:11 – Resa Kelly’s journey into chemistry education research


• 2:20 – How visualizations and animations help students learn chemistry


• 3:31 – Why this conversation is about more than just AI


• 5:50 – Technology already shaping chemistry classrooms


• 7:20 – Staying curious even if you’re skeptical of new technology


• 9:10 – Time constraints and practical barriers for teachers


• 10:00 – Creative ways educators are using AI


• 14:15 – Teaching students to evaluate trustworthy information


• 17:13 – The central question: What should students be able to do in a technology-rich environment?


• 18:20 – Is technology helping students learn or just complete tasks?


• 19:00 – If AI gives answers, what are we really teaching?


• 24:00 – Why these conversations matter beyond BCCE


• 28:15 – Assumptions, AI, and trusting students


• 30:05 – Final thoughts and invitation to the conference conversation

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CSI makes forensic science look fast, easy, and almost magical. But how much of that is actually true?This week we’re joined by forensic chemist and graduate student Nicki Stewart to answer your questions about forensic science. We talk about crime shows, fingerprints, toxicology, illicit drugs, and what really happens inside a forensic laboratory. Plus, Nicki shares what surprised her most when she worked in a real crime lab and why forensic science is often much slower (and more complicated) than TV would have you believe.

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Time Stamps

• 0:00 – Do crime shows get forensics right?


• 1:20 – Nicki’s background in forensic chemistry and toxicology


• 6:15 – From forensic chemistry to chemistry education


• 9:10 – The “CSI Effect” and common TV misconceptions


• 12:30 – Breaking Bad, Project Hail Mary, and science accuracy in entertainment


• 14:10 – Transitioning from clinical chemistry to forensic chemistry


• 17:40 – The biggest misconceptions about forensic work


• 20:20 – Forensic chemistry vs. forensic biology


• 22:05 – How fingerprints actually form


• 26:35 – Can fingerprints be removed?


• 26:55 – How forensic labs identify illicit drugs


• 31:10 – Which shows portray science most accurately?


• 33:00 – What’s coming in our next forensic chemistry episode

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References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Sara Hull

Dog Day Dan

Bri .

Summer Alden

Amanda Raymond

Kyle McCray

Justine

Ash

Vince W

Julie S.

Heather Ragusa

Autoclave

Dorien VD

Scott Beyer

Jessie Reder

J0HNTR0Y

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Venus Rebholz

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

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What happens when the world’s largest gathering of chemistry educators decides to try something new?
This summer we’re partnering with the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) for a special series of Monday episodes. In this kickoff conversation, Melissa sits down with conference organizers to talk about the vision behind this year’s event, why community conversations are replacing traditional keynotes, and how chemistry educators are thinking about the future of teaching and learning. Whether you’re attending BCCE or just curious about how people learn chemistry, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest conversations happening in chemistry education today.

 

Important Links

• bcce.divched.org/2026


• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife


• chemforyourlife.com

 

Time Stamps

0:00 – Introducing our BCCE summer series
2:00 – Why Melissa loves BCCE
4:50 – Meet Ariel Vaughn and Ginger Schultz
7:00 – What are Community Conversations?
8:20 – Replacing keynote speakers with interactive discussions
9:00 – How the conversation topics were selected
13:40 – Empowering the community to shape the conference
14:40 – Previewing this year’s Community Conversation topics
16:00 – Neurodiversity, equity, and communities of practice
19:50 – Why community matters in chemistry education
25:20 – Meet BCCE General Chair Sam Pazicni
28:30 – The vision behind this year’s conference
29:00 – “Reflecting Back and Marching Forward” explained
32:30 – The six conference contexts and Community Conversations
37:20 – Who should attend BCCE?
39:00 – Tips for first-time conference attendees
41:00 – Remote attendance and recorded sessions
45:20 – Planning your schedule with the conference app
50:40 – What to wear and what to pack
57:30 – Madison food recommendations and cheese curds
1:03:50 – Special events, parking tips, and final advice
1:08:20 – Final BCCE details and registration information

Podcast Transcript

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How can the same element make both pencil lead and diamonds?
This week we wrap up our pencil chemistry mini-series by answering a surprisingly tricky question: how do erasers actually erase? Then we dive into one of chemistry’s coolest ideas. Graphite and diamond are both made entirely of carbon, but one is soft enough to write with and the other is the hardest natural material we know. What changed? The answer reveals something remarkable about chemistry, structure, and the hidden world of atoms.

Support this podcast on Patreon
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0:00 – Intro: diamonds, carbon, and the hardest natural material
2:25 – How erasers actually erase pencil marks
6:50 – Why erasers get old, crumbly, and less effective
9:50 – Graphite vs. diamond: same element, completely different materials
13:50 – Why diamonds are so hard (and why they sparkle)
15:30 – Allotropes: how carbon can become radically different substances
17:00 – Melissa’s carbon epiphany: appreciating chemistry in a new way
20:20 – Things we didn’t appreciate until later in life (birds, coffee, and more)
25:20 – Father’s Day advice for dads and families
31:50 – Wrap-up + your carbon questions

Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

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References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Sara Hull

Dog Day Dan

Bri .

Summer Alden

Amanda Raymond

Kyle McCray

Justine

Ash

Vince W

Julie S.

Heather Ragusa

Autoclave

Dorien VD

Scott Beyer

Jessie Reder

J0HNTR0Y

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Venus Rebholz

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

 

 

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