The Lighter Side of Science

Don’t Forget the Music

Posted on by Sara Klink

Many people in the United States of America will be celebrating the country’s Independence Day by gathering with family, grilling and consuming food, and watching a Chinese invention explode overhead in many shapes and colors. I am partial to the ones my family calls boomers consisting of a small circular white flash of light and an explosion of sound that vibrates my chest.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts that 32.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the July 4th weekend; 84% of those will travel by auto. Continue reading “Don’t Forget the Music”

Paying it Forward: A Promega Employee’s Experience With the American Chemical Society

Posted on by Karen Reece

bharatACSIf you are a scientist you know the American Chemical Society (ACS) for their high quality journals (all 39 of them) and for their annual meetings and conferences. But did you know the ACS also focuses on community education and outreach? The ACS mission is “Improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.” According to their website, ACS has 189 local chapters at colleges and universities around the country. Bharat Mankani (in the white coat in the photo) tells us about his work with the ACS chapter at Texas A&M.

1. How long have you worked here at Promega and what do you do? Continue reading “Paying it Forward: A Promega Employee’s Experience With the American Chemical Society”

Paying it Forward: A Promega Employee’s Experience with the Dane County Humane Society

Posted on by Karen Reece

cats_cats_catsPromega employees earn their living researching, marketing, manufacturing, writing, teaching, shipping, and designing. What do they do when they are off the clock? For the next few months, I will post interviews with my coworkers describing how they give back to their communities in their spare time. This month, Nadine Nassif describes her work with the Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) and their groundbreaking ringworm treatment. The photo on the left shows Nadine keeping some cats company during a DCHS event.

How long have you worked here at Promega and what do you do?

I joined Promega in November 1997, so just over 13 years. I’m a research scientist in the Genetic Analysis group.
(Author’s note: Nadine develops kits that are used by researchers for purifying DNA and studying gene expression.)

What do you do at DCHS?

Most of the work I do with Dane County Humane Society involves the cat population.  Specifically:

  • Cleaning cages and feeding the cats.
  • Socializing cats; in particular, the ones that are shy or scared or over-stimulated, the ones that need the extra attention in order to acclimate to the busy shelter environment and find a home.
  • Shooting and editing YouTube videos for the shelter; some of the videos spotlight various cats and dogs that are available for adoption, while some highlight various programs that the shelter is trying to promote.
  • Fostering cats in my home, often kittens that are too small to be available for adoption; I raise them until they’re about 9 weeks old, at which point they can be neutered and are sent back to the shelter to find new homes.

Continue reading “Paying it Forward: A Promega Employee’s Experience with the Dane County Humane Society”

Pop Pi Quiz

Posted on by Maria Perr

Teachers, architects and engineers have found the mathematical constant, π, to be an invaluable tool for understanding and changing the world around us. Without Π, we would not be able to quickly calculate the area of a circle. To celebrate Pi Day (March 14th), today’s mental exercise will be to test your knowledge of Π. Are you ready for more Π?

1) What does Π represent?
a) The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter
b) A rounded value of 3.14
c) The 16th letter in the Greek alphabet
d) All of the above Continue reading “Pop Pi Quiz”

Lab Equipment Today: Kitchen Gadget Tomorrow?

Posted on by Isobel Maciver
The Latest in Cooking Equipment

My husband likes to cook and he also likes to collect kitchen gadgets. Mushroom slicers, blenders, numerous graduated vials and measuring devices, meat thermometers, etc., our kitchen drawers are overflowing with the essentials for precision cooking. For each culinary process, there is a unique device, and he uses them all. I do not even know what some of them are for. I only use knives and measuring cups. But his cooking is way better than mine so there is obviously some benefit to using the right tools well.

Some of the most sophisticated kitchen tools come straight from the laboratory. I was interested to read an article in the March 2011 issue of Scientific American describing how high-speed centrifuges are among the newest trends in fancy kitchen equipment. They are being used in restaurants to separate ingredients into their component parts and create potent flavorings. It turns out that centrifugation is a fast and convenient way to purify fat from various vegetables and nuts, creating interesting flavored butters and dairy-free creams (think pea butter or essence of carrot). Centrifugation is a fast alternative to straining or filtering as a means of separating components.

Continue reading “Lab Equipment Today: Kitchen Gadget Tomorrow?”

Knitting Needles, Balls of Yarn and the First Molecular Model

Posted on by Michele Arduengo
ball-and-stick model of a molecule

One day while reading a knitting blog I discovered in 1883 a Scottish chemist created the first “ball-and-stick” model of a molecule using knitting needles and balls of yarn. This initial ball-and-stick molecule represents the structure of sodium chloride and is constructed of knitting needles, representing the bonds, and alternating balls of blue and red yarn, representing the atoms of sodium and chloride. It was displayed as part of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 activities.

The chemist who created this model was Alexander Crum Brown, distinguished chemistry and professor at the University of Edinburgh, and one of his particular interests was the arrangements of atoms in molecules and the depiction of these structures. Those of us who spent countless hours poring our organic chemistry books and molecular model sets trying to understand nucleophilic attacks and SN1 and SN2 reactions have Alexander Crum Brown to thank. Those students who now use computer 3D modeling programs to accomplish the same studies (without the delight of chasing down the last nitrogen atom that has rolled off the desk and under the dresser) are also indebted to Dr. Brown.

Continue reading “Knitting Needles, Balls of Yarn and the First Molecular Model”

Harry Potter Sings the Elements

Posted on by Isobel Maciver

I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I dismissed the idea of blogging about it because it seemed unlikely that there would be a connection with science.
I was wrong. This is for scientist Potter fans.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSAaiYKF0cs&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]

The Latest On: When Five Hundred Tigers Are Not Enough

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

It is sad but true that the latest news has not been promising for wild tiger populations. In September, an article published in PLoS Biology (1) estimated that the best hope of saving the wild tiger population would be to shift focus to source sites, which are “…at spatially well-defined priority sites, supported by proven best practices of law enforcement, wildlife management, and scientific monitoring.” The authors estimate the cost to save these sites at $82 million (U.S). At the time of publication, $47 million had been committed by governments and other groups. It isn’t difficult  math to figure out there is a deficit.  

Continue reading “The Latest On: When Five Hundred Tigers Are Not Enough”

Top 10 Things to Do When You (or Your Kids) Have Too Much Halloween Candy

Posted on by Promega

Halloween party with children wearing fancy costumes

 

10. Set a daily limit. (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.) Allow X number of pieces of candy per day, then put the bag away, under lock and key.

9. Parental help (good for the child, not so good for the parent). In my childhood, though it was not apparent at the time, Dad was helping by eating some of the candy. Many Promega parents engage in this practice with their children now.

8. Burn more energy. Go for a run or walk or outside to play. For every X pieces of candy, a walk or bike ride around the block. Continue reading “Top 10 Things to Do When You (or Your Kids) Have Too Much Halloween Candy”