Category Archives: Chemistry

MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The UC Berkeley College of Chemistry will rebuild the college’s aging undergraduate teaching labs and design a new curriculum based on the principles of sustainability and green chemistry with the support of a $3.5 million gift from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation.

“I am very grateful for the support we have received from Dow,” says College of Chemistry Dean Richard A. Mathies. “This very generous and ground-breaking gift from the Dow Foundation will transform chemical sciences instruction for the 21st Century. These funds will enable us to completely renew our undergraduate instructional laboratories and our curriculum with a sharp focus on sustainable green chemical practices. The impact of this gift is huge because these courses serve thousands of students every year. Furthermore, Berkeley is now leading the way in making sustainable green chemical practices a core concept in our entire profession.”

David Kepler, Dow Executive Vice President for Business Services, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Information Officer, and a 1975 UC Berkeley chemical engineering graduate, helped coordinate the gift. Says Kepler, “As a leading global chemistry company committed to sustainability, Dow sees the need to educate the next generation of scientists and engineers beyond traditional chemistry into the discipline of sustainable chemistry.”

Sustainable chemistry uses the principles of green chemistry in the design of products and processes which reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances while addressing environmental impact. Sustainable chemistry is applied across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture and use. Sustainable chemistry is a highly effective and innovative scientific approach to addressing solutions to real-world environmental and social situations.

To implement this new vision, funds from the Dow gift will transform the curriculum in three ways:

First, the teaching labs will be renovated to reduce the impact of their use through sustainable practices. Lab equipment, hoods and lighting will be replaced to bring it up to the latest efficiency standards.

Second, the lab curriculum will be completely revised to incorporate sustainability into every experiment. The curriculum will be based on independent teaching modules that will engage the students by having them choose their experimental topics.

Third, a chemical analysis instrumentation facility will be built to give the thousands of students in the introductory courses the opportunity to work with modern instrumentation.

Each year more than 2,300 Berkeley undergrads in chemistry, physical sciences, biological sciences, engineering and other majors take introductory chemistry classes. “Our undergrad and grad students will go on to pursue careers in many fields,” says Dean Mathies. “The impact of our new sustainability curriculum will be amplified as our students take jobs in academia and begin to teach their own courses. Meanwhile our students in government and industry will spread sustainable practices as their careers develop.”

Adds Kepler, “We are excited to partner with the College of Chemistry to bring enhancements to both the curriculum and the learning environment that will encourage students to adopt the principles of sustainable chemistry from their first day in the lab and the classroom.”

About the College of Chemistry

The College of Chemistry was founded in 1872 as a unit within the University of California, Berkeley. It continues to provide its top-ranked faculty and students with opportunities to work at the frontiers of knowledge. The college prides itself on a balanced approach to science, emphasizing both fundamental and applied studies.

The college produces more graduates trained in the chemical sciences than any other U.S. university. About 200 students earn undergraduate degrees each year in chemistry, chemical biology and chemical engineering. The college also awards about 30 masters degrees and 120 doctoral degrees each year in chemistry and chemical engineering.

In the most recent National Research Council review, the college’s Department of Chemistry was ranked first in the nation, while the college’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was ranked third. College faculty and alumni have won 13 Nobel Prizes in chemistry.

About The Dow Chemical Company

Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at http://www.dow.com.

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UC Berkeley Advances Sustainable Chemistry Education with Dow Gift

Peters Township High School won't get an organic chemistry class anytime soon, despite pleas to the school board from a group of students.

This week the board heard from a group of science students, who said they will be at "a serious disadvantage" among their peers in college, most of whom will have already taken the class.

"This class is not just a want, it's a need," said student Carla Hoge, who said offering an organic chemistry class would help level the playing field for Peters' graduates.

Chase Maszle said a group of 130 students signed a petition expressing interest in taking the class, which could join other science electives that are currently offered, such as Advanced Placement chemistry, Honors chemistry, and molecular gastronomy.

Other local districts, including Canon McMillan, Bethel Park, North Allegheny, Mt. Lebanon, and McKeesport, offer the class, he said.

Organic chemistry is a major component for most science degrees, Chase said, and the lack of a class has proved to be "crippling" to Peters' graduates, because students who test high enough on Advanced Placement exams are able to skip some college-level science classes only to be faced with the unfamiliar organic chemistry.

Superintendent Nina Zetty said the district has explored offering the class during the past year, but said the staffing and curriculum costs -- which could top $100,000 -- are too high for the district to bear right now.

The district is considering a 3-mill property tax increase, hoping to shave a projected $1.7 million deficit. Board members voted Tuesday to increase retirement incentives for teachers, making them eligible for retirement with fewer years of service and lower age limits.

"As of now, organic chemistry is not on the schedule for next year," said Ms. Zetty, who said the school's four chemistry teachers are already fully booked.

The student group also attended a meeting of the district's education committee earlier this month, and said they were disappointed that the board took no action.

They questioned whether some classes, such as molecular gastronomy [the science of cooking] -- which draws fewer than 10 students per semester -- could be offered half a year, with organic chemistry offered during the other half.

The organic chemistry class would be of interest to far more students, they said.

"These aren't just five or six students," said Ryan Duane. "There are 130 students who really would benefit from this class."

Ms. Zetty said the district is considering several other options, such as transporting students to other schools for the class, or offering it through dual-enrollment with local colleges.

"We are already looking into alternatives," Ms. Zetty said.

Chase and Carla said the student group would continue to pursue its goal without being discouraged. Both are student council officers who agreed to speak publicly about the issue on behalf of their classmates. They said high school teachers and administrators are supporting their request.

Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com or 412-851-1867.

First published on February 23, 2012 at 5:29 am

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Chemistry elective too expensive, Peters students told

31-01-2012 12:39 Responding to another viewer question, some team members recall the most dangerous chemical they have handled. More chemistry at http://www.periodicvideos.com Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com And on Twitter at twitter.com Periodic Videos films are by video journalist Brady Haran

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Most Dangerous Chemical - Viewer Questions - Video

The low-key, thoughtful, Harvard-educated former Chicago Bears offensive lineman.

The street-wise, ahem, opinionated hot dog stand owner and high school dropout.

Who would have imagined the pairing of Dan Jiggetts and Mike North could work at any profession, much less at a start-up all-sports talk radio station?

The folks who behind the upstart WSCR, the all-sports talker that began in January 1992, did.

“My reaction was, I'm with a former Bear, a guy I respect, a guy I've watched play and has been on TV — Dan Jiggetts ... this can't be bad,” recalled North.

“I remember they told us about the pairing and so we went over to Mike's restaurant and chatted a little bit,” Jiggetts said. “Our chemistry was there from the moment we sat down and started firing at each other.”

And before you could say Ditka, The Score had the makings of a hit on its hands — a Monster hit, if you will, in the North-Jiggetts pairing, which lasted eight years.

“Three days in I remember sitting with (executive VP) Seth Mason saying this show has it,” former Score programming director Ron Gleason told Daniel Dorfman, who wrote an extensive history on the station for its website.

Gleason wasn't the only one feeling good about the combo.

“After about a week or two I honestly felt we had something pretty good, and as time went by that was proved to be true,” Jiggetts said.

“I think it worked because most people, just at the sight of us and with the way stereotypes are in this country, most people would say, ‘Well, who is the Harvard graduated kid?'” North said. “It worked because we crossed racial lines, we were comfortable talking about things. We had the street kid in me, the fan in me, and we had the actual professional player in Dan.

“Plus, we were in a happy place. There was some contentiousness as far as interviews with guests were concerned at times, but with the listeners and callers, we always respected them — we knew where our bread was buttered.”

Out of necessity, Jiggetts was the main voice of calmness during their years together.

“If you had two people like Mike on the air at the same time ... I don't think it would last a half-hour,” he said with a laugh. “But I think from a personality standpoint it was a great match because I was kind of the guy who to go ‘All right, let's get back to reality,' and Mike would go off on another tangent.”

Since the band broke up in 1999, North and Jiggetts have continued to work together on other ventures ranging from print to television.

“I can't speak for Dan, but I think we're closer now,” North said. “Back then, it was survival. We wanted to succeed as partners but we also knew we had to be good as individuals. We were so focused on doing a good job that we never really had the friendship I thought we could have. Since then it's just grown.”

Added Jiggetts: “It was always fun for us. The chemistry was something I think was palpable to people, and I think they rather enjoyed it.”

Fans of North and Jiggetts will get to see that chemistry in person again at the “Monsters 20th Anniversary Event” on March 8 at Arlington Park. Buffet tickets ($50) are available at arlingtonpark.com.

“I hadn't heard what the station (WSCR) was doing to celebrate and I said, ‘You know what? We have to do something,'” North said. “This is 20 years. We've known each other for 20 years. We've worked together on and off for 20 years ... people were asking me about it. So I decided to put something together.”

But ...

“I didn't know it was like putting a wedding together. I knew it would be a chore, but it's turned out to be a great chore,” he said. “My wife Be-Be has been unbelievable and I've had great partners in the Daily Herald and Arlington Park.

“I just decided, ‘Let's have a celebration. One night only with the Monsters.'”

Knowing North, nothing will be off limits at the Monsters celebration — and that includes the good or bad since his Score days.

“Everybody's got a Vietnam,” he said with a laugh. “My winning percentage is about 18-4. I've had mostly successes. I've had a couple of negatives — there's no question — and some of those I brought on myself.”

But he wouldn't change a thing.

“(In the early days at The Score) I remember telling Dan McNeill, ‘Let's enjoy this while we can' because it's going to go fast. And you know what? It went fast. It's been 20 years. But I'll tell you this: I loved every single minute. And I still do.”

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Contrast with chemistry key to Jiggetts-North radio team

11-02-2012 19:41 Describe the effect of a catalyst on a chemical reaction. A catalyst increases the rate of a chemical reaction by providing an alternate reaction pathway with a lower activation energy. It is NOT used up in the reaction -- so you can wash it and reuse it! Activation energy is the minimum energy required for a reaction to occur. The cat harmed at the end was in fact plastic -- but you need to look closely.

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6.2.6 Describe the effect of a catalyst on a chemical reaction IB Chemistry SL - Video

Girls Class 4A state basketball teams

Coral Springs Charter (23-6)
Mascot: Panthers
Coach: Fitzroy Anthony (second year)
Stat leaders
Points: Aisha Edwards 19.3; Celia Wojcik 11.8
Rebounds: Wojcik 10.6; Morgan Smellie 4.8
Assists: Emile Williams 3.3, Edwards/Smellie 2.7
Playoff road

d. Cardinal Gibbons 32-22 in district final
d. Miami Jackson 66-15 in regional quarters
d. Cardinal Gibbons 50-36 in regional semis
d. Gulliver Prep 59-44 in regional final
Dunbar (27-1)
Mascot: Tigers
Coach: Dwayne Donnell (12th year)
Stat leaders

Points: Kiara Desamours 14.7; Keri Jewett 12.6
Rebounds: Desamours 9.3; Johnetta Williams 4.9
Assists: Kadiedra Burger 3.3; Jewett 3.1
Playoff road

d. Bishop Verot 54-51 in district final
d. Cardinal Newman 71-44 in regional quarters
d. Lincoln Park 54-46 in regional semis
d. Tampa Catholic 63-58 (OT) in regional final

Out of reach

No Lee County high school girls basketball team has ever won a state championship. Here?s how the six local teams to reach the title game fared.
1984: 3A final ? Pompano Beach Ely 62, Fort Myers 49
1989: A final ? Ponce de Leon 81, Fort Myers Christian 52
1995: 5A final ? Gulfport Boca Ciega 46, Mariner 43
2002: 2A final ? Miami Monsignor Pace 61, Bishop Verot 51
2007: 4A final ? Jensen Beach 47, Dunbar 33
2008: 3A final ? Miramar Parkway 45, Dunbar 43

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Chemistry sparks Dunbar's success