Quotes from Chemistry...part 1

"...for nothing is created in the operations of either art or of nature, and it can be taken as an axiom that every operation an equal quantity of matter exists both before and after the operation, that the quality and quantity of the principles remain the same and that only changes or modifications occur. The whole art of making experiments in chemistry is founded on this principle: we must always suppose an exact equality or equation between the principles of the body examined and those of the products of it's analysis." -Antoine Lavoisier

(Partington, J.R., A Short History of Chemistry, third edition. 1965)

"My dear, is this entirely necessary right now? I'm trying to make the grocery list for once!"

NASA Trip in all its glory!

I mentioned briefly at the end of my Oct 25 2013 post that I was also getting ready for a big trip....NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had invited me and a slew of other lucky folk to gather at JPL for a two-day conference called "Year of Earth" [1] which previewed us to the various different missions that NASA JPL has in the works for the coming year [2]. Included in this highly immersive experience was a live public address from the NASA JPL auditorium where the project scientists in charge of these crucial Earth-based missions talked about the data being collected and, more importantly, the effects we hope it will have on current models used in predicting climate change. The video of the public address can be found on YouTube [3] and if you watch far enough into it, you can see my few seconds in the spotlight! (Okay, I was asking a question. But still, it was for science!)

In front of Mission Control!

We had a blast and the whole conference was full of people eager to talk about space, the Earth, and climate. Teachers, students, amateur enthusiasts and professionals all gathered to learn from each other and network all while cheering the banner of our beloved American space program. In fact, one of the "tweeps" (as we were called) has even created an infographic [4] about the online impact each of the participants had while at the event. The hashtags "#NASASocial" and "#EarthNow" even trended on twitter during the conference! Rachel Eddin, a blogger for WIRED wrote a story [5] that beautifully summarizes how incredibly passionate people are about having this mission of publicity succeed. She writes "There's a unity of purpose and generosity of resources...I was immediately inundated by offers for information and links...we were sharing data, educational resources."

Network Centrality Graph by Audun Utengen, from [5]

Many of the attendees had much better equipment (i.e. cameras) to capture the awesome campus that is JPL (like this shot from Rachel Eddin [6]). These people's work deserves to be seen. Veronica McGregor, in fact, helps to streamline this process by creating a powerful Storify feed [7] that highlights many of the stunning images people have uploaded. In the words of the one and only LeVar Burton, "Don't take my word for it!"

In addition to this, bloggers of all different ilk have thrown their hats in the ring to help publicize the exciting work coming out of NASA. This excellent photo-tour [8] of the event by Jennifer Kaplan has a great summary with equally quality photos of the facilities we were able to see. I know that I could have sampled only a small number of the amazing bodies of work that have come out of the two day event, to have tried would mean that this would never get published! It was absolutely unreal. The energy I can only describe as infectious.

None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of three key people spearheading the event planning. Veronica McGregor, Social Media Manager at JPL; Stephanie Smith, Social Media Specialist; and Courtney O'Connor, also Social Media Specialist; deserve a great deal of thanks for their hard work in coordinating the event. Their tireless dedication really showed in how smoothly and efficiently the event moved- and how even now, a week and a half after the event, activity and chatter flows between the attendees spanning continents.

"Goofy shot" of the tweeps. Source: NASA JPL Flickr [9]

[1] http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-invites-social-media-fans-to-preview-the-year-of-earth-at-jpl/#.UoRVSfkQbgw
[2] http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/bill-dunford/20131111-science-against-the-storm.html
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGGHwTQ-c9U&list=PL2aBZuCeDwlT56jTrxQ3FExn-dtchIwsZ
[4] http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2013/11/NASASocial_CentralityGraph_AudunUtengen.jpg
[5] http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/11/nasa-socials/
[6] http://24.media.tumblr.com/eda6529e8509192a313a3941f58a1b01/tumblr_mvum1ci0C81qgxab9o2_1280.jpg
[7] http://storify.com/VeronicaMcG/nasa-social-nasajpl-nov-4-5-2013/grid
[8] http://jenniferkaplan.me/2013/11/07/nasa-social-at-jpl/
[9] http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa-jpl/ 

Get pumped....for SCIENCE!!!

So recently there has been a lot of activity going around me about science communication. And in this vein, it spawns from a number of different sources all with different intents- and these are all very good things. But the boiled down basics of it all comes back to one thing, and that's getting the public excited about science. Yes, the public, YOU!!!

I was watching a TED Talk the other day (Okay, it was more than one!) on a layover flight home from NASA (more on that later!) and there were two that really stuck out in their messages to me. Arthur Benjamin [1] was giving a lecture on the fascinating patterns hidden within the Fibonacci Numbers and how, "mathematics is used for three things: calculation, application, and last and unfortunately least- inspiration." He uses the illustrative nature of the Fibonacci sequence to make his single sentence point:

"Mathematics is not just solving for X. It's also figuring out Y." Source: [1]

A tangentially related video from Stuart Firestein [2] talks about the value of "high-quality ignorance" or, in other words, knowledge just beyond our current scientific understanding. His motivation behind this is to let non-specialists know that science is a lot less like the so-called scientific method we learn about in school but "more like farting around...in the dark."
These two messages, combined with the wonderfully inspirational video [3] from my new friend Saramoira Shields (@mathematigal on Twitter) point to a very simple statement that holds a lot of complicated weight. Science, math, engineering, whatever it may be- is hard. BUT! It's not impossible. It doesn't take some genius to whip up an answer to a problem on the fly or be the first kid to raise his or her hand in class. That's not the point. The point is to become a thinker, a rationalizer.
It takes patience. It takes perseverance. And it takes a little bit of caring attention to cultivate the knowledge base to make the leap from Calculation to Application. After a while and no short amount of effort, "farting around" can lead to wonderful "A-ha!" moments that make every bit of frustration well worth the trouble. And that, my friend, is where we can really reach Inspiration.

On a related note, my last post [4] was about the Three-Minute Thesis [5] competition going on at UA as I was soliciting some feedback for the Semi-Finals, as I was a representative for the Chemistry Department. I am pleased to report that not only I but the other two chemistry representatives, Greg Dye and Steven Kelley, have all been passed on to the UA 3MT Finals- competing for top thesis presentation at UA! Congratulations are in order for them as well as all of the other finalists.
We go on stage at 6pm next Wednesday, Nov. 20 in Russell Hall 159. So if you're in the Tuscaloosa area, come drop in! I and the other contestants would really appreciate the support! Next year will be even better with as excited as the administration is about this event. Click the link above to check out the original idea from the University of Queensland.

"The best thing to come out of Australia since me!" said Crocodile Dundee never. Source: [6]

I want to be able to talk about science. I want to talk TO YOU about science. And, maybe with a little bit of effort, we can feel the glee of discovery together.

[1] http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_the_magic_of_fibonacci_numbers.html
[2] http://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_firestein_the_pursuit_of_ignorance.html
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs9aGVUZ3YA
[4] http://jsphmeany.blogspot.com/2013/10/after-hiatus.html
[5] http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/three-minute-thesis
[6] http://www.mnn.com/sites/default/files/main_hogan.jpg