CACC STEM

10/25/2024

Students making videos of their own lab experiments? It’s becoming increasingly common in my teaching labs. Here’s a student recording green flames from a boric acid solution 😎🧪🎯⚗️

10/15/2024

As of 7 am (10/15/2024), we’re 50% finished with LatinXChem. Two of our posters have gotten significant movement: >700 views. Nick’s sadly has fallen to the wayside ( ). If you have an X/Twitter account, can you please ❤️ and 🔄 his project?

Thank you 🙂
Jeremy

10/15/2024

Facebook Friends... I need your help! My CACC Chemistry students and I have entered the annual Latinx Chem conference on X/Twitter, and we're trying to get exposure.

Can you please click the link below to view our project, give us a ❤️ and "retweet". We're aiming to have 1000 views and 100 reactions by Tuesday night for each of our 3 projects.

The project below is a nebulization kinetics study that Kaitlyn Bell, Darby Green, and June Carr (yes, that one) worked on last Spring. We are very close to publishing results (I'm in talks with a publisher right now), and placing in LatinXChem would give our project even more weight!

Thank you in advance,
Jeremy

10/13/2024

New Space Camp experience posted! In this essay, I describe my time personally building, helping students build, and then firing model Estes Alpha rockets. I also reflect upon the feasibility of incorporating this activity into STEM Camp-type outreach programs.

“…black powder engine-mediated rocketry has been logistically challenging at our institution. Historically, my backup plan has routinely consisted of pneumatic water rockets. Students …

10/10/2024

New series of posts describing my recent experiences chaperoning Space Camp in Huntsville.. I’ll post more soon!

Several of our presenters at Space Camp pointed out a not-so-obvious requirement. Aerospace is not looking for just anybody.

10/09/2024

What else should you do at 4:33 am (CDT)?

10/07/2024

Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology: microRNA's role in gene regulation (Victor Ambros & Gary Ruvkun)
Relevant PSA: microRNA ≠ mRNA

10/06/2024

Happy Nobel Prize Eve!! 🎉🥳🍾🏅

Monday: Medicine or Physiology🔬💊
Tuesday: Physics 🔦🧲
Wednesday: Chemistry 🧪 ⚖️
Thursday: Literature📚📝
Friday: Peace🌷🧩
Monday (next): Economic Sciences💰📈

Nobel Prize announcements coming up Physiology or medicine – Monday 7 October, 11:30 CEST at the earliestPhysics – Tuesday 8 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliestChemistry – Wednesday 9 October, 11:45 CEST at the earliestLiterature – Thursday 10 October, 13:00 CEST at the earliestPeace – Fri...

10/01/2024

Another one?!? Spotted just last week, and arriving in November, comet A11BP7I doesn’t yet have a formal name. Expect early morning viewing in the Northern Hemisphere with brightness equivalent to Venus!

Heads up, comet-watchers! The ATLAS survey in Hawaii has discovered another new comet that could become bright in Earth’s skies. The discovery date is September 27, 2024. The comet is so new it’s still waiting for its name. But for now it has the designation of A11bP7I. Predictions for the comet...

09/13/2024

This week, I submitted 3 abstracts for the 2024 LatinXChem poster competition in mid-October. Although no ChemEd this time (1st place finish in 2023), all three projects feature work from undergraduate researchers who have taken multiple chemistry courses here at CACC! Huge announcements to share with the world… stay tuned for updates!

is a virtual chemistry community, from Latin America to the world where you can share and discuss your research results and advances.

07/18/2024

This is INCREDIBLE: legendary computational chemist Dr. Jimmy Stewart (i.e., Mr. Mopac) met virtually with my Organic Chemistry II course today. We have been using Mopac all summer long to model the countless molecules that we've been studying. The students have also been using Dr. Stewart's software in their own independent organic chemistry research projects. Suffice it to say that his "visit" was a certainly a celebrity moment and one they probably will never forget.

The interview is being edited and will be uploaded to YouTube shortly. PM me if you'd like the link :-)

05/30/2024

Large coronal mass ejection yesterday. NASA’s model shows Earth (yellow circle) barely avoided any significant impact. Good chance for more Aurora in the coming weeks!

05/21/2024

Keep looking up!

Sometime between May and September, a white dwarf is expected to go thermonuclear.

05/12/2024

Multiple space weather sources are reporting a large probability of celestial activity tonight (G4-level) perhaps as far south as Alabama.

Geomagnetic storms from Saturday will continue over the weekend and into Monday, with varying intensity from severe to extreme.

05/11/2024

For those of you in the northern hemisphere who missed the aurora (apparently as far south as San Juan, PR), there’s another good chance of it occurring again. The sun gave off another HUGE coronal mass ejection (CME), this time at the higher G5 level (see below). Particles are supposed to arrive at Earth’s ionosphere around May 13. It’s currently not clear how much we’ll see, but stay tuned!

05/06/2024

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of my educator friends! Thank you for all that you do! You all make the education profession truly wonderful—leaving positive and lasting impressions on those seeking to learn—and I’m proud to call you colleagues 🙂❤️

     Teachers are the heart and soul of our Nation.  They care for our Nation’s students, pass on knowledge to rising generations, and inspire our children to dream up new possibilities for their futures.  The power of a great teacher is profound, and — on National Teacher Appreciation Day ...

04/23/2024

Watch the video below… carefully. That’s an unprecedented 4, simultaneous coronal mass ejections (CMEs), with a potential impact date of April 24-25th. Thanks to Earth’s magnetic field, no panic is necessary. But, it could disrupt satellites, radio communications, and create an aurora display in the mid-latitudes. Stay tuned!

04/19/2024

For your viewing pleasure tonight ☄️.. break out those 🔭.. binoculars work great too!

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks reaches perihelion this weekend when it will shine at its brightest, though seeing it requires a little guidance.