Research! It's probably my favorite thing to do. Research is seriously the best. It may even be better than class. It takes all the good things about class and combines them with lab - which is awesome – and adds its own special awesomeness (not a word? Oh well.) The first day of research I learned how to use the NMR machine (a 'magnet in a cooler,' lol) and the sonicator, how to properly label samples, how to not smell the chloroform and pass out, spent some time getting to know the layout of the land in lab, and got used to writing in my lab notebook (quite cool, actually). Now that I've gotten some research under my belt, I find that it would be hard to enjoy it more. I've actually collected a lot of data for my first project and am working on analyzing it, which has me eagerly awaiting my next research lab period.
One of the things I like about lab is the nuances. Who thinks about the difference between melting and dissolving? Chemists of course! (The difference is seen obviously with salt and ice in water. One melts while the other dissolves.) While the distinction may at first seem subtle, it really is significant, especially when you think about it on the atomic level. Both of them involve the breaking of bonds (or forces, if you will), but are very different from each other. In melting, the same compound is reaching a phase equilibrium (between solid and liquid), whereas with dissolving it is breaking into smaller pieces. One of the organic labs we did this semester involved something similar - distillation. Obviously, the standard distillation involves the boiling points of stuff - you heat it up to remove impurities. Not too long after that lab, I saw a frozen block of ice which made me wonder - could freezing points be used in a distillation? I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work, but who knows? I keep meaning to research this, but maybe I'll just break down and ask someone at some point.
I've gotten to work as a TA this semester - it's been AWESOME. Most of the kids (I know, they're barely younger than I, but still) are awesome, and really seem to want to do well, and by the first day I seemed to already have some respect from most of them, which both mildly surprised and greatly encouraged me. Teaching lab is really cool. Exhilarating, actually. It brings an adrenaline rush; I struggle to explain it. There have been a couple of times when I was working one on one with a student and they had that moment of revelation – of suddenly understanding. You can just see it on their face. Then they get all excited, and the mutual understanding that this is COOL is awesome. I cannot describe it any further.
As I mentioned before, I was surprised be treated with respect on the first night. I expected to have to earn it; to show them that I can help teach them. But (mostly) from the moment they walked into the lab they were humble, willing to listen and use respectful terms to speak to me. It wasn't over the top or anything; but it was nice to see. Though most of my fellow TAs are generally excited to teach, I've heard a lot of horror stories about students and not a lot of stories about good students. After all, horror stories are usually the more interesting ones. So it was reassuring to see most in my group trying to do well and acting like respectful little college students instead of the heathens I most often hear about. Next semester will be a bit different as far as TA-ing goes. I will be expected to pull my weight a bit more, do more of the pre-labs, oversee more stuff. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm sad that I'm not in lab with the same TA's again (I had so much fun this semester!), but I'm also a little excited to branch out a bit. Either way, it's still lab, so it should be awesome.
I also had the opportunity to volunteer at several chemistry events in the community this semester in which we helped little kids (mostly 10 and under) do cool chemistry stuff (at one they made “slime”). At the slime booth, I watched one excited little kid (probably around 10) do each of the activities, and then at the end I heard him say “You guys get to do this stuff in science at [name of university]?!?!?” (lol) He was so excited and full of enthusiasm. It's strange to me that little kids are so excited and enthusiastic, yet many of the college students around me don't care. Many of them once looked forward to this stuff when they were little, but when they actually get here, it wasn't as cool and exciting as it once was.
Science at my university is really cool. This semester, in addition to other classes, I'm taking algebra physics 1. Entirely incidentally, I wound up in the experimental LEAP (Learner-centered Environment for Algebra-based Physics) class. Surprisingly, at least to myself, I quite enjoy the way the class is taught. In place of lecture, we have groups in a ‘lab’ in which we do experiments and discuss the possible explanations to the empirical evidence that we collect. I find that this quickly helps solidify many of the ideas and principles in my mind. Unfortunately, I also find it frustrating. The others in my group wish they were in the lecture class, and can often be heard saying 'I wish he would just tell us the answer.' This frustrates me. We recently changed up groups, but in my first group, when football season started, both of the guys at my table often completely checked out of the conversation and talked about/watched football on their phones. This was especially frustrating one day when we were studying acceleration and trying to define it. Obviously, with common nomenclature the way it is, there are multiple ways of thinking about and defining acceleration. Dudeskie and Brosef (guy 1 and guy 2 at my table) had none. That was fun. They also had various nicknames for me, none of which were related to my actual name or flattering in any way. Apparently trying to focus them on the physics that we were supposed to be working on made me a "Boss Hog." My new group doesn't have any nicknames for me, which is refreshing. One of the guys at my table will engage me in conversation occasionally. The other guy wants me to just tell him the answer. And the last girl will will try some of the time, but sometimes it just takes a little while to make sense.
Recently, I saw this gif on the internet of Uranium in a cloud chamber. I talked about it a lot for the next week or so, and one of my physic professors happened to hear what I was saying, and asked to see the gif. I showed it to him, and it sparked a conversation about cloud chambers, radioactivity, and the visibility of radioactive particles. The professor then joked that we should build one for the university. He walked away laughing, but left me considerably excited. Could one easily build a cloud chamber? What would be involved?
One of the things I like about lab is the nuances. Who thinks about the difference between melting and dissolving? Chemists of course! (The difference is seen obviously with salt and ice in water. One melts while the other dissolves.) While the distinction may at first seem subtle, it really is significant, especially when you think about it on the atomic level. Both of them involve the breaking of bonds (or forces, if you will), but are very different from each other. In melting, the same compound is reaching a phase equilibrium (between solid and liquid), whereas with dissolving it is breaking into smaller pieces. One of the organic labs we did this semester involved something similar - distillation. Obviously, the standard distillation involves the boiling points of stuff - you heat it up to remove impurities. Not too long after that lab, I saw a frozen block of ice which made me wonder - could freezing points be used in a distillation? I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work, but who knows? I keep meaning to research this, but maybe I'll just break down and ask someone at some point.
I've gotten to work as a TA this semester - it's been AWESOME. Most of the kids (I know, they're barely younger than I, but still) are awesome, and really seem to want to do well, and by the first day I seemed to already have some respect from most of them, which both mildly surprised and greatly encouraged me. Teaching lab is really cool. Exhilarating, actually. It brings an adrenaline rush; I struggle to explain it. There have been a couple of times when I was working one on one with a student and they had that moment of revelation – of suddenly understanding. You can just see it on their face. Then they get all excited, and the mutual understanding that this is COOL is awesome. I cannot describe it any further.
As I mentioned before, I was surprised be treated with respect on the first night. I expected to have to earn it; to show them that I can help teach them. But (mostly) from the moment they walked into the lab they were humble, willing to listen and use respectful terms to speak to me. It wasn't over the top or anything; but it was nice to see. Though most of my fellow TAs are generally excited to teach, I've heard a lot of horror stories about students and not a lot of stories about good students. After all, horror stories are usually the more interesting ones. So it was reassuring to see most in my group trying to do well and acting like respectful little college students instead of the heathens I most often hear about. Next semester will be a bit different as far as TA-ing goes. I will be expected to pull my weight a bit more, do more of the pre-labs, oversee more stuff. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm sad that I'm not in lab with the same TA's again (I had so much fun this semester!), but I'm also a little excited to branch out a bit. Either way, it's still lab, so it should be awesome.
I also had the opportunity to volunteer at several chemistry events in the community this semester in which we helped little kids (mostly 10 and under) do cool chemistry stuff (at one they made “slime”). At the slime booth, I watched one excited little kid (probably around 10) do each of the activities, and then at the end I heard him say “You guys get to do this stuff in science at [name of university]?!?!?” (lol) He was so excited and full of enthusiasm. It's strange to me that little kids are so excited and enthusiastic, yet many of the college students around me don't care. Many of them once looked forward to this stuff when they were little, but when they actually get here, it wasn't as cool and exciting as it once was.
Science at my university is really cool. This semester, in addition to other classes, I'm taking algebra physics 1. Entirely incidentally, I wound up in the experimental LEAP (Learner-centered Environment for Algebra-based Physics) class. Surprisingly, at least to myself, I quite enjoy the way the class is taught. In place of lecture, we have groups in a ‘lab’ in which we do experiments and discuss the possible explanations to the empirical evidence that we collect. I find that this quickly helps solidify many of the ideas and principles in my mind. Unfortunately, I also find it frustrating. The others in my group wish they were in the lecture class, and can often be heard saying 'I wish he would just tell us the answer.' This frustrates me. We recently changed up groups, but in my first group, when football season started, both of the guys at my table often completely checked out of the conversation and talked about/watched football on their phones. This was especially frustrating one day when we were studying acceleration and trying to define it. Obviously, with common nomenclature the way it is, there are multiple ways of thinking about and defining acceleration. Dudeskie and Brosef (guy 1 and guy 2 at my table) had none. That was fun. They also had various nicknames for me, none of which were related to my actual name or flattering in any way. Apparently trying to focus them on the physics that we were supposed to be working on made me a "Boss Hog." My new group doesn't have any nicknames for me, which is refreshing. One of the guys at my table will engage me in conversation occasionally. The other guy wants me to just tell him the answer. And the last girl will will try some of the time, but sometimes it just takes a little while to make sense.
Recently, I saw this gif on the internet of Uranium in a cloud chamber. I talked about it a lot for the next week or so, and one of my physic professors happened to hear what I was saying, and asked to see the gif. I showed it to him, and it sparked a conversation about cloud chambers, radioactivity, and the visibility of radioactive particles. The professor then joked that we should build one for the university. He walked away laughing, but left me considerably excited. Could one easily build a cloud chamber? What would be involved?
Once I got home, I immediately started googling cloud chambers to try and understand exactly what they were and how they worked. If I could figure out how they worked, I could probably build one. And I already had an americium button that I could look at. Then - excitingly - I happened across instructions. "How To Build A Cloud Chamber At Home." You can guess at how excited this made me. Most of the necessary components were fairly easy to come by, but a few, such as a bright projector light, would be slightly more difficult to find. But I could definitely do it.
When I next saw the physics professor who I had talked about cloud chambers with before, I asked him if he would seriously be interested in being involved in building one. He was similarly excited. 'Definitely,' he said. 'What all do we need?' As we discussed, another professor walked over to our conversation. He had apparently been listening, and had a suggestion of his own. 'Check with Dr. X' he said. She may already have one. This was also exciting. A real cloud chamber!
Dr. X had a real cloud chamber. The catch? It'd never been put together. This seemed like less of a catch and more of a bonus to me. The instructions stated that you needed an ice chest (with ice, of course), and isopropyl alcohol (or some such alcohol). With my chemistry department connections (i.e., as a chemistry major) I was able to easily obtain ice from the organic lab. And isopropyl alcohol was quickly taken from my own personal lab. We only needed around 30mL. With our supplies in hand we went into the soon-to-be-physics-research lab and got to work.
When I next saw the physics professor who I had talked about cloud chambers with before, I asked him if he would seriously be interested in being involved in building one. He was similarly excited. 'Definitely,' he said. 'What all do we need?' As we discussed, another professor walked over to our conversation. He had apparently been listening, and had a suggestion of his own. 'Check with Dr. X' he said. She may already have one. This was also exciting. A real cloud chamber!
Dr. X had a real cloud chamber. The catch? It'd never been put together. This seemed like less of a catch and more of a bonus to me. The instructions stated that you needed an ice chest (with ice, of course), and isopropyl alcohol (or some such alcohol). With my chemistry department connections (i.e., as a chemistry major) I was able to easily obtain ice from the organic lab. And isopropyl alcohol was quickly taken from my own personal lab. We only needed around 30mL. With our supplies in hand we went into the soon-to-be-physics-research lab and got to work.
The cloud chamber assembly was surprisingly straightforward. It was not difficult to put together. We were somewhat confused at the "high-voltage supply... clearing field" that was designed to 'remove unwanted ions' and how it worked. I (of course) came up with a bone-headed theory, but upon experimentation (we are scientists!), we found that what it actually does is accelerate the radiation of the sample so that the background radiation is less visible.
The physics department had a variety of radioactive substances. Of course, everything gives off particles, but they have some really cool ones. Polonium 210 was the source that came with the cloud chamber. This was REALLY cool to look at. It gives off primarily alpha particles (essentially helium atoms), and was easily visualized. They also had several buttons of different elements that give off gamma radiation. They even had tritium, though from what source I couldn't say.
The physics department had a variety of radioactive substances. Of course, everything gives off particles, but they have some really cool ones. Polonium 210 was the source that came with the cloud chamber. This was REALLY cool to look at. It gives off primarily alpha particles (essentially helium atoms), and was easily visualized. They also had several buttons of different elements that give off gamma radiation. They even had tritium, though from what source I couldn't say.
I stood there and watched the chamber for over an hour. I knew better; I had a quiz the next day. But I couldn't tear myself away. It was fascinating to watch. A comparison of the different types of particles, combining them, testing the distance from which you could still detect them, all of this was totally doable with our awesome cloud chamber. We even wound up drawing a crowd for a bit. A number of professors came by to see, and a couple brought classes of students to look. As I left, one of the professors thanked me for enjoying it so much. He said that it's standard for the professors to be excited, but rare to see students so excited about something like that. I honestly don't get it - what's not to like?
So how does a cloud chamber work? The instruction manual for the cloud chamber explains it quite nicely, I think, so I'm going to put that explanation below, with a few minor edits.
'The bottom of the chamber is cooled to 35° or colder. Alcohol wicks up the inside chamber lining where it evaporates in the warmer region and diffuses downward. Alcohol vapor is cooled near the bottom and becomes super-saturated. This region is highly unstable. Particles emitted produce ions which serve as nuclei for the vapor to condense on, which appear in the lighting as tracks.'
So how does a cloud chamber work? The instruction manual for the cloud chamber explains it quite nicely, I think, so I'm going to put that explanation below, with a few minor edits.
'The bottom of the chamber is cooled to 35° or colder. Alcohol wicks up the inside chamber lining where it evaporates in the warmer region and diffuses downward. Alcohol vapor is cooled near the bottom and becomes super-saturated. This region is highly unstable. Particles emitted produce ions which serve as nuclei for the vapor to condense on, which appear in the lighting as tracks.'
The above video is Polonium 210 in the Cloud Chamber. I think I could get lost for hours watching this video on loop.