reflection
Casual Science Returns
I'm putting words on the page, a few keystrokes at a time.
Beth Haas
union
Academic freedom for all
The cover story in the latest issue of C&EN is about threats to academic tenure. As someone who spent six years on the tenure track and saw the possibility of tenure snatched away from my colleagues, I have thoughts. When discussing tenure, non-academics tend to think that tenure
reflection
On Inheritance
My grandmother passed away this spring, aged 93. Yesterday my father brought the last of the furniture I have inherited from her and my grandfather. She was a cheerful, outgoing woman who had a habit of treating friends like family, and distant relatives like immediate relations. She was a keeper
What am I even doing
This weekend I'm in the in-between space of classes ending and finals week beginning. My classes will meet one more time to finish existing work and share projects, but there's no new stuff to do. No more slides to prepare, copies to make, or work to
reflection
To Do
I cannot brain right now. There’s a buzz in my head like a fluorescent bulb in an empty office. A quiet, persistent humming that at first I didn’t notice, but once noticed I cannot stop noticing, as if its sound is magnified by my attention. I have things
justice
Cutting off other futures
I'm having trouble not caring. I was fired1 in March. I've witnessed a series of poor decisions that have crushed staff and faculty morale and negatively impacted students. I've seen in-fighting over the scraps the administration/Board dangles over our heads. And every time
ungrading
Reflections on Ungrading in Small Chemistry Classes
I decided it's past time for me to move my ungrading thoughts from my paper scribbles to the digital space.
education
Hands-on while remote
Like many in academia this fall, I've been teaching remotely. Last week I got particularly frustrated trying to explain molecular geometry and its influence on molecular polarity. For years this part of the semester has been the time when I bring in the model kits (students love model
Professor Damocles
My university administration is planning to cut faculty next year. We don't know who or even how many, but I know my name is on that list somewhere. I'm probably not at the top, but I'm also not at the bottom. I've
soapbox
Name changes should be easy
I renewed my ACS membership today, and, as I have done every year for several years in a row, I tried to update my title through the ACS Membership My Account page. No luck. Only a link to contact customer service. In previous years I have decided that emailing customer
education
Communicating Data with Periodic Tables
I think periodic tables might just be the most ubiquitous infographic. I have zero data to back up this assertion. It’s just something that chemists use all the time, and most chemists I know tend to have one handy at a moment’s notice, or decorate their offices with
recommended
An ode to my favorite printer
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2500"] My beloved printer: a Canon Pixma iP4200 [https://www.bethhaas.me/caption] I have been using the same inkjet printer since 2006, a Canon Pixma iP4200. It was free after rebate when I bought my first Mac, and