Atoms and Numbers
A Scientist's Perspective
Making observations with a Nobel laureate and four-year-old cartoon characters
0May 8, 2012
In my previous life as a university professor, I taught a third-year analytical chemistry class. The Academic Calendar’s description of this course stated that the course dealt with
Instrumental design and the analytical application of UV/visible, atomic, and infrared absorption spectrometers, Raman spectrometers, and fluorimeters. Included are sample preparation, data analysis, and method optimization.
There were 18 students in this course, almost all chemistry majors who had some interest in learning the material. This was a highly enjoyable course for me, as it allowed me to explore quantitative analysis, with spectrometry and a smattering of chemometrics. The class certainly had bright students, but they had one general bad habit that got on my nerves – poor note-taking in the laboratory.
Analytical chemistry, by its nature, requires the meticulous recording of data. Even the simplest experiments require weighing samples and/or solutes in the preparation of stock solutions, and measuring various parameters. In this course, every laboratory experiment involved the use of an instrument, and along with the instrumental measurements, I asked them to record the settings, and any calibration or quality control steps. I always tell students to note anything that seems interesting or unusual (of course, when you do an experiment for the first time, some oddities will not be apparent). Even noting the colours or the relative intensity of the colours of the solutions can provide More >
Is Kate Smith a lucky charm or a statistical anomaly?
2April 30, 2012
by Marc Leger
in Statistics
Perhaps the most storied “lucky charm” in sports is Kate Smith singing “God Bless America” at Philadelphia Flyers home games. Many details of her story, along with some of the statistics I will be using in this post, are available here. The story goes that on December 11, 1969, Flyers management decided to use a recording of Smith singing God Bless America instead of the Star-Spangled Banner for one game, which the Flyers won. They lost the next game, but when they brought back Smith’s recording for the following game, the Flyers won again. A tradition had begun. While it was used sparingly during those years, there seemed to be a significant positive impact on the Flyers when God Bless America was sung before home games. While I had heard of this tradition in passing, I became quite familiar with it in May 2010 when the Flyers played my Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals. Here is the anthem from the last game of that series (God Bless America starts at 2:12):
During the first three years of this tradition (1969 to 1972), the Flyers had a spectacular record of 19 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie in games where Kate Smith’s recording was used (note that her first appearance in person was only in October 1973). Smith’s recording was only used during regular season games at that time; the Flyers’ overall home record in those three years was a mediocre 50-38-28, and they only qualified for the playoffs once in those years.
Was there a statistically significant More >
CBC rediscovers existence of Dalhousie University nuclear reactor. Everybody hide.
1April 23, 2012
I published this article on my former blog, in late July 2010. I think it is still a good read today, just as a reminder of how the media can play up irrelevant aspects of a story in such a way to unnecessarily scare people. Unfortunately, the link to the original chronicle Herald article is no longer active.
I followed with some concern the Halifax news outlets as they have been reporting a fire on the 8th floor of the Life Sciences Centre at Dalhousie University. The fire occurred Saturday night, and while there were no injuries, it has forced the temporary closure of four buildings including the Chemistry Building, my home away from home for over 5 years.
The Chronicle-Herald’s coverage, which I linked to in the first paragraph, was a straightforward account. The CBC, on the other hand, seems to believe that it struck investigative gold. Notice the subheading of its story:
“One building contains a small nuclear reactor, but officials say it was untouched”.
Yes, the basement of the LSC contains a small nuclear reactor, named SLOWPOKE, located six metres below the concrete floor and therefore, nine stories below the fire. The reactor is presently being decommissioned after over three decades of service, during which it was used in research using neutron activation analysis, research which has led to dozens and dozens of publications. Oh, and with no examples of contamination, detonation, glowing students, or any other concerns. I had a chance to visit the reactor, More >
It’s not magic, it’s chemistry!
2April 17, 2012
I recently performed a magic show for my youth group. It was a variety of card tricks (my favourite kind of magic), and the audience, mostly teenagers and their parents, really enjoyed it. It was my first time performing a half-hour magic show for a double-digit-sized group, so I was a bit nervous, but with some chatter and encouragement, I was able to calm myself down and keep my audience entertained.
I am performing a card trick with three enthusiastic volunteers. Video may appear soon.
Some who know my past may disagree that this was my first magic show, because I performed several “magic shows” of another kind as a graduate student at Dalhousie University. I visited schools in and around Halifax, performing chemistry magic shows for audiences from kindergarten to high school. Being one of the few fluent French speakers in the chemistry department gave me some additional opportunities to do these shows, which I always enjoyed.
As I prepared for last weekend’s card trick show, I thought back to those chemistry magic shows, and some uneasiness came over me. Magic, as we understand it, involves some form of deception or illusion. The audience is shown something that appears impossible, and which is actually impossible (or incredibly unlikely). A card can’t really move from the middle of the deck into the little black box next to it, and the audience knows that. But they also accept that I am misleading them somewhere in the process, and if they can suspend their rational More >
Reading list: in defense of vaccines, radishes in your car, chemical-free nonsense and Einstein
0April 13, 2012
Another intense week of work and other life events means that I haven’t written much new material. For now, I will share some blog entries from recent days…
This article from Skeptic North (a great website for people who just want their health care served with a dose of evidence) presents 14 tropes (literary devices) of the anti-vaccine movement, and replies to all of them, along with plenty of references. It is a long read, but well worth it for anyone tired of the propaganda from those who think that putting children at risk of diseases is a good and smart idea.
An interesting look at radish-derived biodiesel from sinelight io, along with a general explanation of how biodiesel is made. It appears that radish oil is a promising fuel source, although the usual problem of excessive land usage for biofuels may dampen the public’s desire for its widespread use.
Finally, two short but well-written entries: another missive about the nonsense of “chemical-free” products, and dealing with the fear of chemicals in our society; and Albert Einstein’s advice to a girl who wanted to be a scientist.
You can’t kill what’s not alive, and other thoughts about boiling
4April 5, 2012
Yesterday’s article about scary-sounding products in food has had me thinking about chemistry in the kitchen, and as I prepared my spaghetti, my mind wandered to some misinterpretations involving the boiling of water.
One commonly-heard and frustrating cooking myth is that boiling food (particularly vegetables) will kill the enzymes in the food. This is a case where the outcome is grossly misstated. We must first understand what an enzyme is. Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts – they assist in accelerating chemical reactions in the body. Enzymes fulfil important duties in the body, from making copies of DNA so that other molecules don’t corrupt the “master copy”, to breaking down alcohols and sugars into molecules that are harmless and useful. Enzymes are certainly essential for our body, but they are not “alive”. Something that is “alive” is self-sustaining, and enzymes are not. They are not living beings.
The shape of an enzyme can be imagined as a messy tangle of several sets of headphones. Enzymes work by binding the molecule it will be reacting on an active site. The reaction is done, and the enzyme releases the products of the reaction. This is often referred to as the “key and lock” model – much like a lock will only work if the proper key is inserted, the enzyme will only work if the proper molecule is bound to it. So while an enzyme is not alive (and therefore, cannot be “killed”), its effectiveness is greatly affected by external factors. Drugs More >
Questioning another scary-sounding chemical – for kid’s sake…
1April 4, 2012
A recent report on NPR’s Morning Edition looked at cafeteria lunches served in a school district in Virginia. Two members of the group Real Food for Kids gave their thoughts on the burgers, with one parent, Ryan Lonnett, described the burger as having a synthetic taste and very oily. These burgers are highly processed, with up to 26 ingredients along with beef. The group is demanding the removal of these and other processed foods such as grilled cheese sandwiches, jumbo turkey franks and cheese quesadillas.
These processed meals were brought in several decades to cut costs – both in the production of the food itself, and in the preparation and serving at the schools. Food containing various preservatives and filler can be frozen longer, heated when needed and served with minimal work needed in the cafeteria kitchen. The advocacy group also wants Fairfax County to purchase new kitchen equipment in order to prepare healthier food from scratch, a request that is meeting some resistance within the board administration.
I certainly support serving children pure beef over beef with various fillers, but I wouldn’t immediately argue that prepared meals are always bad for kids. Preparing food in advance and freezing it, when done right, can allow for healthy meals that are also safe to serve. I would like to get more information about the overall nutritional value of the food served in these schools, and the preparation and storage methods used, before drawing More >
Playing with Letters and Numbers
0April 2, 2012
One of my favourite television franchises exists in several countries around the World, but unfortunately, has no North American version. It is very simple to understand, and yet, it is challenging for viewers of all ages and abilities. Its best-known version makes sparse use of graphics and electronics, at least by 2012 standards, and yet its music is iconic. This show has just celebrated 40 years on air in France and 30 years in the United Kingdom, with few changes over the years.
Des chiffres et des lettres premiered on France 2 in 1972, and remains on French television today, airing on France 3. This version was my first exposure to the franchise, as it airs on Canadian television, on TV5, 7 days a week at mid-afternoon.
The format was brought to the United Kingdom in 1982; in fact, Countdown was the first program ever broadcast on Channel 4, and is also going strong today.
Other countries have adopted their own versions of the show (Spain, Italy, Croatia); due to my fluency in only two languages, and its availability on the Internet, the only other edition that I’ve watched is the Australian version, Letters and Numbers (interestingly, the opposite of the French title!)
The basic gameplay is the same in these three countries – a two-player competition with letter rounds, number rounds and a head-to-head letter jumble. The letter round (Le mot le plus long) requires contestants to find the longest word within a bunch of drawn letters. In the French version, there are More >
WiFi hysteria redux, and colour televisions are not dangerous!
0March 19, 2012
I hadn’t reported on recent developments involving WiFi in schools in York Region. The Aurora Montessori School decided in February to remove WiFi from its premises. The York Catholic District School Board, which has a high school within walking distance of the Aurora Montessori School, has decided not to consider the removal of WiFi in its schools, despite calls from their teacher’s provincial association to cease new installations of WiFi systems. It is amusing that, according to the last line of that article, a parental group fighting for the removal of WiFi from York Region schools would meet at William’s Cafe in Richmond Hill; this coffee shop proudly advertises its free WiFi on the banner of its website. It also sells coffee (obviously), a “possible carcinogen” of the same category as electromagnetic radiation.
I’ve already given my thoughts on WiFi use in schools (read them again here and here) – I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea to take WiFi out of schools, but let’s not hide behind excuses that it may not be safe. The Montessori School’s principal is quoted, regarding the removal of WiFi in her school, as saying: “Even if there is a one-in-a-million chance it can be harmful, it’s not worth the risk when it comes to our children.” Fair enough, then… Here are other things that should be banned at this school, since there are better than one-in-a-million chance of harm in children:
- being driven to school in a car or bus (there may be an accident)
- walking to More >
How will NRC changes affect academic research?
0March 16, 2012
by Marc Leger
in Science
My most recent post described some proposed changes to the mandate of the National Research Council. I indicated my reservations with these proposals, as I do not want to see these talented researchers at a point of simply doing heavy R&D work at the whim of businesses. I do think that business and science can and should co-exist. There is wonderful research being done in Canada that is commercially viable and would benefit the public; but as long as it is sitting in laboratories and research notebooks, with no business plan and no capital to take it further, it is of little practical value to us.
A perspective which got less coverage is the impact of these changes on university-based research. Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear mentioned that Canada has developed research strength at its universities, and they would be able to take over all basic research. And while there is impressive academic innovation in this country (it does not get much attention outside of science circles, but that’s a complaint for another day…), it must be remembered that NRC has played a pivotal role in establishing and sustaining academic research. Most NRC laboratories have ongoing relationships with local universities, with prominent NRC researchers sitting as adjunct professors in the universities. Some of their laboratories are located on campuses, making the collaborations that much easier. Simply pushing basic research onto universities will be a problem, More >
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