The many meanings of chemistry

Weike Wangs experience as an undergraduate in a chemistry lab at Harvard served as the inspiration for her debut novel, Chemistry, available from publisher Alfred A. Knopf this week. The novel confronts many issues relevant to graduate students, including what it means to love science.

After an incident involving some smashed glassware, the main character takes a stress-related leave of absence from her chemistry lab. She grapples with whether to return to her Ph.D. program while entertaining a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, who has finished his degree and is preparing to take the next step in his career. The decision of whether to be honest with her strict parents about her diversion from the straight and narrow weighs heavily on her as well. She accepts a position tutoring students in math and science while she examines her options and reflects on how she arrived at this point.

Wang herself completed her doctorate in epidemiology at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health in April. While working toward her doctorate, she also completed an MFA in creative writing at Boston University. She originally wrote Chemistry for her creative writing masters thesis. I didnt know I was going to write a novel until it was sort of happening, she tells Newscripts.

Wang says that working on her writing degree during the research phase of her doctorate was helpful because it allowed her to figure out where her passions lie. I actually enjoy writing when its going terribly, she says. But I hated research when it was going terribly. Although a lot of academic scientists are drawn to the creative side of research, Wang says that isnt the case for her; writing is her creative outlet.

But science is a clear inspiration throughout the novel. Wangs love of chemistry and physics is evident in the way she weaves scientific concepts into her writing. Theres a lot of beauty in science, just like theres a lot of beauty in art and music and language, something both the general public and researchers could stand to be reminded of, she says. I wanted to present science in a way that was interesting and stimulating.

Ethnicity features prominently in the novel as well. People who go into science are disproportionately Asian, she says. I wanted to investigate thatif we go into it because we love it, or if we go into it because of other forces. If the latter, Wang wonders, what happens when things dont work out?

Wangs primary purpose in writing the novel was to make people think about why theyre doing what theyre doing, which she says is a question that everybody should ask. She has no plans to pursue a position in epidemiology just yet: I am sort of hoping this writing thing might work out.

Organic chemistry can be daunting. Thats why a team of students at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed React!, a multiplayer board game that helps learners get comfortable building molecules and carrying out reactions using illustrated cards, markers, and dry-erase boards.

React! is meant to be accessible to everyone from high school students to working chemists, and no prior organic chemistry background is needed. The game was chosen as one of three winners of UC Berkeleys Big Ideas start-up competition, and the students are running a Kickstarter campaign to help launch the game.

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Chemistry, in a book and a board game - Chemical & Engineering News

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots move to the third phase of the voluntary offseason program this week, holding their first organized team activity on Monday. Players can now be at the facility for up to six hours and take part in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

While the first OTA open to the media isnt until Thursday, here are a few things of particular interest in the no-pads setting:

Cooks chemistry. The Patriots are loaded at wide receiver with the addition of speedy Brandin Cooks, who joins an already solid depth chart of Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola. When watching an OTA, it is commonplace to hear quarterback Tom Brady talking to his pass-catchers about how precise he likes routes to be run as the work begins to develop a foundation to take into training camp. Cooks, in particular, will be one to watch.

Gilmore and Butler at corner. After an offseason of uncertainty as to whether Malcolm Butler would be back in New England, the Patriots can now boast that they have arguably one of the NFLs best 1-2 cornerback tandems with Butler and Stephon Gilmore. This will be their first chance to work together in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills -- where coaches often stress the importance of communication -- with reporters also potentially getting a feel for which cornerback the coaching staff currently views as the top option in the slot in a three-corner nickel package.

Any sign of Gronkowski? Tight end Rob Gronkowski is making progress in his return from back surgery that prematurely ended his 2016 season, and this will be a chance for further context on how far along he is. If Gronkowski can get in the ring as part of a WWE show, is it unreasonable to think he could be on the field in a non-contact, no-pads setting?

A new look at running back. While running backs coach Ivan Fears has passionately pointed out that it isnt real football until players are in full pads, this will be a first look at how natural Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead look catching the football. They join James White, Dion Lewis and D.J. Foster atop the depth chart in a new-look backfield. The Patriots no longer have a big, power rusher with LeGarrette Blount now in Philadelphia, as Gillislee has a similar physical makeup as Stevan Ridley at 218 pounds.

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Brandin Cooks' chemistry with Tom Brady among Pats' OTA storylines - ESPN (blog)

Researchers at Washington University in St Louis have examined cognitive differences in university students that may contribute to their high dropout rate from introductory undergraduate chemistry courses. They found that those who can make accurate extrapolation predictions based on concepts presented in class what they dub abstraction learners consistently outperformed so-called exemplar learners who have trouble doing so and instead depend on rote memorisation. These performance differences were even more pronounced for those enrolled in higher level organic chemistry courses.

The Washington University team studied more than 800 students taking chemistry courses over three semesters at a highly competitive US research university, roughly half of whom were classified as having difficulty bridging the gap between a concept and an illustrative example. The researchers used a learning assessment to determine how well these students understood abstract concepts presented during a fictional assignment that required them to learn the functional relation between two new elements associated with a new organism supposedly discovered on Mars.

The researchers found that active learning, at least in the form of a peer-led approach, helped a subset of the exemplar learners perform better. To determine whether these results are replicated in other introductory scientific courses and at other research institutions, the researchers are studying these effects in other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) classes and at different universities.

Tools to anticipate which students might have difficulty in chemistry and other science subjects are helpful as poor grades in these classes are a major contributor to undergraduates leaving Stem degrees. We know people who are rote learners struggle with science, and if we can identify them early, we can change the curriculum and put in supplemental support, study co-author Regina Frye tells Chemistry World. Since we have shown that their concept-building approach does predict their effective performance, now we are looking at what types of interventions you may use that could help these students.

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Predicting which undergrads will succeed in chemistry - Chemistry World (subscription)

VANCOUVER, B.C. Consistency is the name of the game forVancouver Whitecaps FC right now, and it's no coincidence that its reaping results.

Carl Robinson fielded an unchanged starting lineup for the fifth straight match in Saturday's 2-0 win over Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City at BC Place. Vancouver's new-look 4-1-4-1 lineup had brought the 'Caps some success on the road in a tough four-game road stretch. They came back with six points and could have had more, given their four fine performances.

Robinson admitted he toyed with the idea of mixing things up, but went with an if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach, and it paid off.

"I gave it lots of thought," Robinson said. "Sometimes you get it right when you win, or get a result or a performance, and sometimes you dont. So lots of thought has gone into it. I just felt it was right."

The Whitecaps recent chemistry has been noticeable, especially on the defensive side, with two clean sheets in their last three matches. Elsewhere on the pitch, link-up play is improving every game as players understanding grows. With three wins in their last four games, the results speak for themselves.

Defender Sheanon Williams says hes excited by what may lie in store for this group.

"As the weeks go on I have started to feel more comfortable with the players that Im playing with on my side," said theMLS veteran. "This team is a team that day in, day out, comes to work. Even the substitutes that come on, you can see the work that everybody does for each other its something that I havent seen. Its a credit to the team and the guys we have in that locker room.

"I have been in the league eight years and this is definitely the most excited that I have been to be on a team. I think that this team has everything to make a deep run and to be successful in this league. Im excited and I hope everyone else is."

Center backTim Parker agrees.

"In the backline it's great, we're grooving pretty well now," he said. "We're not giving up many chances. In front of us, it's good. We all understand the kind of team we want to be and the kind of players we want and how we want to play the game."

But Robinson doesn't want his team to feel too settled. Injuries and a lack of available bodies are factors in the Whitecaps' lineup stability, and as much as he likes the consistency and chemistry, the coach also wants competition for places.

"I just said to them, when players become healthy, competition will rise," Robinson said. "Challenges for your starting spot will rise. The strong will come out and the weak will have to get their head down and fight again. And thats what pleases me the most. You know, weve been consistent, weve performed, weve got some really good results."

Starting this week, Robinson will have to balance rotation, competition and continuity. The games now come thick and fast for Vancouver, starting with a two-legged Canadian Championship semifinal against the Montreal Impact that opens at BC Place on Tuesday night (10 pm ET | TSN1 in Canada).

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Whitecaps see chance to "make a deep run" as chemistry, consistency grows - MLSsoccer.com

NEW HAVEN >> Theo Epstein recalled sporting a Red Sox hat when he sat amidst the vast crowd at Yales Class Day ceremonies 22 years ago, even though he had recently finished an internship with the Orioles.

Two days later, after commencement exercises, Epstein boarded a plane for San Diego ostensibly donning a Padres hat, beginning his career in Major League Baseball in that teams front office.

At Yales 2017 Class Day program on Sunday, Epstein was again a man of many hats, swapping his Yale cap for a Cubs hat midway through his address as this years featured speaker. Like the lids atop his head, Epstein, who has led both the Red Sox and Cubs to historic, curse-busting World Series titles, has proven to be amenable to change.

Famously calling for longtime Yale football coach Carm Cozza to step down while the sports editor of the Daily Campus as a Yale junior, Epstein has since confessed to regretting the situation. More famous as one of the poster boys of analytic and sabermetrics that has engulfed baseball over the past 15-20 years, Epstein has similarly changed his tune a bit.

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Thats one of the great ironies of the digital information age, he said shortly after his speech. Now theres so much information out there, so much data and statistics, that its easy to attempt to precisely quantify a players contribution. You can never really quantify a human being. You cant quantify character. That stuff does matter, especially in a group situation, where players really do have impact on one another and leadership matters. The ability to bounce back from adversity matters, lifting each other up in tough moments. Its something that Ive come to appreciate more and more, every year, each of the 26 years Ive worked in baseball.

The gist of Epsteins speech, which included a good-natured request for Yankees fans to head for the exits and his own astonishment that he would ever be invited back as Class Day speaker (If you had ranked all the people, whos most likely to come back, I probably would have been last, he said afterwards), centered around the now-famous story of the Cubs ability to bounce back from adversity last season and win their first World Series in 108 years. Specifically, he pointed to the story of how the team, led by slumping outfielder Jason Heyward, held a meeting in the midst of a brief rain delay during Game 7 that rallied the troops to their ultimate historic victory.

Many sabermetricians of today, some of them disciples of Epstein, often pooh-pooh things like clubhouse chemistry and players with good character, arguing that, ultimately, its all about the numbers. But Epstein has diverged off that path in recent years.

I think theres a wide spectrum of ways people assess talent, he said. I still think datas important, because it can give you some real, empirical truths about a player. Facts are important, objectivity is important. But you have to combine it with an understanding of the player as a human being.

Chemistry is really hard to pinpoint and discern the magic formula, he continued, but if you look for enough high-character players, players who are invested in one another and are willing to connect, that really helps uplift the whole team.

Epstein was in good spirits during his return to Yale, reflecting on the good times he had as an undergrad. He specifically remembered the speech delivered by Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke at Class Day in 1995, which encouraged people to live heroic lives in small, understated ways.

Epsteins memories of his visits to Toads Place were a little more fuzzy.

Really, the best memories are just pre-partying with friends, then heading there and all the hijinks that would ensue on a nightly basis. The best memories, by definition, you cant remember.

Epstein has helped deliver lifelong memories to Red Sox and Cubs fans, and hopes this years Cubs team can make more. The Cubs have been idling around .500 as they try to snap out of a potential post-World Series hangover. Epstein sees some similarities with the 2005 Red Sox, who were coming off their first world title in 86 years the prior October.

I remember in 05, we dealt with a lot of injury problems, he noted. We dealt with some downturns in performance, and we had to scratch and claw our way to 95 wins and get into the postseason. We were kind of spent by the time the postseason rolled around. I hope that this year, we find a way to fight through it and show up in October in a little bit better condition, ready to play another month of baseball.

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For Theo Epstein, chemistry now matters -- a lot - New Haven Register