Making sure your skin is properly hydrated and moisturized is essential for healthy skin. However, with Fall and Winter upon us, this weather can throw us off balance! We have all experienced that uncomfortable feeling when our lips are chapped, our cheeks are red, and our face feels tight or dry when walking through the blustery cold. With so many products on the market, it can be impossible to know what ingredients to look for. Depending on your skin’s needs, you may benefit more from certain ingredients over others. Some people suffer from dryness whereas others experience dehydration…
Tag: Chemistry
Graduating ScIU Writers 2019

Our blog would be nothing without our writers. Unfortunately they can’t stay here forever; they must go on to their next great adventures in life. So we wanted to take a moment to recognize a few of our authors who have recently left or are preparing to leave soon. We wish you all the very… Read more »
Seeds, Cyanide, And Medicinal properties (SCAM)

This post was written by IU undergraduate student Yiling Dong. It is the third in a series of featured stories written for a ScIU in the Classroom collaboration with Dr. Cathrine Reck in the Department of Chemistry. “Good source of B17” sounds legit, right? A quick internet search will lead you to thousands of results touting the anti-cancer benefits… Read more »
It’s Not the Chlorine

This post was written by IU undergraduate students Alexa Akers and Amanda Lawson. It is the second in a series of featured stories written for a ScIU in the Classroom collaboration with Dr. Cathrine Reck in the Department of Chemistry. There are some smells that are universal. They transcend region and culture, and can be recognized instantaneously. There’s no better… Read more »
Think twice before cramming: The risks of using stimulants recreationally

This post was written by IU undergraduate students Catherine DeBruyn, Nuha Zakariya, Hannah Maluvac. It is the first in a series of featured stories written for a ScIU in the Classroom collaboration with Dr. Cathrine Reck in the Department of Chemistry. Picture this: you are up for a big promotion and it all depends on finishing the massive project your… Read more »
Single molecule magnets: The data storage of the future

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published by Josey Topolski in January 2017, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events. The storage capability of hard drives has been increasing exponentially over the past 60 years. The IBM 350 RAMAC disk released in 1956 was able to store 2000 bits (a unit… Read more »
The smell of chemistry

This post is from ScIU’s archives. It was originally published by Victoria Kohout in August 2017, and has been lightly edited to reflect current events. Chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. Your grandmother’s perfume. Newly cut grass. Each of the listed descriptions is extremely different but can be linked together by one fundamental thread–smell…. Read more »
How are different colored fireworks made?

Have you ever looked up at a fireworks display and wondered where all those colors are actually coming from? To answer this question we must first go back to atomic theory. As you may recall, an atom is comprised of electrons, protons, and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are contained within the nucleus while the… Read more »
Inching toward a cure for PTSD

Dr. Yvonne Lai is well known for her work at IU’s Gill Center for Biomolecular Science. However, she and her collaborators are also making waves in the business world with the growth of their startup company Anagin Inc., a promising pharmaceutical venture located in Indianapolis. Dr. Lai’s research focuses on novel drug therapies for post-traumatic stress… Read more »
Explosion underscores importance of laboratory safety

On Sunday, January 28, 2018, there was a significant explosion in a chemistry laboratory. Fortunately, no one was injured due to the laboratory being vacant at the moment of the explosion, but the fume hood where it occurred was severely damaged. The safety sash, which consists of four safety glass panels at the front of… Read more »