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A Chemical Mystery: Navigating the Unpredictable Course of Research
Did you know that research scientists and detectives have some things in common? Research often does not go according to plan, and sometimes in the lab you stumble upon something unexpected and mysterious. If you’re lucky, you can follow the clues to solve a mystery that you didn’t originally set out to solve. This is the story of how my biggest discovery during my sabbatical year at Seoul National University (SNU) was not in the research area I set out to study. It’s not a disappointment, nor is it something that really surprises me. In this post I’ve described the chemical mystery that I stumbled upon and how I solved…
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Trees: The Ultimate Chemists. How Trees Inspire Me to Do Better Chemistry
When I talk to people about my research, I have found that it is not usually very helpful to say that I am an organometallic chemist or (worse) to say that I synthesize carbon dioxide complexes of molybdenum and tungsten. Instead, I usually start by talking about trees. Most people know about photosynthesis and that a tree, like all plants, harnesses the energy from light to grow. Some people even know that the whole body of the tree: its leaves, trunk, roots and all its branches are made primarily of carbon. Where does the tree get all of this carbon? From the air. The tree uses the energy it collects…
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The Chemist: To Sabbatical or Not to Sabbatical, That is the Question
One of the perks of being a college professor is having the opportunity to take a sabbatical. At SJU you get a one-semester sabbatical every 6 years. If you wait 12 years, you get a full year. Thus, I decided to save up my sabbatical for the one-year option. In July 2019 with my year-long sabbatical approaching, I knew wanted to find a research opportunity overseas. I thought I would swing for the fences– try to find someone doing carbon dioxide activation research, my sub-area of organometallic chemistry. I made a short list of top research groups working around the world whose research was most interesting to me. Right at…
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A Chemical Mystery: Navigating the Unpredictable Course of Research
