Porpoising Ruthenium April 2, 2007
Posted by gaussling in Angst, Business, Chemical Industry, Chemistry, Chemistry Blogs, Economics.4 comments
Today Engelhard reported Ruthenium at US$675/toz, down from a high of $870 in mid-February. Rhodium continues to probe the stratosphere at US$6175/toz and Palladium shines quietly like a mackerel in the moonlight at US$353/toz.
It is the price of Rh that kills me. I did Rh catalyst process research as a post-doc. It is a cryin’, stinkin’ shame about it’s scarcity. Rh catalysts do such cool things. Pity it costs so much.
Teaching College Chemistry in the Internet Age April 2, 2007
Posted by gaussling in Chemistry, Chemistry Blogs, Education, Science.5 comments
It has been 10 years since I was an Asst. Prof. of Chemistry. My jump to the dark side (business) has largely disconnected me from the latest trends in chemical education. Much has changed in regard to information technology. Students now show up in class with laptop computers and cell phones. They didn’t 10 years ago.
I do have a question in regard to the Internet and how it may add or subtract from use of the literature. Are students referencing web sites in lab writeups or papers? How does that work? Just what kind of legitimacy does the internet enjoy today as a “reference”? How has the internet affected how we archive information?
And just how do you handle the matter of students and their cell phones? Calls and text messaging could be pretty disruptive to the classroom.
