Sincerely, Chemicals season 2 is online

I’ve had the pleasure of hosting the second season of Sincerely, Chemicals. It’s just me and a camera this time. Very simple.

Subscribe to the Sincerely, Chemicals YouTube channel to receive a new video each week.

LIVE Chemophobia Session Thursday 11th August @ 2pm ET

Click to register for our free webinar hosted by the American Chemical Society

What can I expect to learn?

• What does the public think of chemistry, chemicals and chemists?
• How prevalent is chemophobia?
• How did we evolve the propensity to become chemophobic?
• Who were the first chemophobes?
• What is a “chemical”?
• Why have chemists’ efforts to fight chemophobia been to no avail?
• What’s the ultimate cure for chemophobia, and who’s willing to fund it?
• What can you do as a chemist to combat chemophobia?

Registration is open

Click the above banner to register for the free webinar.

Top Tips for University

Students attend a lecture at Macquarie University, Australia

You’ve graduated and you’re waiting for VCE examination results day on December 14th, 2015. In the meantime, you can rest, celebrate, and get ready for university.

When I completed my master’s degree at Cambridge University in 2010, I took note of the habits and traits that helped me to succeed in university. I didn’t maintain all of them all the time – rather, I fluctuated between doing these things and doing the exact opposite – but the process has taught me which character traits and mental attitudes are necessary for academic success in university. Here are my top ten tips for university. Each one of these tips is written carefully from my personal experience.

1. If you have a strong opinion on something, be prepared for it to change COMPLETELY several times before graduation. That’s how we grow and learn.

2. Always know where you’re going from now on. Always have a goal and you’ll never feel lost.

3. Ask for help from professors or lecturers if you don’t understand something. (They will not reach out to you in university.)

4. Read all the textbooks on the reading list. Read the whole books (not just the required chapters) if you have time.

5. Textbooks are always more important than academic papers despite what your lecturers tell you. Read the textbooks first.

6. Always make notes as you read.

7. Arrive early to lectures to get the best seats and to make friends with like-minded, punctual and keen students before the lecturer arrives.

8. Socialise carefully. Will joining this particular group/team help you to grow as a person? Some groups will help you grow; some will drag you down. Choose carefully!

9. Don’t be too stubborn but don’t be too easily influenced, either. Be in the middle.

10. Smile! 😃