mel schriver

Chem prof and lab rat at Crandall University seeking faithful equilibrium and shalom in academe. PhD UNB (1988), Chem Faculty at Dal, SMU, MUN and CU. AKA: Opa.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

@sean_t_barry Yeah, that was the year I transitioned from having a research group and the lab copies got thrown in a box with the equipment.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

I'm a dinosaur that has seen the star fall and is waiting for the shock wave of retirement to hit but I still maintain that there is pedagogical value in teaching labs having hardcopy reference libraries. When it comes to value and utility nothing beats the Aldrich catalogue.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

@UlrichFekl True, the students always point the artwork out.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

@ParafilmM Missing dissection scissors purloined from the Bio lab. Missing paper guillotine "borrowed" from the photocopier room (best option, straight cuts, easy to find in lab if it walks).

[mel schriver @melschriver]

Latest quantum mechanics calculation vs Lewis Structure analysis.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

Statistical probabilities can be difficult to explain. But as long as the slope is greater than the noise this is statistically true:
As hot as it has been this summer, it is likely that this summer will be the coolest summer that you will experience for the rest of your life

[mel schriver @melschriver]

I have always had a very "lived in" office. The University decided to replace the floor and paint the walls. I have resolved to only take books and supplies out of the boxes as I actually use them and anything still in boxes come early September will be recycled or donated.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

@MichelleFrancl In 1980 when I started my BSc Chem at UNB we were told that if we bought copies of the CRC, Ternays Organic Chem and Cotton and Wilkinson in 2nd year we would not have to buy any other organic or inorganic texts for the rest of our degrees. Still have them within arms reach.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

My first trip to the hospital as a grad student was from demonstrating the generation and condensation of Cl2. Someone replaced the conc HCl with conc H2SO4 in my demonstration set up and I did not notice the difference until the explosion. Adventures in manganese sub-oxides.

[Molecule of the Week @MOTW_ACS]

You really don’t want anything to do with me. What molecule am I? https://t.co/d9JKdEOibI #MOTW_ACS #ACS #AmericanChemicalSociety

[mel schriver @melschriver]

I regularly donated blood until 1984 when I lived and studied at Durham U during the height of the UK Mad Cow outbreak. I was forbidden to donate until early this year. It felt good to pull out my old card and donate again. Spread the news, give blood if you can @CanadasLifeline

[mel schriver @melschriver]

@awhspeed "Chemvesting" when the retail value of a previously purchased chemical increases resulting in a profit on the barter market. Almost all the electrochemists I know are active chemvesters. Computing barter equivalent values is a dark dark magic.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

@awhspeed Ahem, what do we say when a student tells us that a reaction occurred but did not "work".

[mel schriver @melschriver]

I love you Jon and I celebrate your return but I think you made the right choice long ago. @TheDailyShow @rightanswersmatter

[mel schriver @melschriver]

Completed another orbit and have leveled up to my Europium year. Benign and boring, yeah sounds about right.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

#VernierEclipse

[mel schriver @melschriver]

Used @VernierST probeware near a hilltop church to observe the eclipse. Monitored the Sun with a pinhole camera obscura. The eclipse occurred in a clear sky but less than 10 min later a cloud moved in. Temperature and illumination data clearly captured totality. Most Excellent.

[Randall Munroe @xkcd]

Periodic Table Regions https://t.co/xGCylG3Ni5

[Science Atlantic @scienceatlantic]

Did you know David Suzuki was once a speaker at an APICS (now Science Atlantic) conference? At the 1980 Education Conference in Sackville, NB, Suzuki spoke on the ever-relevant topic of science as a tool for living in an increasingly technological world. #ThrowbackThursday

[mel schriver @melschriver]

As we approach the end of semester and faculty facing piles of marking stalk the hallways I can only come to one conclusion:

Collegiality is actually work avoidance.

[mel schriver @melschriver]

Sometimes our job allows us get to stand up and say nice things about people you respect, admire and like. Friday I got to present @keithsgrant with the '24 Steeves Service Award. Congratulations to @isaacsoon2, @CathleneHillier and Don Moore for their awards as well. Respect.