Linkedin – REAL CHEM: Build Bonds with Engaging Chemistry Learning https://realchem.org Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:42:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://realchem.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/favicon_realchem.png Linkedin – REAL CHEM: Build Bonds with Engaging Chemistry Learning https://realchem.org 32 32 What does “safe” really mean when it comes to lead?… https://realchem.org/what-does-safe-really-mean-when-it-comes-to-lead/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:42:50 +0000 https://realchem.org/what-does-safe-really-mean-when-it-comes-to-lead/ What does “safe” really mean when it comes to lead? 🔬
In our REAL CHEM Exploration, Is the Town Toxic?, students use core chemistry skills to quantify lead concentrations in simulated blood samples.

They calculate parts per million.
They build and interpret calibration curves.
They analyze regulatory thresholds.
Then the harder questions begin:
Who sets the standard?
How is risk defined?
What decisions follow from the data?

This exploration connects concentration and analytical chemistry to public health and environmental justice.
Chemistry becomes evidence.
Evidence shapes decisions.

⚛️ REAL CHEM Explorations are designed for faculty ready to teach chemistry in context—where technical skills meet real-world consequences.

Join the conversation at realchem.org

#RealChem #ChemEd #STEMEducation #TeachingChemistry

#ChemistryEducation #EnvironmentalJustice #STEMEducation #ChemEd #AnalyticalChemistry #PublicHealth

]]> 🔬 At REAL CHEM, we believe the stories we teach… https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%94%ac-at-real-chem-we-believe-the-stories-we-teach/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:42:50 +0000 https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%94%ac-at-real-chem-we-believe-the-stories-we-teach/ 🔬 At REAL CHEM, we believe the stories we teach shape who sees themselves in chemistry.
This International Women’s Day, we honor Maria Y. Orosa—food chemist, educator, resistance fighter.
She invented banana ketchup. Smuggled food to war prisoners. Died in her lab fighting for her country.
Why don’t we teach Maria Y. Orosa’s story in chemistry class? 🧪
Born in the Philippines, trained at the University of Washington, Orosa used chemistry as a tool for independence. She developed 700+ food preservation innovations from local crops, reducing reliance on imports. When tomatoes wouldn’t grow during WWII, she created banana ketchup. When Manila was occupied, she risked her life smuggling nutrient rations to prisoners.
She didn’t evacuate. She stayed in her lab. In 1945, she was killed during the Battle of Manila.
Her legacy? Banana ketchup is now global. Her methods still shape food science. Her impact lives on in kitchens and laboratories worldwide.

Join the conversation at realchem.org

#InternationalWomensDay #RealChem #WomenInSTEM #ChemistryMatters #MariaOrosa #FoodChemistry #RepresentationMatters

]]> ☘️ Plants appear green because of chlorophyll, a pigment that… https://realchem.org/%e2%98%98%ef%b8%8f-plants-appear-green-because-of-chlorophyll-a-pigment-that/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:42:49 +0000 https://realchem.org/%e2%98%98%ef%b8%8f-plants-appear-green-because-of-chlorophyll-a-pigment-that/ ☘️ Plants appear green because of chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs red and blue light while reflecting green wavelengths.
Those reflected wavelengths fall roughly between 495 and 570 nm, near the region where the human eye is most sensitive to light.

In REAL CHEM, students explore how chemistry and light interact through investigations connected to the electromagnetic spectrum. Understanding how molecules absorb and reflect different wavelengths helps explain everything from plant color to spectroscopy. 🔬

Sometimes a holiday color is also a reminder of how chemistry connects molecular structure, light, and the world we see.

Join the conversation at realchem.org

#RealChem #ChemEd #STEMEducation #TeachingChemistry #StPatricksDay

]]> 💡 Teaching tip that changed how my students see chemistry:… https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%92%a1-teaching-tip-that-changed-how-my-students-see-chemistry/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:42:47 +0000 https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%92%a1-teaching-tip-that-changed-how-my-students-see-chemistry/ 💡 Teaching tip that changed how my students see chemistry:
Ask them to explain a course concept through their own major.
Suddenly, chemistry isn’t abstract anymore.

→ Speech therapy students: ions firing through nerve pathways
→ Fashion students: polymers in high-performance textiles
→ Film students: combustion chemistry behind special effects
→ Pre-pharmacy students: concentration & psychiatric medications
→ Interior design students: VOCs in materials and air quality
→ Business students: lithium-ion chemistry driving EV markets

The chemistry was always there. They just needed permission to find it in their world!

This is the philosophy behind REAL CHEM — a modular, engaging curriculum built to help instructors make exactly these kinds of connections accessible.
When students see themselves in the content, retention follows.

Join the conversation at realchem.org

#RealChem #ChemEd #STEMEducation #TeachingChemistry

]]> 💧 40% of drinking wells in parts of California’s Central… https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%92%a7-40-of-drinking-wells-in-parts-of-californias-central/ Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:42:46 +0000 https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%92%a7-40-of-drinking-wells-in-parts-of-californias-central/ 💧 40% of drinking wells in parts of California’s Central Valley exceed EPA nitrate limits.
The source? Manure from dairies. The chemistry? Straightforward.
Nitrogen in manure converts to nitrate—a highly soluble ion that moves easily through soil into groundwater.
But here’s where chemistry gets complicated:
How do we measure nitrate accurately?
What concentration is actually safe?
Who decides the threshold?
A recent Inside Climate News report exposes this growing crisis. The chemistry is clear. The decisions that follow are not.
REAL CHEM explorations help students investigate these questions—connecting nutrient cycles, concentration calculations, and water chemistry to real environmental systems.
Chemistry becomes more than equations.
It becomes evidence that shapes policy, protects communities, and informs action.

Join the conversation at realchem.org

#RealChem #ChemEd #STEMEducation #TeachingChemistry

]]> The December issue of REAL REACTIONS is here! This edition… https://realchem.org/the-december-issue-of-real-reactions-is-here-this-edition/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:18:53 +0000 https://realchem.org/?p=7018 The December issue of REAL REACTIONS is here!

This edition is packed with chemistry content designed to spark curiosity and celebrate community:

• A REAL REACTIONS Video Spotlight featuring Dr. Paulette Vincent-Ruz, where romance novels meet reaction mechanisms
• A cozy chemistry deep-dive into combustion from Dr. Ashley Evanoski-Cole, just in time for winter weather
• New podcast episodes featuring faculty innovators Dr. Gizelle Sherwood and Dr. Amy Burkert, sharing what makes REAL CHEM real
• A special message from Dr. Elaine Villanueva Bernal, Ed.D. reflecting on our newest social media campaigns and fall webinar series (and the 800+ faculty participants who made it a success!)

It’s a great time to catch up on what’s happening in the REAL CHEM community and to join in the conversation. Dive into the latest issue here!

#REALCHEM #ChemEd #FacultyCommunity #HigherEd #ChemistryEducation #LearningScience #Newsletter #REALREACTIONS #STEMEducation

]]> Ever wonder what keeps your jacket warm, your car running,… https://realchem.org/ever-wonder-what-keeps-your-jacket-warm-your-car-running/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:47:39 +0000 https://realchem.org/ever-wonder-what-keeps-your-jacket-warm-your-car-running/ Ever wonder what keeps your jacket warm, your car running, and your hands toasty in January?
Spoiler: it’s all chemistry.

From the fibers in your jacket to the heat in your home, winter comfort is a triumph of materials science and thermodynamics. Engineered polymers trap warmth. Air-activated iron reactions keep your hands cozy. Antifreeze keeps your car going, even when temps dip below freezing.

Whether you’re teaching these topics or just bundled up against the wind: there’s a little chemistry in everything.

Take a look at the everyday chemistry that keeps us warm when the weather turns cold. You’ll see a few reminders of how foundational concepts (like exothermic reactions and thermal conductivity) show up beyond the textbook.

📘 Interested in more lessons that ground chemistry in systems students rely on every day?
Explore REAL CHEM’s courseware at reachchem.org

#REALCHEM #ChemEd #WinterScience #MaterialsScience #STEMEducation #ChemistryInContext #HigherEd

]]> You won’t find the term “weed-out course” in any official… https://realchem.org/you-wont-find-the-term-weed-out-course-in-any-official/ Tue, 20 Jan 2026 13:47:35 +0000 https://realchem.org/you-wont-find-the-term-weed-out-course-in-any-official/ You won’t find the term “weed-out course” in any official course catalog, but the impact is real. These foundational classes can become defining moments in a student’s academic journey, often determining who continues in STEM fields and who gets left behind.

REAL CHEM is helping to rewrite that story.

At one large public university, REAL CHEM is now used across the general chemistry curriculum, with evidence-based learning science and personalization reaching thousands of students.

As Dr. Ariel Anbar of Arizona State University shares in this short clip, the results are promising:

• More students are reaching the high bar set by general chemistry.
• The performance gap between well-prepared students and those with less prior chemistry experience is shrinking.

Curious what this could look like at your institution? Let’s talk.

#REALCHEM #STEMEducation #HigherEd #ChemistryEducation #EquityInSTEM #PersonalizedLearning #EdTech #LearningScience

]]> A Joseph Tamer, Deputy Director, ASU ETX Center, shares how… https://realchem.org/a-joseph-tamer-deputy-director-asu-etx-center-shares-how/ Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:53:57 +0000 https://realchem.org/a-joseph-tamer-deputy-director-asu-etx-center-shares-how/ A Joseph Tamer, Deputy Director, ASU ETX Center, shares how REAL CHEM’s videos bring chemistry to life through diverse instructor perspectives, helping every student see themselves in their learning journey.

#ChemistryEducation #STEMLearning #DiversityInSTEM

]]> 🎶 Music City, meet REAL CHEM 🎶 Headed to Nashville… https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%8e%b6-music-city-meet-real-chem-%f0%9f%8e%b6-headed-to-nashville/ Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:53:38 +0000 https://realchem.org/%f0%9f%8e%b6-music-city-meet-real-chem-%f0%9f%8e%b6-headed-to-nashville/ 🎶 Music City, meet REAL CHEM 🎶

Headed to Nashville for EDUCAUSE 2025? Let’s talk chemistry together!

October 27–30, we’re bringing chemistry out of the textbook and onto the EDUCAUSE conference floor. Stop by our booth to explore ways to engage students in every classroom.

If you’re heading to EDUCAUSE, we hope you’ll come say hi. Let’s talk about how we can make chemistry classrooms more exciting!

#EDUCAUSE #ChemEd #HigherEdInnovation #REALCHEM

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