Berkelium

So much for posting more over my Spring Break...today is the last day before the 4:30 a.m. wake up onslaught begins 5 days a week (it was 4 previously) and I am dreading my final few hours before having to go to bed. It's not so much that I dread going back to school, I am definitely excited to see my kids, but the monotony of waking up, commuting there, teaching, commuting back, and school work just gets so tiresome and boring. Only two more months until I feel like a human again :)

This break was a nice reminder that school is not my life. While I still had university classes to attend and meetings to go to, I got to spend some quality time with some friends - I can't explain to you how rejuvenating it was to see friendly faces that didn't want to hear about school. Maybe I should have done more lesson planning, or write that 20 page paper looming over my head, or write a cover letter and apply for jobs, but there is something about the word "break" that makes you resistant toward being proactive with school work. Instead I cleaned my apartment, got back to baking, and high tailed it to New York to just get away from Michigan. No complaints...until tomorrow...

So here's to the end of break and the start of teaching 5 days a week with my self-made lesson plans. We'll see if I have any hair left in two months!

Fun Fact: Berkelium was named for the University of California - Berkeley. The scientists who discovered berkelium also discovered the next element californium. When asked why they didn't name the elements with californium first and berkelium second, the scientists mentioned that they were worried another University of California school would discover the next element!

Americium

It would not be fitting to let Valentine's Day slip away without discussing the chemistry of love. I'm sure we've all felt that initial giddiness that comes with falling in love (or if you're a ninth grade girl listening to Justin Bieber essentially does the same thing). That giddiness includes a racing heart, sweaty palms, and a flushed face, but have you ever wondered why that is?

Just call it Love Potion No. 9. The combination of dopamine and norepinephrine, two hormones produced by your body, combine to stimulate a feeling of bliss (dopamine) and increase your heart rate (norepinephrine). The perfect cocktail of these two hormones also produces elation, intense energy, sleeplessness, craving, loss of appetite and focused attention.

While love is clearly more complex than this seeing as it takes teddy bears, roses, candy, and flowers to win a woman over nowadays, you can read more about it by clicking here.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

 
Fun Fact: Americium is the last element that is legal to own without needing expensive special licenses.

Plutonium

Some stories from the teaching world...

Approximately two weeks ago, I got to the parking lot where I leave the commuter car at night (about a 10 minute walk from my apartment) only to find it missing from its parking spot. No other cars had been moved and I slapped myself across the face at least twice hoping to wake up from that nightmare. No such luck...that also happened to be the same day that I had to administer an exam to my students designed for them to fail for one of my classes . As their frustration levels grew, my patience level depleted to the point where I whimpered "Please do this exam because this morning my car was missing." If only that excuse could be used every day because man oh man did those kids work in silence after that. Turns out my "missing" car was moved for Obama's visit to U of M. Hopefully, ObamaCare can fix my subsequent heart problems from seeing an empty parking spot at 5:30 in the morning where you parked your car the night prior ;)

Another anecdote on the missing car - after finishing the exam, one of my students came up to me and asked me if I had walked to school because I didn't have my car. Oh yes dear child, I walked 80 miles just for you and still got here in time for school at 7:30. Just call me "The Flash."

Sometimes on my walk to the parking lot in the morning I wonder if people think I'm hoofing it back from some late night booty call. This thought crossed my mind as I was wearing leopard print tights and a car was following slowly behind me. What a great way to start your morning...

Is it bad when you laugh while grading papers? The following responses have been some of the best so far:
 1. When asked about determining the age of an animal from carbon dating, this student writes "Carbon dating causes things to have a reflective coating."

2. This student discussed the effectiveness of carbon dating versus uranium dating on rock by saying that "Rocks can't eat plants." (Didn't really address the question but quite the valid statement)

3. My personal favorite: there are no longer 100 centimeters in 1 meter. However there are 100 "clamimeters" in 1 meter.


I've gotten a few Valentine's Day proposals from some of the kids in my class. Upon telling one of them that I had no plans he told me I should treat myself to something nice. His idea of "nice" was taking myself out to AppleBee's... because nothing says romance like going out to eat at a restaurant chain by yourself.


Fun Fact: Plutonium is often touted as the most toxic substance known to man, yet is is 1,000 times less toxic than Botox. Tell that to Joan Rivers...

Neptunium

Sometimes in my blog absences, I even wonder where I've been or what I've been doing that makes me forget to post or not have time to post. I am sorry to update you with the fact that I've been in school, teaching, working out, or at home - so really I have no excuse (well maybe one since I now go to bed at 9:30).

Excuses aside, here are some home videos of my newest toy educational tool - the Diet Coke and Mentos powered car. This thing is a real beauty when it 1) is propelled straight and 2) does not fall apart. I'm hoping to try and get a set of these in my placement in the hopes of taking my kids outside and letting these suckers go using them for a lab activity.

And to answer your question, yes, I ran out in front of a car to save the piece of the Diet Coke and Mentos car that fell off. Nothing comes in the way of science, not even motorized vehicles.

Fun Fact: While neptunium is rarely found in nature, you still have a small amount of it in your house. Smoke detectors use americium (an element you'll hear about 2 posts from now) to generate alpha particles that interact and detect smoke particles. When americium generates alpha particles, it breaks down into neptunium!

Uranium

A story from teaching - I got my first "teacher gift" the other day :)

I usually stand outside the classroom door and greet my students as they walk in and one of my kids said to me "Ms. Labbate, I have a Christmas present for you." He walked to his locker (about 10 feet from the door) and was digging around in his bag for a time before coming back to me with a clenched fist. Mind you this kid is a jokester, so I often have trouble taking him seriously, so when he asked me to hold out my hand, I was skeptical about what was about to be dropped into my palm. Five rocks. And not just average rocks collected while bored at the bus stop, but five gorgeous shiny rocks that must have come from a rock collection of some sort. Not being a rock connoisseur, I had no idea what kind of rocks these were but graciously smiled and said thank you. I still have no clue what to do with them, so they are sitting on my counter top in my apartment. It's the thought that counts, right?

Not much else exciting in Michigan, except that it's 50 degrees in January - clearly I should be blogging about global warming.


Historical Reference: The Manhattan Project, a group of scientists who built and tested atomic bombs during World War II, had only enough uranium to build one bomb, so they never tested their creation before dropping it on Hiroshima.

Fun Fact: Red orange Fiestaware made prior to 1942 is famously radioactive and will set off Geiger counters, as its glaze contained uranium oxide.

Fun Fact Take Two: It is illegal for a single person to own more than 15 pounds of natural uranium.

Protactinium

Happy (belated) New Year!! As you can tell, my New Years resolution did not involve posting on the blog more, lest you would have seen at least 3 posts from 2012 by now (my apologies).

Things are almost back to full swing in Michigan. The alarm is set for a dreaded 4:30 a.m. wake-up call tomorrow as it's the first day back to school and while I'm excited to see my kids, I am really hoping that my hand does not hit the snooze button too many times!

Not too much else to report from Michigan. I spent the past two days traveling back to "the mitten" and trying to get things back to normal at my apartment today (if you're wondering, I failed at this - nothing is unpacked). However, I was greeted with a lovely package at my door after racquetball with a new cookbook (!!) and Fool Me Twice, one of the books I blogged about over break! Because my semester is not crazy yet, I'm excited to get some extracurricular reading in and Fool Me Twice is first on my list! You can probably expect a post on it because if you haven't guessed already, I kind of love science and politics.


Fun Fact: When it was originally discovered by German physicists, Kasimir Fajans and O. H. Gohring in 1913, protactinium was named brevium.

Thorium

Another picture post...Heidi and I went for a walk in the woods with Brodie today, but it ended up being a hike to a nice little summit after an impromptu decision to take the "Summit Trail." It was such an interesting view of Lake Placid...not like most other peaks around town. Check it out!

Looking down at Lake Placid - we were able to find the road we live on (weird).

Brodie is not one to stay still long enough for pictures, especially when there are piles of snow to sniff.

Summit view.

A "different" view of the ski jumps.

Fun Fact: During World War II, the Allied forces got extremely worried that the Germans were farther along building an atomic bomb after they confiscated a huge stockpile of thorium from Paris. Instead of a bomb, the Germans were planning on using it for toothpaste.

Actinium

Winter is a unique beast in the Adirondacks - you've heard me complain about no snow, herald new snow, and now that snow has turned to ice. Mother Nature clearly has yet to decide on her outlook for winter this year. Nevertheless, today was bright and sunny (let's not forget the below zero windchill!) so I decided to get a few pictures. They are certainly not my best (read: my fingers were freezing), but here they are!

I was so surprised to find all these ducks just chilling (literally and figuratively)! Crazy, right?

Whiteface from Lake Placid.

A view of the ski jumps - isn't the snow pathetic?

I had taken a picture here in August as the sun was setting. The view? Still good in winter :)

High Peaks from Adirondack Loj Road.

Surprise! I love finding finely crafted snowmen. This guy is a beauty!

Fun Fact: Actinium is extremely rare so it has few industrial uses, but it has been used as a source for radiation in treating cancer.

Radium

Thank you all so much for checking out my post from yesterday! It was certainly a fun one to write and it's hard to come up with another post so soon that even comes close...

I was pondering doing a Christmas wishlist of science things, but obviously that never got done. So in an attempt to make a list that only slightly resembles a belated Christmas list, here are some sweet reads for the holiday break!

The Poisoner's Handbook. A friend of mine recommended this one to me and one of today's fun facts actually comes from the book. During the Jazz Age in New York, a medical examiner explores the world of toxicology and poisoning, which at the time was the perfect crime.

Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. I would be lying if I said I haven't drooled about getting the chance to read this book. This book has a similar feeling to yesterday's post. Here's a tidbit from it:

Will the media save us?  Don't count on it.  In early 2008, of the 2,975 questions asked the candidates for president just six mentioned the words "global warming" or "climate change," the greatest policy challenge facing America.  To put that in perspective, three questions mentioned UFOs.

A Short History of Nearly Everything. Let's be honest, Bill Bryson is the man. I'm pretty sure when this book came out in 2004, science had a short stint as a popular subject.


Fun Fact: Radium was once believed to have health benefits, so people included this radioactive element in medicines, facial creams, and health drinks. Turns out radium is not so healthy, as it stores itself in bone and wreaks havoc in the body.

Geneva's Fun Fact (!!): A friend of mine sent me this one the other day after reading The Poisoner's Handbook. People who suffer from radium poisoning exhale radon gas!

Francium

I've talked about writing this post for awhile, so I'm happy to finally get some time to sit down and type! I saw this article back in November while perusing the NY Times and have read it what seems like a billion times since. The article delves into President Obama's recent announcement that he would like to see higher education produce 10,000 more engineers and 100,000 new STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) teachers in the very near future. It's certainly a great proposal, but here are some speed bumps:

College attrition rates. For students who are interested in the sciences, approximately 40% switch their major. Toss in pre-med students and that 40% dropout rate rises to 60%. Some of this can certainly be attributed to a lack of preparation in high school, but much of it comes from the stress of pursuing a science degree, especially at schools where science majors see their social science and humanities friends' grades inflated. Math and science majors are known for having the lowest grade point averages and it's not because we're stupid/lazy - it's because most science and math questions have a clear-cut answer. Blowing up a lab is not an art form - it's a problematic error.

With science comes math. It seems like a very simple statement, doesn't it? And to most science majors, it's pretty obvious. But what is scary is that people still don't seem to understand science and math's inherent coupling. Without Newton and calculus, there would be no physics. Without physics, no chemistry. Without chemistry, no biology. The cycle continues, but the most important part is that science boils down to being applied mathematics. People like numbers (for the most part), so when seemingly  interesting phenomenon arise, we seek to answer those questions with numbers. And with those numbers, explanations are needed, thus the quantitative and qualitative nature of science.

(NY Times multimedia image)

To paint a picture of why this article has been so alluring to me for some time, look at the graphic above. If we are in the "technology era" how is it that only 2.4% of bachelor's degrees are computer science related? And why has this number been declining since the early 2000s?

I recently asked my students if they knew how much science affected them and they scoffed at me...it took me a lot of mental persuading to not start on a diatribe about how their smart phones and iPods and computers are all related to science. We chalk these things up to "advances in technology" but what that really means is scientific experimentation and discovery (sorry if that comes as a surprise). The next time a pair of ear buds for your iPod breaks, take some time to cut those puppies apart - there is a reason why copper is the wire of choice for transmitting sound from the iPod to your ears, but could you explain why that is? (Guess what - some of my students can.)


Fun Fact: If a solid block of francium could be produced (nearly impossible if you were wondering), it would evaporate itself in a violent radioactive reaction.

Radon

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!

I got spoiled by the snow pixies the day after complaining about no snow with a small but solid amount of snow that is skiable (explains my blogging absence despite being on break I hope!). Needless to say, my fish scales and the golf course have spent some quality time together!

Not too much else from the home front - my days consist of sleeping in front of the fireplace and/or skiing. Enjoy today's video - it combines my love of skiing (though it's the wrong discipline) and Christmas!

I'll get back to science/education blogging soon and if the weather continues to be gorgeous, expect some winter pics!

Fun Fact: Grand Central Station, made of granite, is famous for being radioactive! Granite contains both uranium and thorium (radioactive elements) which decay to produce radioactive radon, adding to Grand Central's radioactive qualities.

Astatine

If there was any bumper sticker that defined me (besides one spelling my name with periodic table elements - impossible if you were wondering) it would say "I'd rather be nordic skiing." (I add nordic because we all know that people think of the worst type of skiing ;) ) While most people relish the warm sunny days in December that bring 40 degree weather and gives high school boys a reason to wear shorts in the winter, the warmth (and rain) that leaves brown lawns and an iced over driveway makes me cringe.

And cringing certainly happened yesterday, as any and all snow on the ground melted. Normally I would not be too downtrodden by this, but after traveling across borders with a ski bag (quite the story if anyone is wondering), I was really hoping to hit some pow pow if not even some glazed tracks. As it stands, the only thing I'm asking Santa Claus for Christmas is some snow...just enough to even ski at a golf course...but please, the white stuff????

An homage to Peggy is built every year. Sadly, I think Peggy might have to go without :(

Fun Fact: At any given time, there are only about 28 grams of astatine on Earth.

P.S. In case you haven't figured it out, the purple words are links. And in skiing fashion, today's are slightly hilarious.

Polonium

I officially survived another semester at grad school...papers are handed in and I'm cuddled up with my favorite dog in front of the fireplace. It feels so nice to be home :)

I also have been so excited for this element (yes...I am a dork). The first of two elements discovered by Marie Curie, I thought I would share her story about her rise to success. Curie was fortunate to have a supportive husband who aided her with her research and fought for her to teach at the Sorbonne. While these videos are slightly hilarious with the phony French accents, it is still a great story.

Look for more posts in the coming weeks, now that I have some time to actually write things that aren't papers :) I have a lot to catch up on with some great posts about science and hopefully some winter pictures, so I'm excited!!

Fun Fact: Polonium's most common isotope, polonium-210, is so radioactive that a single gram of it in air produces 140 watts of power continuously.

Combined Fun Fact: If a coin was made of polonium and radium, the elements discovered by Marie Curie, it would kill everyone in the same room.

Bismuth

Awhile back, a friend of mine from college posted about how teaching stifles a stylish wardrobe in a means to remain modest. Thinking about most of my teachers from high school, this really fit the mark. The teacher "uniform" for men was always dress pants or khakis with a button down or polo (with the occasional tie thrown in). For women teachers, there was a bit more variety, but it dribbled down to longer skirts or pants, sweaters, and button-downs.

From posts about my tights, you are safe to assume that I am not one to perpetuate the stereotype that teachers' wardrobes must blend in with the chalkboard. While my outfits are certainly not provocative, I always try to include a little bit of stylish flair. My personal favorites are ankle boots with dresses and skirts, layering patterns/textures, and well you guessed it...the infamous tights.

So when I set out to write this post, I wanted to find some style savvy student teachers that are at the School of Education at U of M with me. During my photo shoot of friends from class, it was brought to my attention that teachers are known for having the largest collections of cardigans. It was also at that point that I noticed that each person I was shooting was wearing a sweater.

Anyway enjoy this twist on my teacher wardrobe post because apparently I have yet to debunk the frump that is the "teacher sweater."

Take 1: The classic v-neck with the current stripe trend.

Take 2: Adding some flair with jewelry.

Take 3: Button-up + cardigan.

Thanks to my lovely models for not being afraid to rock the "teacher sweater."

Fun Fact: When artificial bismuth is crystallized, it forms a rainbow colored step pattern. Cool, right?

 

Lead

I'll admit, November was a terrible month for blogging. Whoops. I can't promise things will get too much better in these next few weeks as I am finishing up the semester at U of M and at the middle and high schools.

There is certainly much to tell so I'll try and extend it over a few posts so I don't look like a complete slacker. Look for posts about "Midnight Madness," my delayed teacher wardrobe post, and my super delayed science majors in college post. There is also some exciting news about the periodic table, so look for that as well!

In the mean time, warm and fuzzy news from the school front. Because my middle school mentor teacher is on medical leave, I get the chance to go back to the high school next week and rock some teaching. I made a surprise visit yesterday and I am pretty sure I am still on Cloud 9 from getting to see my kids again.

When I first walked in, I tried to be unassuming, as to cause the least amount of distraction but of course I got stopped at the metal detector where the security guards asked me all about being at the middle school. I got laughed at for trying to get a visitor's pass as the secretary looked at me and goes, "We've missed you." Word of the wise - make friends with these people because they will tell you ALL about what goes on and will always help you out :)

On walking in to the 9th grade wing, my heart started to pump and my fingers were quaking - it was so weird, but I think I was just so excited to see some of my kids. I walked past the English class where I got a little wave, a bigger wave, and then a giant wave from one of my students. I chuckled when kids were asking what this student was doing and he said "I saw Ms. Labbate!" The best part was one of the kids saying back to him "You couldn't have - she's not here anymore." Yup, that's me, a mirage. Two more classrooms and smaller waves and twinkling eyes from kids not paying attention.

When I hit the science door I stayed outside because there were 15 minutes left of class and I didn't want to interrupt my mentor teacher if she was in the middle of a lesson. Have it my luck that no less than 2 minutes standing outside the door, but one of the students pops out and squeals in delight. She tries to drag me into the classroom, but I explain that I'm not going to go in as Ms. Stine-King was teaching. Her reply? "It's not that important, pleaaaaaaaaaaase come in." She eventually goes back in and Ms. Stine-King walks out 2 seconds later, smiles, and says "Let's see what happens when you come in."

CHAOS. Studious faces to looks like Christmas came 23 days early. Screams of delight. "Ms. Labbate's BACK!!" Hugs. "Ms. Labbate, now that you're here, come help me." (still in my coat and carrying my backpack at that point...never really got to put my stuff down) "Ms. Labbate, I failed my quiz because you left." (yeah...okay)

After the class ended, the "Ms. Labbate's back!" rumor mill was flying down the hall and kids were traveling by the science room to see if it was true. More hugs. More smiles. More love. Man it feels good to be back at the high school.


Fun Fact: Lead's symbol on the periodic table is Pb, which comes from its Latin name plum bum. Because lead was originally used for water pipes, the name plumber is also derived from plum bum.

Thallium

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week with the weather fluctuating between dreary cold grey and bright warm sunny days. Snow is in the forecast for Michigan (!!!) and while I wish I could get my first Michigan snow day, my New York self tells me I'm going to have to wait awhile longer. In honor of the crazy weather patterns, here are some crazies of my own:

Dreary cold grey: I just paid $3000 to fix a cracked cylinder head in my car (yes, the new car that I've had since August - I know what you're thinking)
On the bright side: The mechanics cleaned my car (wash AND wax), charged me only $6 for an oil change (the least they could do), and aligned my tires...FOR FREE.

Dreary cold grey: My middle school mentor teacher ruptured her achilles tendon playing basketball over the weekend. Because she had to have surgery to repair it, she is out until after Thanksgiving.
On the bright side: Another middle school teacher took us under his wing for the week. He has the most charismatic turtle I have ever met and I'm pretty sure I wasted a half hour staring at the tank. Substitute mentor for the week is an awesome teacher - I have never been so jealous of a teacher voice before.

Dreary cold grey: I realized today that I had not turned in a paper for a tuition grant due in August (whoops).
On the bright side: Telling the financial aid woman that you completely forgot is a good enough excuse to turn in said grant in November. She even processed it same day!

Some more on the bright sides - I've gotten some cool ideas recently for my blog (but I would totally love some more if you have any ideas!). After reading a college friend's teaching blog, I am trying to put together a cool wardrobe post (let's be honest - I talk about tights too much sometimes). And my usual NY Times staple did a recent series about being a science major in college. Did you know that 40% of intended science majors never follow through? Look for those posts in the coming weeks!


Fun Morbid Fact: Thallium poisoning was prevalent during the Cold War era, as its symptoms are common for most general ailments - fever, cramps, and stomachache. Because the effects are long-term leaders would used it on their enemies so that they would not be implicated in their death. If you watch House or read Agatha Christie novels, both have featured thallium poisoning!

Mercury

Ah the poisons of mercury...how they can be likened to the endless papers that have poisoned my blog writing. I apologize for the absence, it's amazing what back-to-back-to-back assignments do to the mind. To show you that I am still alive, here's the next best thing to an actual beating heart - a mercury beating heart!

Since my last post I have transitioned to a classroom of sixth graders, which in two short days provided me enough material to make a comedic act. The only (well not really only) bad thing? Those kids are too darn respectful of adults to make crass jokes about my stockings. Because of this I ordered maroon tights. Take that teaching world.

To give you an idea about my life in middle school, here are some tasty tidbits:

1. On walking into the school, one student asks his friend loudly "New kid?" The kid next to him goes "Idiot...new teacher." What a relief...I guess I'm an adult now.

2. My students tried to guess my age. According to their poll, I am somewhere between 18 and 48.

3. Puberty is a real interesting character. Girls are taller than guys, some kids come up to my hip when I'm wearing Danskos, but the best one is trying to figure out who the girly voice singing in the class is coming from.

4. In sixth grade, having a girlfriend means that you can wink at or possibly touch a girl in the hallway. She also gives you her school picture. Anything else? Well that's just too serious.

5. Having a student's older sibling in your old placement makes you instantly cool. As a test of your coolness, you have to be able to spell their name (because that's TOTALLY what your older brother told me about you and it's not like I could get that off an attendance sheet kid).

6. Kids talk. This is no surprise. While my students in ninth grade told me some RANDOM things, sixth graders take random to a whole new level. One kid will not stop talking about food...today's five minute rant was on turkey clubs. Mind you this kid is shorter than short and is lucky to have any ounce of fat on his body (I promise you he is well-fed). Another one of my students tells me about science fiction movies, as if I watch them all the time (I don't). And others just inform me about people they wish would go up in nuclear mushroom clouds (that was talked about with my mentor teacher :/).

7. Animals. We have a palm-sized toad, a lizard, and a family of millipedes living in the class (in cages). Note: I will never touch those things...gross. This also ended up in my placement partner and I taking a baby mouse who was supposed to be toad food back to Ann Arbor with us because the toad is apparently a picky eater. Baby mouse? Well he's in the freezer happily sleeping for the rest of time.


Fun Fact: Liquid mercury is so dense that lead will float on it.

Gold

I probably should have made this one of the first posts, but with such a precious metal today, there seemed like no better time to tell the story behind CHEM GIRLS FOREVER. The Chem Girls came about the summer between my junior and senior year of college when the professor I was doing research with took on 7 girls with 7 different research projects for the summer. Three of us bonded over the frustration of never being able to talk to said professor and realized that our nerdy quirks for the periodic table were uncanny.

Enter in Katherine's besty Ben, who lived with us that summer. Ben became a regular hanging out with Taylor, Katherine, and I, and credit is due to him for dubbing us the Chem Girls. Ben was soon included as a Chem Girl (despite his science background being poli-sci :) ). So there you have it - Chem Girls. And with any group of friends, especially those with super nerdiness that most people don't understand, it lasts forever <3

Chem Girls (minus 1) and the surprise coordination of our outfits.

The last Chem Girl :)

Chem Girls graduating (look at those honor cords)!

Fun Fact: All the gold ever mined during the human race could fit into a cube that measures 60 feet across on each edge. 

Platinum

So in my delay of this blog post, I was somehow disillusioned into believing that I hadn't blogged about the automotive industry and catalytic converters...boo palladium.

Instead, I found this gem of an article the other day about the rising value of a science degree (which is nice to hear considering that I am slowly going mad with this Master's program). Here are some tasty tidbits:

1. STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) fields are the second fasted growing occupational group in the U.S. behind health care (cough...also science related...cough)
2. Contrary to popular belief, computer engineering and lab research account for only 5% of STEM occupations. Others include manufacturing, transportation, mining, and sales and management.
3. STEM has been referred to as "common currency in the labor market" as companies have started focusing on technology.
4. Of those graduating with STEM degrees, only 10% go into related fields such as engineering, physical science, or architecture (I admit - I am totally guilty BUT I am [hopefully] fostering the next generation of STEM)
5. 65% of people holding a Bachelor's degree in a STEM field earn more than those holding a Master's degree in other subjects.
6. 63% of people holding an Associate's degree in science or technology earn more than those holding a Bachelor's degree in other subjects.

Here's the one kicker (there are many, but I don't like to be Negative Nancy) - employers continually complain that STEM workers “can’t talk and can’t write a memo and have horrible interpersonal skills.” If any of you STEMers are reading this, start rocking some liberal arts classes :)

Common Occurrences: Platinum is generally recognized as being a precious metal for jewelry, but it also well known in the automotive industry as a catalytic converter.

Fun Fact: "It has been estimated that one of every five products made today uses platinum, either directly in the product itself or as part of the manufacturing process for the product" (A Guide to the Elements, Albert Stwertka)

Iridium

Oh, chemistry books. It figures that my mom and sister would find me a "chemistry experiments at home" book and that I would find myself another book about the periodic table :) Check them out!

Find it here!

Find it here!

Maybe I've started to open my eyes to chemistry, but I think the periodic table is making a style comeback (no, but seriously). Today in Barnes and Noble, I was tempted to buy a 1000 piece puzzle of the elements (how easy would that be to figure out?!) AND they have 2012 planners with the elements. Science, my friends, is clearly cool. Or, I am clearly a dork - your choice.


Fun Fact: Spark plugs containing iridium can last up to 100,000 miles - you'd maybe replace those twice in a car's lifetime.