Deborah Gater
@dgater1.bsky.social
Chemist. Educator. UK-based. She/her. Mostly lurking. Likes/reposts not endorsements. Views own. Etc.
Reposted by Deborah Gater
Hear from the Editorial board who invite you to read and consider signing the Stockholm Declaration on Chemistry for the Future & learn about how the declaration’s themes align with the mission and scope of RSC Sustainability
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D5SU...
#Sustainability #Chemsky #SustainableChemistry
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D5SU...
#Sustainability #Chemsky #SustainableChemistry
October 27, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Hear from the Editorial board who invite you to read and consider signing the Stockholm Declaration on Chemistry for the Future & learn about how the declaration’s themes align with the mission and scope of RSC Sustainability
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D5SU...
#Sustainability #Chemsky #SustainableChemistry
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D5SU...
#Sustainability #Chemsky #SustainableChemistry
Sitting in the last session of #ELRIGDD25 and reflecting on what I’ve seen regarding AI in the past 2 days. And how that compares / contrasts with narratives about the same technology in academia in the past year or so. No hot takes. Am convinced it’s transformational. And so complex. #ITeachChem
October 22, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Sitting in the last session of #ELRIGDD25 and reflecting on what I’ve seen regarding AI in the past 2 days. And how that compares / contrasts with narratives about the same technology in academia in the past year or so. No hot takes. Am convinced it’s transformational. And so complex. #ITeachChem
'That one extra drop didn’t just show me the endpoint of a reaction – it showed me the beginning of a transformation in myself'
How a mistake in the lab taught me new things about myself
One extra drop of titrant was all it took...
www.chemistryworld.com
October 4, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Meanwhile, to her mother’s delight and bemusement, the child decided she’d rather do optional maths homework than watch a film on Friday evening… 🧮🥰
October 3, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Meanwhile, to her mother’s delight and bemusement, the child decided she’d rather do optional maths homework than watch a film on Friday evening… 🧮🥰
This article is focused at primary/secondary education and has some great tips about observation that are widely applicable. And so interesting to see the images of universal indicator scales adjusted for differences in colour perception. #ITeachChem #ChemEd
There is a danger that we assume students are good at observation. @dave2004b.bsky.social shares ideas to hone learners’ skills throughout their education to help them see, and explain, clearly
edu.rsc.org/cpd/developi...
#chemed #sciteachuk
edu.rsc.org/cpd/developi...
#chemed #sciteachuk
October 1, 2025 at 11:45 AM
This article is focused at primary/secondary education and has some great tips about observation that are widely applicable. And so interesting to see the images of universal indicator scales adjusted for differences in colour perception. #ITeachChem #ChemEd
Reposted by Deborah Gater
In reporting this piece on the new trial for a Huntington's treatment, I was struck by one thing in particular:
The joy.
One of my sources wept for joy. He has spent his entire career studying this disease, he said it was the happiest day. www.sciencenews.org/article/hunt...
The joy.
One of my sources wept for joy. He has spent his entire career studying this disease, he said it was the happiest day. www.sciencenews.org/article/hunt...
Huntington's progression slowed by experimental gene therapy
An experimental gene therapy slowed Huntington’s by up to 75 percent in a small clinical trial. While not a cure, it may give patients longer lives.
www.sciencenews.org
September 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
In reporting this piece on the new trial for a Huntington's treatment, I was struck by one thing in particular:
The joy.
One of my sources wept for joy. He has spent his entire career studying this disease, he said it was the happiest day. www.sciencenews.org/article/hunt...
The joy.
One of my sources wept for joy. He has spent his entire career studying this disease, he said it was the happiest day. www.sciencenews.org/article/hunt...
Reposting to also tag #ITeachChem. Some nice activities here.
Happy Fall! 🍁 The ChemQuiz.net September 2025 newsletter is out and highlights new features on the site, including Topics to organize assignments on the Dashboard, an easy-to-read downloadable periodic table, a live webinar on September 30th, and more #chemed #iteachchem mailchi.mp/chemquiz.net...
September 22, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposting to also tag #ITeachChem. Some nice activities here.
Looking forward to discussing Haraldsrud and Odden's recent J Chem Ed paper "Bridging Artificial Intelligence and Real Intelligence: Self-Scaffolding Computational Modeling with Generative AI in Chemistry" at our department journal club next week! #ChemSky #ITeachChem
Bridging Artificial Intelligence and Real Intelligence: Self-Scaffolding Computational Modeling with Generative AI in Chemistry
Chemistry education researchers have, for many years, explored different ways of learning chemistry through modeling and open-ended problem-solving. With the emergence of generative artificial intelli...
pubs.acs.org
September 22, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Looking forward to discussing Haraldsrud and Odden's recent J Chem Ed paper "Bridging Artificial Intelligence and Real Intelligence: Self-Scaffolding Computational Modeling with Generative AI in Chemistry" at our department journal club next week! #ChemSky #ITeachChem
Tried potato farls this evening - tasty but not sure I got the balance of flour:potato quite right. #ChemistsWhoCook
September 17, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Tried potato farls this evening - tasty but not sure I got the balance of flour:potato quite right. #ChemistsWhoCook
Garlic-Parmesan sweetheart cabbage waiting to enter the oven. #ChemistsWhoCook
September 13, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Garlic-Parmesan sweetheart cabbage waiting to enter the oven. #ChemistsWhoCook
Fresh sardines and cauliflower baking in the oven. This #ChemistWhoCooks operates a “hybrid” kitchen, so these will be served with toasted potato waffles from a packet… 😂😅😭
September 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Fresh sardines and cauliflower baking in the oven. This #ChemistWhoCooks operates a “hybrid” kitchen, so these will be served with toasted potato waffles from a packet… 😂😅😭
Reposted by Deborah Gater
While alchemy is increasingly seen as a precursor to modern chemistry, 'witchcraft' – practised by lower-status women – is still ignored. But was the 'magic', from flying ointments to healing potions, grounded in real pharmacology?
From flying ointments to healing herbs: the forgotten chemistry behind historical witchcraft practices
The unusual concoctions of village witches have historically been dismissed as nonsense hocus pocus - but is this the whole story? Victoria Atkinson investigates the chemistry behind the myth and whet...
www.chemistryworld.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:18 PM
While alchemy is increasingly seen as a precursor to modern chemistry, 'witchcraft' – practised by lower-status women – is still ignored. But was the 'magic', from flying ointments to healing potions, grounded in real pharmacology?
Reposted by Deborah Gater
IT'S FINALLY TIME! BakeOff is BACK. You know what that means ChemBakeOff reaction/meme thread.
September 6, 2025 at 3:57 PM
IT'S FINALLY TIME! BakeOff is BACK. You know what that means ChemBakeOff reaction/meme thread.
Reposted by Deborah Gater
How do you learn something new—flashcards, practice, trial and error? New research from psychology professor Aaron Seitz says it all comes down to incidental learning, when our brains slip into a state ready to absorb. 🧪
Read more: http://bit.ly/4mOgoBN
#COSConnects #Psychology
Read more: http://bit.ly/4mOgoBN
#COSConnects #Psychology
Is all learning ‘incidental’? Northeastern professor says that we ‘trick’ our brains into learning
Northeastern psychology professor Aaron Seitz reveals groundbreaking research showing all learning may be 'incidental'.
bit.ly
September 5, 2025 at 8:24 PM
How do you learn something new—flashcards, practice, trial and error? New research from psychology professor Aaron Seitz says it all comes down to incidental learning, when our brains slip into a state ready to absorb. 🧪
Read more: http://bit.ly/4mOgoBN
#COSConnects #Psychology
Read more: http://bit.ly/4mOgoBN
#COSConnects #Psychology
Reposted by Deborah Gater
Get students talking 🗣️ before they start drawing curly arrows. Oracy helps them explain, question and solve mechanisms with confidence – and it’s easy to build into your teaching: edu.rsc.org/ideas/using-...
#chemsky
#chemsky
Using talk to help learners master organic mechanisms
Improve post-16 students' understanding through verbal communication
edu.rsc.org
September 4, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Get students talking 🗣️ before they start drawing curly arrows. Oracy helps them explain, question and solve mechanisms with confidence – and it’s easy to build into your teaching: edu.rsc.org/ideas/using-...
#chemsky
#chemsky
Doing some pre-semester thinking about DCM substitution in teaching labs (mainly for caffeine extraction) and thought I'd share a thread in case anyone else is also still working on this. Reading included Wright and Welder's piece in J Chem Ed from earlier this summer... #ChemSky #ITeachChem
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Elimination of Dichloromethane from the Introductory Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratory
Recent regulatory action in the United States has made it impractical for many institutions of higher learning to continue the use of dichloromethane in their teaching laboratories. We offer condensed...
pubs.acs.org
September 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Doing some pre-semester thinking about DCM substitution in teaching labs (mainly for caffeine extraction) and thought I'd share a thread in case anyone else is also still working on this. Reading included Wright and Welder's piece in J Chem Ed from earlier this summer... #ChemSky #ITeachChem
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(1/5)
Interesting piece. I wonder if the outcomes of this research would be similar / the same across different apprenticeship sectors and subjects.
This week on Wonkhe: Research by a team at The Open University suggests that, when it comes to degree apprenticeship independence and success, prior experience in the workplace makes a difference
Refocusing apprenticeships towards younger learners will require a renewed focus on student support
Research by a team at The Open University suggests that, when it comes to degree apprenticeship independence and success, prior experience in the workplace makes a difference
buff.ly
August 30, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Interesting piece. I wonder if the outcomes of this research would be similar / the same across different apprenticeship sectors and subjects.
Day 2 highlights at #ViCEPHEC25 included the whole Lab Design session (shoutouts to @annajkirkham.bsky.social, Tyler Hughes, Gina Washbourn, Ed Breeds & chair @drlinneasoler.bsky.social). Loved the desire to understand student perspective to help improve individual and collective experience.
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August 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Day 2 highlights at #ViCEPHEC25 included the whole Lab Design session (shoutouts to @annajkirkham.bsky.social, Tyler Hughes, Gina Washbourn, Ed Breeds & chair @drlinneasoler.bsky.social). Loved the desire to understand student perspective to help improve individual and collective experience.
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Some #ViCEPHEC25 highlights for me so far have included Jacquie Robson’s keynote on her non-linear teaching-focused academic career trajectory, as well as…
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a pink background with a white circle that says " you can do the thing "
Alt: a pink background with a white circle that says " you can do the thing "
media.tenor.com
August 29, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Some #ViCEPHEC25 highlights for me so far have included Jacquie Robson’s keynote on her non-linear teaching-focused academic career trajectory, as well as…
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Some of you will be arriving in Liverpool tomorrow for the #ViCEPHEC25 satellite meetings run by the IOP and RSC. Registration will be open from 1-5pm in the CTL (entrance pictured below), and we can direct you to the meetings from there.
We're so excited to welcome some of you tomorrow!
We're so excited to welcome some of you tomorrow!
August 26, 2025 at 7:42 PM
This was such a fascinating and constructive event! #ChemSky #ITeachChem
🎉 Today’s the day! We're thrilled to be hosting our (Gen)AI in Education workshop, bringing together brilliant minds from 26 universities across the UK!
We’re diving into how generative AI is shaping the future of teaching, learning, and research — and we can’t wait to explore it together.💬🤖📚
We’re diving into how generative AI is shaping the future of teaching, learning, and research — and we can’t wait to explore it together.💬🤖📚
July 21, 2025 at 8:51 PM
This was such a fascinating and constructive event! #ChemSky #ITeachChem
Accidentally made too much sweet-potato mash for my bread recipe, and was obliged to make muffins with the rest… 😇 #ChemistsWhoCook
July 14, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Accidentally made too much sweet-potato mash for my bread recipe, and was obliged to make muffins with the rest… 😇 #ChemistsWhoCook
Reposted by Deborah Gater
This is a really great piece by @michaeloneill.org
One of the real challenges in STEM Ed has been translating the research findings into the classroom. I think it's because in STEM we (broad brush strokes here) struggle with how to talk about teaching?
www.michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/...
One of the real challenges in STEM Ed has been translating the research findings into the classroom. I think it's because in STEM we (broad brush strokes here) struggle with how to talk about teaching?
www.michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/...
Hope in Chemistry Education — Michael O'Neill
Reflections on the place hope might occupy in Chemistry Education, prompted by Gannon’s Radical Hope: a teaching manifesto .
www.michaeloneill.org
June 30, 2025 at 6:26 PM
This is a really great piece by @michaeloneill.org
One of the real challenges in STEM Ed has been translating the research findings into the classroom. I think it's because in STEM we (broad brush strokes here) struggle with how to talk about teaching?
www.michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/...
One of the real challenges in STEM Ed has been translating the research findings into the classroom. I think it's because in STEM we (broad brush strokes here) struggle with how to talk about teaching?
www.michaeloneill.org/blog-1/2025/...
#ChemSky Us too?
I remember sitting through a lecture at the ENS in Paris that *felt* (to my UG mind) as though it started with this and then derived the Whole Of Spectroscopy… 🤯😍
I remember sitting through a lecture at the ENS in Paris that *felt* (to my UG mind) as though it started with this and then derived the Whole Of Spectroscopy… 🤯😍
Free, unsolicited advice for physics students: many things will go more smoothly for you if you can derive and explain the simple harmonic oscillator in your sleep
June 26, 2025 at 6:37 PM
#ChemSky Us too?
I remember sitting through a lecture at the ENS in Paris that *felt* (to my UG mind) as though it started with this and then derived the Whole Of Spectroscopy… 🤯😍
I remember sitting through a lecture at the ENS in Paris that *felt* (to my UG mind) as though it started with this and then derived the Whole Of Spectroscopy… 🤯😍