Equal Pay Day and Revisiting the Matilda Effect

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Did you know that, in addition to being Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday, today (March 14) is Equal Pay Day for 2023? As publicized by the National Committee on Pay Equity, "This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year."  This Census Bureau site has more information and tons …

What can frosting teach us about cell membranes?

You could say that baking runs in my family: the inventor of angel food cake was a distant cousin, the big question at family gatherings when I was a kid was whether my grandfather made a cheesecake, and holidays are always full of homemade cookies, quick breads, and pies. One of my favorite food traditions …

What Nanoparticle Are You? Take Our Quiz to Find Out!

co-written by Claire Alford People love to categorize themselves by personality type, whether it’s describing what kind of baked potato we are, or which character we have most in common with from Stranger Things. But have you ever wondered what kind of nanoparticle you would be?Ā  We thought it would be fun to create a …

Accidental nanoparticles in the environment: the nanoplastic pollution problem

When you hear the term ā€œplastic pollution,ā€ what do you think of? If you’re like me, you might picture a pile of garbage on a beach, or microplastic beads inside a fish. Most of us are aware that plastic pollution can be found everywhere. But you might be surprised to learn that "everywhere" in this …

Why I Think Grad Students Should Give Campus Mental Health Services A Try

When I began my undergraduate degree, I had just been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Within my first few weeks of being at my university, I walked into the campus health services building, told a receptionist exactly that, and got an appointment with a healthcare provider. This began my long, but rewarding, journey navigating campus …

Please Take Our Science Communication Survey!

three people in lab coats and safety goggles look down on a glowing tablet

Hey Science Readers and Writers! We’ve launched a new survey about how readers respond to different text styles. We would appreciate any and all participation to help us understand what kind of texts are most engaging and effective for readers. Please CLICK HERE to take the survey! This will be us looking at your survey …

A Love Letter for Black History Month: St. Elmo Brady, the first Black Ph.D. chemist in the United States

Orange banner showing a portrait of young Black man with text "The Power of I"

As we come to the end of Black History Month for 2022, I find myself contemplating the banner that hangs year-round in front of Noyes Chemistry Lab to celebrate one of the shining stars of my own department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): St. Elmo Brady. Dr. Brady was the first African-American …