Chemists Making Music

By Maureen Rouhi

Last night, I enjoyed a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of symposium sessions and booth hopping at the exposition. For one-and-a-half hours at the Ralston Room of the Palace Hotel, I and many other meeting attendees simply immersed ourselves in music, piano solos by Victoria Bragin and chamber music from the Caltech Chamber Music Ensemble. The evening offered us a facet of the lives of chemists that is rarely on display.

Bragin retired as a chemistry professor from Pasadena City College in 2002. Her professional career was devoted to chemical education, particularly the development of discovery-based materials to help explain chemistry concepts. Music obviously is central to her life; in 2002, she won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs.

Tchotchke Roundup Returns

By Rachel Petkewich

No candy, pens, or pencils. No literature or periodic tables. And I wasn't stopping my stroll through the vast hall to visit a booth unless something caught my eye from the aisle. Those were my rules for scoping out the best exposition giveaways in Halls B & C of the Moscone Center.

(Photos by Rachel Petkewich)

Although I thought more exhibitors had something beyond business cards than at previous meetings, I didn't find one clear, unique, and ultimate runaway winner this time. Here's my breakdown:

Tenderbutton For Lunch

By Bethany Halford & Amanda Yarnell

If you're reading this blog, chances are you didn't get here from C&EN's website. No, you probably got here from Dylan Stiles's Tenderbutton blog (assuming Stiles was kind enough to link to us after we bought him lunch on Tuesday). That's okay. We're not afraid to acknowledge Stiles's superior blogging skills.

C&EN staffers who know their way around the blogosphere will tell you that reading Tenderbutton is one of the best ways to procrastinate and still look like you're working.