I'm a "dirt-ologist". I love studying the interface of human and environment interaction, often asking the rather rhetorical question: "Do we change the landscape, or does the landscape change us?"
I also captain the ISS Insanitekian, a startup adventure of a lifetime.
Picture this: You’re watching a student’s eyes light up as they use a pulley system to effortlessly hoist a heavy bucket. “This machine takes away work!” they exclaim triumphantly. You smile—they’re engaged, they’re excited—but there’s a problem. They’ve just locked in one of the most persistent misconceptions about simple machines, one that will muddy their …
Imagine walking into a crowded comic‑con where everyone is in costume, talking at once, and you’re supposed to find your friend dressed as one very specific superhero. That chaos? That’s your crude protein mixture. In swoops affinity chromatography, the over‑enthusiastic super‑fan with a VIP list and a velvet rope, grabbing only the molecules with the …
Earth keeps a diary, but it does not use words—it writes in layers. Each bed of sand, mud, ash, or gravel preserves a brief episode in Earth’s history: a river shifting course, a shoreline advancing or retreating, an eruption dusting the landscape, or a long pause marked only by weathering and erosion. Stratigraphy is the discipline …
Crystals don’t just sparkle in jewelry stores—they’re born from Earth’s interior in a process so precise that geologists can predict which minerals will form at each temperature drop. If you’ve ever wondered why a granite countertop glitters with different minerals, or how scientists know where to dig for gems, the answer lies in understanding crystal …
Ion exchange chromatography (IEX) is a liquid chromatography technique that separates molecules by their charge using a charged stationary phase and an aqueous mobile phase. It is a workhorse for purifying proteins, nucleic acids, and inorganic ions in both research and industry . Brief history Early observations of ion exchange date back to 19th‑century soil …
Crystals are what happens when matter gets organized. Atoms, ions, or molecules line up in repeating patterns, building solid structures that can be seen with the naked eye or only under a microscope. This invisible order is what gives crystals their characteristic shapes, colors, and properties, whether they form deep underground, in a metal pot …
Column chromatography is one of those sweet spots where chemistry turns into both art and strategy—a scientific puzzle that rewards patience, planning, and a dash of intuition. At its core, column chromatography is a separation technique born from the principle that molecules have personalities. Some like to stick; others prefer to drift along. The method …
Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) is one of the most approachable yet powerful chromatography techniques. Building on the foundations of paper chromatography, TLC offers clearer results, faster separations, and more flexibility for scientists in the lab as well as learners in the classroom. Thin Layer Chromatography: A Brief History Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) emerged from scientific …
There are several types of chromatography, and the history is rich with exploration. This is the beginning of a blog series that dives deeper into the lab technique, starting with Mikhail Tsvet, who first started to explore the colourful world around us. History of Chromatography The first chromatography column was invented in 1901 by Russian …
Imagine being in front of a sea of bored, teenage eyes that are begrudgingly sitting through a required math class on squared numbers. Then you start challenging them. “I bet you I can square any large number ending in 5 in less than 25 seconds… in my head. Go on, you tell me a number, …