Did you know that lasers are more than a unique toy for your cat? On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, hosts Roxanne Salkeld and Claris Chan interview Dr. Scott Cushing, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Caltech. Dr. Scott Cushing's research specializes in the development of laser-based instrumentation for applications in chemistry and beyond. Dr. Cushing talks about how to make a tabletop chemical instrument, life as a professor, and the importance of mental health in all professions. Dr. Cushing's enthusiasm for lasers will leave you wanting to learn more. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Scott Cushing you can check out his research, or reach him by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

How many microbial cells do you think you have in your body? A million? A billion? Would you guess that you have as many microbial cells in your body as cells that make up your body (which is approximately 30 trillion)? We didn't! On this week's episode of the ChemTalk Podcast, hosts Roxanne Salkeld and Claris Chan interview Dr. Elizabeth Bess, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at UC Irvine.  Dr. Elizabeth Bess' research specializes in the human microbiome and the chemical reactions that bacteria perform. Dr. Bess explains how gut bacteria can affect more than just whether or not you digest your lunch, but perhaps even your mood and brain. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Elizabeth Bess you can check out her research, Twitter, or reach her by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

Tell me something- before you took a literature class, did you enjoy reading just for the sake of it? And now, do you find yourself identifying motifs, classifying steps in the hero’s journey, or internally (or externally, we don’t judge) commenting on how the color of the rug elevates the mood of a certain scene? Well, we’re about to do that to you, only in this case, we’re gonna tell you everything you need to know about maize, and, maybe, strawberries. Have you heard of Terpenoids? Terpe-WHAT?- you may be asking. Well never fear! On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, hosts Roxanne Salkeld and Alejandra Valenzuela speak to Dr. Philipp Zerbe, Associate Professor of Plant Biology at UC Davis. Dr. Philipp Zerbe's research focuses on plant terpenoids and why this field is so important to study. Dr. Zerbe explains how the primary focus of his research lab is to better understand the diversity of chemistry that plants utilize to defend themselves against stress and react to their surroundings. This information can be used to optimize crop yield and formulate medicines. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Philipp Zerbe you can check out his research or reach him by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

If you’re wondering what on earth MALDI MSI is, you’re not alone. We were right there with you. On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, host Roxanne Salkeld interviews Dr. Elizabeth Neumann,  Assistant Professor of Chemistry at UC Davis. Dr. Elizabeth Neumann's research revolves around the use of MALDI MSI (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging) to identify neurological disease elements without causing disorder in the sample. We also talk about starting a lab from scratch (sort of), and how to get what you want as someone in academia. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Elizabeth Neumann you can check out her research, Twitter, or reach her by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

Pop quiz! What biological agent is most abundant on all of planet Earth? Hint: it’s a type of virus with hyper-specificity, allowing infection of different bacterial species. If you guessed bacteriophages, you’re correct! These phages are viruses that target bacterial cells and subsequently kill their host as they use parts of the bacterial cells to replicate. On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, hosts Claris Chan and Roxanne Salkeld interview Dr. Irene Chen, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA. We discuss what these viruses are, how they work, and the challenges and benefits of using them in the realm of human health and infectious diseases. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Irene Chen you can check out her research or reach her by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

Ever had a bad case of food poisoning? And while you were curled up in the fetal position waiting for it to be over, have you ever googled what might have caused it? This podcast episode might answer all your questions. On this episode of the ChemTalk podcast, hosts Roxanne Salkeld and Claris Chan interview Jennifer Lillig, Professor of Chemistry and Interim Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Sonoma State University. Her research focus is Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogenic bacteria capable of causing severe food-borne illness. Listen to understand why she and her students are breaking apart molecules and experimenting with bacteriocins, and how she’s trying to prevent us from getting so ill in the future. We had lots of fun speaking with Dr. Lillig and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we do! If you would like to know more about Dr. Jennifer Lillig you can check out her research or reach her by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

In this episode, Roxanne interviews Chem-Talk Co-founders Sam and Bo about the ChemTalk organization and the newly released periodic table. You can see a video demo of how to use the table on YouTube and follow along to see all of the exciting features.

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

You’ve had your fair share of flu vaccinations, and probably ones for mumps and measles too! But did you know that one of the most insidious crises of our time could also be treated with a simple shot? On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, host Roxanne Salkeld interviews Dr. Kim Janda, Professor of Chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute. We discuss his research journey to produce a vaccine to combat the opioid crisis, how he became interested in chemistry, and his proudest moment in the lab with one of his students.  If you would like to know more about Dr. Kim Janda you can check out his research or reach him by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

You can change your hair, you can change your clothes. But did you know if you change a genetic sequence of an organism, it will affect not just itself, but its entire lineage to come? On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, host Lawton Long interviews Dr. Carl Denard, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida, along with one of Dr. Denard's  Ph.D. candidates, Sam Martinusen. We discuss the research conducted in Professor Denard's lab, what the field of synthetic biology may look like in the near future, and the pressing issues affecting underprivileged communities in regard to their exposure to the STEM field. If you would like to know more about Dr. Carl Denard you can check out his research, Twitter, or reach him by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!

Would you believe that this periodic table expert has a side hobby of playing blues guitar? On this week's episode of the ChemTalk podcast, host Scott Gietler from ChemTalk interviews Dr. Eric Scerri, Professor of Chemistry at UCLA and periodic table expert. Dr. Scerri has written many books on the periodic table and is specifically interested in philosophical chemistry. With his knowledge of the periodic table, he discusses important figures involved in its development, what happens when an element is disproved, how he became interested in chemistry, and his love for blues guitar. We hope you enjoy! If you would like to know more about Dr. Eric Scerri you can check out his website or Twitter or reach him by email at [email protected].

About us: ChemTalk is a small student-led and ad-free non-profit working to become the top chemistry education platform in the country. Please support us by following our social media channels, sharing our content, and donating if possible. You can access our website for videos, articles, and tutorials on general, organic, and biochemistry. We also have a VERY cool interactive periodic table, articles about the elements and their properties, and experiment demos. ChemTalk is on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which you can access here. Thank you for listening and see you next time!