One item on my bucket list has been to learn how to make a video game. I figured forced isolation due to the pandemic gave me the time I needed to dive into this project. After 100 hours, I was able to produce Chicken in the lab! where you – the chicken – need to pick up the elements (in order of atomic number) that have been scattered across the lab by an evil Biology Professor.
I’ll have a link to the game once I get it all packaged up for distribution for the 1 or 2 of you daring enough to try it out. Meanwhile, check out this video commentary about my experience with the Unreal Engine 4. You can just jump to 5:55 and see gameplay if you’d like.
Great news from one of my former summer research students; Jenna will be entering SUNY Upstate‘s medical program this fall.
Jenna was in my first crop of summer research students at SUNY Brockport; (check that link, she’s in one of the tie dye lab coats). She was actually a student at MCC participating in the CSTEP program designed to help students find enriching research opportunities.
I’ve had some time to work on my CNC milling and made a Cribbage board for my Dad for Father’s Day. (Yes, I’m late.) We just made it back from a safe, socially distant family vacation in New Hampshire, a place my family has visited for about 4 generations. One of our family traditions is to play Cribbage and we introduced it to my brother-in-law and my nephew. I think they enjoyed it, but you can never really tell because, well, families are not really supposed to share their opinions with one another, right? At least my nephew shared his opinion: it’s boring. Apparently the only thing that isn’t boring to this 15-year-old is a game on his phone where you endlessly “collect power ups to get to the next level”.
Maple cribbage board with oak inlay. Pegs are spray-painted finishing nails cut to size.
It’s day three of the algae treatment of my pond. The data are not that encouraging if you were rooting for algaecide as a quick fix for my swampy green problem. Here are the results:
Visible spectra of pond water over 3 days
The absorption spectrum looks fairly consistent over the three days. We have had temperature fluctuations of about 10-15 degrees in addition to rain, so there are many variables that can impact subtle variations in the shape of the spectrum. The water has not altered from its turbid, green characteristics, and the spectra support the claim that little has changed in terms of algae content.
Fluorescence spectra (excitation wavelength of 405 nm) of pond water over 3 days. The spectra have been normalized by setting the height of the peak at 405 nm to 1.
The fluorescence spectra are displayed slightly differently from the previous articles in that they have been normalized. Assuming that the excitation peak stays roughly the same regardless of conditions, normalizing the spectra allows for a better comparison of the peak at 690 nm. It looks like there was a big change between days 1 and 2; however there is little change, and possibly an increase, in the peak from day 2 to day 3.
The instructions on the algaecide bottle say to repeat the treatment every 3 days until the pond has cleared. I will do one more treatment of 15 mL and if I do not see any meaningful change in the water quality, I will bite the bullet and replace the water.
The first 12 years of my professional life were spent at Chicago State University, a primarily minority serving undergraduate institution located in South Side Chicago. I remember very clearly my interview with the faculty, often being asked how I (a white guy) could contribute to the successful education of young black scientists.
Having grown up in a very monolithic community, the only honest answer I could give was to state that I was open to guidance, willing to learn and committed to doing what it takes to promote student success.
I experienced many joys when students became the first graduates of their families; I experienced great sorrow mourning the loss of students who were victims of gang violence. My students and I continued to challenge one another, learn from one another and become better because of one another.
I feel sorry for racists who do not value diversity. Their ignorance puts them at a disadvantage and makes them weak. It closes doors to them that would lead to remarkable experiences and growth.
The students of Chicago State opened my eyes and mind in ways that I still find difficult to express because they still impact me three years after leaving the college for another school. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach chemistry to the future black leaders of our field and to learn about learning in an environment very different from what I had known.
This is why Black Lives Matter to me, and why I stand by those who continue to fight against the injustice and inequality that should have been left behind in the last millennium.
