Ms. Lee Says - ACCHS Chemistry

LOL a better question may be what groups are in my cabinets. I am very mindful when purchasing items which require refrigeration. I do the pasture raised eggs, organic fruits, vegetables, and sauces. Most items in my fridge are Group 1 and Group 3. The whole fruits and veggies fall into Group 1 and the sauces fall under Group 3. The only meat allowed in the home is fresh or frozen fish which falls under Group 1 or 2. The second we step away from my fridge and into my cabinets its a processed food party. There are the occasional bags of fresh uncooked beans, rice, yams, and garlic. There is an unbalanced amount of Group 4 ultra processed foods. Funny thing is I thought I was making healthier options. I purchase spinach pasta, vegan pesto,  organic tortilla chips, and similar Group 4 foods with an organic veggie base. Looking into the depth of my cabinets helped me realize I need to consider buying some of my grains more selectively. I should stick to the bulk bins or purchase items ...

I had a dog in the house from birth to 4 years old. I started developing allergies around the age of 7 and again during undergrad. Reading the article Can Dogs Keep Kids from Getting Allergies made me wonder if allergies would be part of my today if I continued to have a dog throughout my life. Theoretically speaking a dog can only expose the household to contaminants based in the local environment. There is a possibility I have a richer microbiome for San Bernardino County, CA. Shortly after moving to locations such as Orange County and Monterrey County, then I developed resurgence of nasal allergies. As one moves from Southern CA to Northern CA multiple factors change such as local agriculture, environmental moisture, pollutants, wildlife activity, pollen, and trees. While living in Monterey, my housing was next to a huge wildlife preservation. All I knew was life in the suburbs, major cities, and desert. In Monterey from the land to the sea everything was new to me. I saw luscious ...

I didn't realize how far behind I was until reading the introduction to cell and virus structure. Science makes leaps with time and disproves what was previously known to be true. I was taking my first science classes in elementary school. I remember Pluto was considered a planet in our solar system and cellular evolution theory was " key chemicals fell to earth on meteorites from outer space." This means there was only one evolutionary theory being taught. Since then there are three and they all have theoretical validity. I want to take a minute to acknowledge my previous ignorance and celebrate the realization of change in a new way. I recall the progression of technology from it being a luxury to own a box shaped computer with dial up internet to walking around with a mini-computer in our hands. I never considered the developments of science outside of technology. I'm glad this finally hit me and I guess its better late than never.

During class the subject matter of nuclear energy regulations vs elimination of all nuclear power arose. The systemic issue to whats happening on our planet and especially in the US, is a lack of moderation. I disagree with an all or nothing mentality. The absence of nuclear power will not change how corporations develop and utilize power sources. As a country we need to do a better job at moderating our usage of power and corporations need to do the same. Bouncing from one extreme to the other is not going to fix another. The use of nuclear power is not benefiting the environment. A transition to renewable energy such as hydrogen while finding a way to dispose or re-purpose the remaining nuclear energy is ideal to me. This is what needs to be done to all hazordous materials. For example, I don't think RoundUp should stop being used until there is plan in place to transition from RoundUp to a more environmentally friendly option, properly dispose of the remaining RoundUp, and legis...

Biochemistry is a difficult subject for both student and teacher.  As a student, I can say chemistry is difficult and biochemistry as part of the umbrella of chemistry is especially difficult. Chemistry is a combination of science and math which I consider to be complex subjects. I used to enter a chemistry class or look at a periodic table with increasing anxiety. Since, we began looking at chemistry through a lens of how it is part of our everyday and how it may impact our future, my perspective has changed. When I think of chemistry now, I feel a sense of wonder, empowerment, and confusion. If its taken me decades to reach a place of comfortable confusion and wonder. All the while seeing it as a difficult subject matter, how does a teacher see it as difficult. I am not even an ammeter but a teacher is at some level of mastery. I don't understand the difficulty with the subject matter from the teachers perspective. Does their difficulty with the subject matter stem from its cap...