The Chemistry of BBQ

As many of us are off from work on Memorial Day, we take this opportunity to get together with our friends and family to enjoy some tasty barbecue meals! Some of that delicious taste and aroma comes from the production of phenolic compounds from burning charcoal, in addition to the old faithful Maillard Reaction that occurs in meats. Make sure to marinate your meats to avoid the formation of heterocyclic amines! This infographic is a great one from http://www.compoundchem,com. You can find more about the chemistry of barbeque here.

Dr. Niedziela is serious about his BBQ and you can check the videos of his setup and work here.

Also check out our Instagram for more memorial-day-related infographics

Chemistry and the Military

Chemistry is everywhere and a part of everything. The advances in chemistry have affected all aspects of our lives. In the words of chemist George Whitesides, chemists “… change the way you live and die”.

Chemists have also served our country in the military. One example is Dr. Chris Cramer, a computational chemist who most recently was the Vice President for research for the University of Minnesota. Here is a little information about him:

Chemistry also protects our troops. Kevlar, a material used in protective armor, is a polymer, or long chain of repeating units (monomers), just like the plastic used in plastic bottles. However, the structure imparts better strength compared to the plastic in bottles. Kevlar was discovered by Stephanie Kwolek. This great infographic on Kevlar comes from http://www.compoundchem.com:

CSH 10-year anniversary and Memorial Day

Hello Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry community,

Happy Memorial day! We wanted to also say that all this week, our department is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the College of Science and Health.

Memorial day started as a way to celebrate and honor the soldiers who died the civil war, and continues today as a Federal holiday to honor those who have given their lives in military service. We honor all who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and think of them and their families today.

Memorial day is often a time when families and friends gather together, and while this year is certainly different, we hope that you can at least spend some virtual time with loved ones. While today is a holiday and the department is closed, we wanted to share some chemistry-related info over social media. Look out for posts later today!

Also keep and eye on this space and other social media over this week as the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the College of Science and Health, culminating with our departmental Awards symposium on Friday!