Chemistry For Your Life

CSI makes forensic science look fast, easy, and almost magical. But how much of that is actually true?This week we’re joined by forensic chemist and graduate student Nicki Stewart to answer your questions about forensic science. We talk about crime shows, fingerprints, toxicology, illicit drugs, and what really happens inside a forensic laboratory. Plus, Nicki shares what surprised her most when she worked in a real crime lab and why forensic science is often much slower (and more complicated) than TV would have you believe.

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

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Time Stamps

• 0:00 – Do crime shows get forensics right?


• 1:20 – Nicki’s background in forensic chemistry and toxicology


• 6:15 – From forensic chemistry to chemistry education


• 9:10 – The “CSI Effect” and common TV misconceptions


• 12:30 – Breaking Bad, Project Hail Mary, and science accuracy in entertainment


• 14:10 – Transitioning from clinical chemistry to forensic chemistry


• 17:40 – The biggest misconceptions about forensic work


• 20:20 – Forensic chemistry vs. forensic biology


• 22:05 – How fingerprints actually form


• 26:35 – Can fingerprints be removed?


• 26:55 – How forensic labs identify illicit drugs


• 31:10 – Which shows portray science most accurately?


• 33:00 – What’s coming in our next forensic chemistry episode

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Sara Hull

Dog Day Dan

Bri .

Summer Alden

Amanda Raymond

Kyle McCray

Justine

Ash

Vince W

Julie S.

Heather Ragusa

Autoclave

Dorien VD

Scott Beyer

Jessie Reder

J0HNTR0Y

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Venus Rebholz

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

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What happens when the world’s largest gathering of chemistry educators decides to try something new?
This summer we’re partnering with the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) for a special series of Monday episodes. In this kickoff conversation, Melissa sits down with conference organizers to talk about the vision behind this year’s event, why community conversations are replacing traditional keynotes, and how chemistry educators are thinking about the future of teaching and learning. Whether you’re attending BCCE or just curious about how people learn chemistry, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest conversations happening in chemistry education today.

Important Links

• bcce.divched.org/2026


• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife


• chemforyourlife.com

Time Stamps

0:00 – Introducing our BCCE summer series
2:00 – Why Melissa loves BCCE
4:50 – Meet Ariel Vaughn and Ginger Schultz
7:00 – What are Community Conversations?
8:20 – Replacing keynote speakers with interactive discussions
9:00 – How the conversation topics were selected
13:40 – Empowering the community to shape the conference
14:40 – Previewing this year’s Community Conversation topics
16:00 – Neurodiversity, equity, and communities of practice
19:50 – Why community matters in chemistry education
25:20 – Meet BCCE General Chair Sam Pazicni
28:30 – The vision behind this year’s conference
29:00 – “Reflecting Back and Marching Forward” explained
32:30 – The six conference contexts and Community Conversations
37:20 – Who should attend BCCE?
39:00 – Tips for first-time conference attendees
41:00 – Remote attendance and recorded sessions
45:20 – Planning your schedule with the conference app
50:40 – What to wear and what to pack
57:30 – Madison food recommendations and cheese curds
1:03:50 – Special events, parking tips, and final advice
1:08:20 – Final BCCE details and registration information

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Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

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How can the same element make both pencil lead and diamonds?
This week we wrap up our pencil chemistry mini-series by answering a surprisingly tricky question: how do erasers actually erase? Then we dive into one of chemistry’s coolest ideas. Graphite and diamond are both made entirely of carbon, but one is soft enough to write with and the other is the hardest natural material we know. What changed? The answer reveals something remarkable about chemistry, structure, and the hidden world of atoms.

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

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0:00 – Intro: diamonds, carbon, and the hardest natural material
2:25 – How erasers actually erase pencil marks
6:50 – Why erasers get old, crumbly, and less effective
9:50 – Graphite vs. diamond: same element, completely different materials
13:50 – Why diamonds are so hard (and why they sparkle)
15:30 – Allotropes: how carbon can become radically different substances
17:00 – Melissa’s carbon epiphany: appreciating chemistry in a new way
20:20 – Things we didn’t appreciate until later in life (birds, coffee, and more)
25:20 – Father’s Day advice for dads and families
31:50 – Wrap-up + your carbon questions

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Sara Hull

Dog Day Dan

Bri .

Summer Alden

Amanda Raymond

Kyle McCray

Justine

Ash

Vince W

Julie S.

Heather Ragusa

Autoclave

Dorien VD

Scott Beyer

Jessie Reder

J0HNTR0Y

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Venus Rebholz

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

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#158 Rebroadcast

Gemstones come in all sorts of colors, but how do they get them? Are different stones super different at the molecular level? How do these different colors happen naturally? And how can those colors be replicated in lab-made gemstones? Let's get into it.

References from this episode

1. https://www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/jewelry-science.html

• Ciara Linville


• J0HNTR0Y


• Jeannette Napoleon


• Cullyn R


• Erica Bee


• Elizabeth P


• Sarah Moar


• Rachel Reina


• Letila


• Katrina Barnum-Huckins


• Suzanne Phillips


• Nelly Silva


• Venus Rebholz


• Lyn Stubblefield


• Jacob Taber


• Brian Kimball


• Emerson Woodhall


• Kristina Gotfredsen


• Timothy Parker


• Steven Boyles


• Chris Skupien


• Chelsea B


• Bri McAllister


• Avishai Barnoy


• Hunter Reardon

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.

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Why does a pencil work so perfectly? Why does graphite leave marks on paper instead of just crumbling apart? And what do pancakes, honeycombs, geckos, and intermolecular forces have to do with any of it? This week we follow a simple pencil all the way down to carbon atoms, graphene sheets, and the weirdly satisfying chemistry that makes writing possible. Plus: final exam horror stories, missed alarms, and why reading the syllabus might save your GPA.

Support this podcast on Patreon

Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

Timestamps

0:00 – The strangely satisfying feeling of fresh pencils
1:03 – So… how do pencils actually work?
2:07 – A “polymer eraser” sparks this whole episode
3:10 – Are pencils disappearing for Gen Alpha?
4:35 – Graphite, graphene, and carbon structures
6:20 – What graphene actually looks like
7:10 – Carbon bonding and tetrahedral shapes
8:10 – Double bonds and flat molecular structures
9:40 – Electron highways and conductivity
10:20 – Melissa’s graphene model demonstration
13:10 – Why graphene could replace silicon chips
13:30 – Carbon nanotubes explained
14:40 – What holds graphite layers together?
15:00 – Intermolecular forces return
17:10 – Quick refresher on intermolecular forces
18:50 – London dispersion forces and temporary dipoles
19:30 – Why graphite is brittle
20:00 – How pencils leave marks on paper
21:20 – Why graphite is basically perfectly designed for writing
22:00 – A detour into paper, parchment, and writing history
24:00 – Pencil hardness and clay mixtures
26:30 – Jam attempts a chemistry-heavy recap
33:20 – Cliffhanger: how erasers work
34:00 – Final exam disaster stories
36:50 – Oversleeping a college final
39:10 – Melissa’s sprint across campus in pajamas
41:00 – Read the syllabus. Seriously.
43:10 – Teasing next episode: erasers and other forms of carbon

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Kelly D.

Bri

Summer Alden

Amanda Raymond

Kyle McCray

Justine

Ash

Vince W

Julie S.

Heather Ragusa

Autoclave

Dorien VD

Scott Beyer

Jessie Reder

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Venus Rebholz

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.