Pacifichem 2025

Compilation of 3 photos from convention center. Top showing large sign that people could stand behind for group photos, bottom left is a sign from outside our symposium, bottom right is the beautifully floral entrance to the main expo hall.

Every 5 years, chemists from around the Pacific Ocean basin gather in Honolulu to say nerdy things to each other. I first learned about this conference in grad school and it seems like a dream. It seemed impossible that my employer would pay for me to go to Hawaii in December. My first plan to go was in 2020, but COVID had other ideas. the conference was delayed till 2021 and then abruptly switched online, so I gave my talk from the kitchen table of our condo. After that amazing trip (which included a side visit to the big island where we saw a live volcano and snorkeled on Christmas day), I knew I wanted to go back. So I hatched a plan in 2022 to propose a symposium for Pacifichem 2025. I worked with 6 different chemists from around the world to propose, submit, and then organize a symposium. The conference finally came in December 2025 and our symposium "Bridging Research and Practice in Inorganic and General Chemistry Education" was a great success. But just so you don't think it was a vacation, it rained every day, I got blisters from my sandals, and it was tough going to work in paradise. I'm grateful for my dear colleagues Adam, Brett, and Justin for helping me run the sessions as well as all the amazing (and impressive!) chemistry educators and researchers who gave presentations. Especially glad I got to see my friend Kim who was also there for the conference.

At some point in the last 22 years, I became that professor who occasionally goes to exotic places to talk about work. I am not complaining.

Chip and Adam wear matching Joanne shirts in the ultimate inside joke.

Sign greeting us as we entered the tower for our session on Thursday morning.

Recent paper featured

Our paper (citation below) on Generative AI and the concept of valence was published in July 2024. This past spring, it was featured on science.gmu.edu. Read the new piece here. https://science.gmu.edu/news/george-mason-university-study-highlights-limitations-generative-ai-conveying-concepts-general

Jones, Rebecca M., Eva-Maria Rudler, and Conner Preston. 2024. “Exploring the Concept of Valence and the Nature of Science via Generative Artificial Intelligence and General Chemistry Textbooks.” Journal of Chemical Education 101 (8): 3276–83. https://doi.org/10.1021/

acs.jchemed.4c00271.

Abstract graphic from cited paper, showing various quotes from texts about the concept of valence.

This post was written by a human without input from or alternation by artificial generative algorithms.

Winning the 2024 Teaching Excellence Award

I've been nominated for the Stearns Center Teaching Excellence Award 5 times. In Fall 2024, which I was fortunate to only have 1 course and we had a new STEM Accelerator Director who was actually doing the job, I opted to go ahead and apply. After being nominated, I had to submit a 5 page narrative for the 1st round. It took 6 weeks to be informed I had been selected to submit a "portfolio" about my teaching excellence.

What followed was a long journey over winter break (damnit!) which yielded a 134 page narrative about my life as an educator. I opted to take an unconventional approach and used a quest theme complete with dragons! Besides 2024 being the year of the dragon and my lunar zodiac animal, this portfolio was a dragon to slay. When I was notified of winning the award in March 2024, my first thought was "thank G-d, I don't have to ever do that again".

The awards ceremony in April 2024 was lovely. Colleagues, students, and family joined me at a special table in the front of Dewberry Hall. I wore a new dress. I did not hide my tattoos. I was wholly myself and felt proud.

For the sake of posterity and because I am ridiculously proud of my cleverness, find below the opening and closing pages of my portfolio.