Thursday, December 22, 2016

"Science Helps Squeeze Out Every Last Drop" - from Inside Science


Inspired by the lotus leaf.  Who would have thought?
 I have bottles standing upside down at my sink at this moment... 



(from Inside Science) -- "Sometimes science solves longstanding mysteries like gravitational waves, or finds one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe called top quarks.

"Or sometimes science just helps with some of life’s little frustrations -- like getting the last drop of shampoo out of the bottle. There’s just no getting around it -- no matter how much you squeeze or shake a shampoo bottle -- there’s always going to be some left behind.

"Now scientists have invented a coating for the inside of bottles, so getting every last drop out is finally achievable.

"The lotus leaf's bumpy surface, which lets liquids roll right off, led the researchers to create a coating for the inside of bottles made of tiny nanoparticles. If you could look at the coating under a microscope, you would see a tiny "y” that cradles droplets of shampoo, which are balanced on top of a tiny bubble of air. This minimizes the contact between the shampoo and the inside of the shampoo bottle.

"The video shows shampoo and laundry detergent sticking to an uncoated surface and then as shampoo and detergent slide off a surface treated with the new coating. 'We can create a structure which will repel liquid but we’d like to make sure it does it for a long period of time,' said Bhushan. Once the coating is perfected it will be several years before we can buy products that use the coating in their bottles. So, until then, keep storing bottles upside down or give them a good shake."
© 2016 American Institute of Physics    --Emilie Lorditch, Staff Writer, Inside Science

Friday, December 09, 2016

Open until 10pm, Reading Period Day #1

We are nearly through the last day of classes - reading period and exams are totally in sight.  Science library hours are extended on Saturday, December 10 until 10pm, so plan on spending your Saturday evening in the science library.  Yeah!  We are doing our best to shed light on your study space, with seasonal lights draped around the new book display and some of the larger potted plants.  The tree of lights with snow avatars, created by staff and library users, lends a cheerful presence.  Take a look!
Snowscape at library entrance
Tree of lights and snow avatars
We have room for many more snow avatars.  Have a bit of fun at the circulation desk, where there is still a healthy supply of craft supplies.  Check out a new book for Winter Term reading while you're at it.
Looking into the library through the window at the new book display.

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Create a "snow avatar" for our tree of lights

If you haven't seen Frozen you must borrow or rent or buy the film now.  This December, at least.
We are interjecting light and shiny things into dark December and the last week of classes with some old-school crafty fun. Stop by the circ desk to get instructions and add your avatar to the tree of lights.

We need more happy faces.  Yours would be oh so welcome.

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Professor Emeritus N. C. Craig publishes in Journal of Molecular Spetroscopy

A recent paper by Norm Craig, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry:

Craig, Norman C., Peter Groner, Andrew R. Conrad, Ranil Gurusinghe, Michael J. Tubergen.
Microwave spectra for the three C-13(1) isotopologues of propene and new rotational constants for propene and its C-13(1) isotopologues.
Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy, 328 1-6; 10.1016/j.jms.2016.07.002 OCT 2016.

Subscriber access at sciencedirect (post-publication).  Access the pre-publication HTML version at
The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System.