Posts

Laura M. McCaslin, Andreas W. Götz, Mark A. Johnson, R. Benny Gerber The reaction of N2O5 at atmospheric interfaces has recently received considerable attention due to its importance in atmospheric chemistry. N2O5 reacts preferentially with Cl− to form ClNO2/NO3− (Cl− substitution), but can also react with H2O to form 2HNO3 (hydrolysis). In this paper, we explore these competing reactions in a theoretical study of the clusters N2O5/Cl−/nH2O (n=2–5), resulting in the identification of three reaction motifs. First, we uncovered an SN2-type Cl− substitution reaction of N2O5 that occurs… Read More »Effects of Microhydration on the Mechanisms of Hydrolysis and Cl⁻ Substitution in Reactions of N₂O₅ and Seawater

One of the hardest skills for people to hone is the ability to confidently tackle questions that they don’t know the answer to.  In research and academic settings, these situations arise all the time, but can be difficult to prepare for.  Interviews, sitting on a panel, and responding to questions while giving an oral presentation can be high-pressure events that require a confident and cool demeanor.  As a person, I am naturally fairly anxious about giving talks and answering questions… Read More »Answering tough questions: the art of saying “I Don’t Know”

I want to start this post by saying that you will give talks in front of groups of people that include non-experts 99% of the time.  One of the traits I had until my postdoc (and see extremely frequently in others) is that I thought everyone else knows everything I know and more.  When I gave presentations as a PhD student, I assumed everyone in the audience had an intimate knowledge of my research area already and blasted them with… Read More »How to give a talk that non-experts will enjoy and understand (and overcome the embarrassment of trying)

For all you academics out there struggling to get anything done, I am with you.  I have been social distancing for over two weeks now (since 3/13) in my apartment where I live alone (except for my cat, Popsicle).  This means that the only two in-person conversations I’ve had were brief chats with my neighbors on the way to the mailbox or grocery store.  I started social distancing before many of my close friends and family members.  These first few… Read More »Forgive yourself for doing less

Well, it’s official.  After working at my new position for only 4 weeks, I’ve been encouraged to participate in “social distancing” by working remotely.  As a theoretical chemist, this is usually quite natural, and I’ve spent large parts of my research career mainly working from home.  When I tell people this, they ask how I can be so productive at home when there are so many distractions, and no one is checking to make sure you’re working.  In light of… Read More »3 tips for staying focused and motivated when working from home

Wow.  I know how it feels to sit down at your computer with a week or two to go from nothing to a full scientific paper or proposal.  For me, the feeling of being completely overwhelmed to the point that I can’t make any progress is the most difficult thing to overcome.  Taking those first few steps to set oneself up for success is crucial.  To do this, you need to separate your paper writing into two steps: thinking and… Read More »From the blank page to your first paper: staying organized and getting it done

Last year (2019) was busy for ol’ McCaslin.  I didn’t have much luck with my R1 tenure-track faculty applications in the 2018-2019 cycle, so I made a conscious effort to get in front of as many people at as many conferences as possible.  In all this, I was writing conference abstracts constantly, trying to sell my research to scientific conference organizers.  Many conferences, such as select Gordon Research Conferences (GRC), choose a few students and postdocs to highlight their work… Read More »How to make your conference abstract stand out from the pack