ESP Biography

Sherlock Holmes was a man of many talents. Aside from being a consummate detective, he was also a skilled chemist. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson calls his knowledge of chemistry “profound”, and in 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry awarded him an honorary fellowship. Students will learn about some of the important discoveries made by chemists of the Holmes era (late 1800’s to early 1900’s), as well as some important basic chemical concepts. This class contains lecture and demonstration.

Sherlock Holmes was a man of many talents. Aside from being a consummate detective, he was also a skilled chemist. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson calls his knowledge of chemistry “profound”, and in 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry awarded him an honorary fellowship. Students will learn about some of the important discoveries made by chemists of the Holmes era (late 1800’s to early 1900’s), as well as some important basic chemical concepts. This class contains lecture and demonstration.

Why are fluorescent highlighters brighter in sunlight than under an incandescent bulb? Why do certain energy drinks glow with a yellow green color? Why are fluorescent bulbs more efficient than incandescent bulbs? The answers to all of these questions lies in fluorescence. Fluorescence is a form of luminescence where a compound absorbs energy (electromagnetic radiation, often in the form of light), and then almost immediately emits energy (again, electromagnetic radiation, often in the form of light). This class will explain what that means, and will cover the basic science behind fluorescence. Building upon that material will allow us to touch upon some more complicated concepts (Stokes shift, Jablonski energy diagrams), and discuss applications of fluorescence in spectroscopy. We will also see some examples of fluorescence in everyday objects - including "glow-in-the-dark" (more accurately: "fluoresce under UV light") foods! At the end of this class, students will be able to answer all of the above questions!

Sherlock Holmes was a man of many talents. Aside from being a consummate detective, he was also a skilled chemist. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson calls his knowledge of chemistry profound, and in 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry awarded him an honorary fellowship. Students will learn about some of the important discoveries made by chemists of the Holmes era (late 1800s to early 1900s), as well as some important basic chemical concepts. This class contains lecture, demonstration, and hands on components, including some experiments that Holmes himself might have performed.

Have you ever wanted to grow your own food? Are you intrigued by homesteaders in The Little House books, by victory gardens planted by Americans in the 40’s, or by the organic produce at local farmers’ markets? If so, then you might enjoy vegetable gardening! Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby that has increased in popularity in recent years. This course will cover the basics of vegetable gardening, and will also include a discussion of our own personal gardening experiences. Both newcomers and more experienced gardeners are welcome!

Sherlock Holmes was a man of many talents. Aside from being a consummate detective, he was also a skilled chemist. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson calls his knowledge of chemistry “profound”, and in 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry awarded him an honorary fellowship. Students will learn about some of the important discoveries made by chemists of the Holmes era (late 1800’s to early 1900’s), as well as some important basic chemical concepts. This class contains lecture, demonstration, and hands on components, including some experiments that Holmes himself might have performed.

Have you ever wanted to grow your own food? Are you intrigued by homesteaders in The Little House books, by victory gardens planted by Americans in the 40's, or by the organic produce at local farmers’ markets? If so, then you might enjoy vegetable gardening! Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby that has increased in popularity in recent years. In this course, students will learn some basics of vegetable gardening. Students will start their own plants from seed, and will be provided with a plant to take home. I will also provide a care sheet and a list of books and websites for further reading.

Sherlock Holmes was a man of many talents. Aside from being a consummate detective, he was also a skilled chemist. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson calls his knowledge of chemistry “profound”, and in 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry awarded him an honorary fellowship. This class will cover some of the important discoveries made by chemists of the Holmes era (late 1800’s to early 1900’s). It will also include some demonstrations of basic chemical concepts and experiments that Holmes himself might have performed. Finally, students will run an enzyme catalyzed reaction and will learn how to perform a blood test that is sometimes referred to as the Sherlock Holmes blood test.

Have you ever wondered how batteries work? Are you enthralled by tales of Alessandro Volta’s demonstrations of the first battery, the voltaic pile? Would you like to build a voltaic pile of your very own? In this class, we will discuss the basic chemistry behind batteries. We will focus on the advancements made in the 1800’s by Volta, Galvani, and Faraday. Using this knowledge, we will build a voltaic pile out of common materials. Students will make and test their own batteries.

Have you ever wondered how batteries work? Are you enthralled by tales of Alessandro Volta's demonstrations of the first battery, the voltaic pile? Would you like to build a voltaic pile of your very own? In this class, we will discuss the basic chemistry behind batteries. We will focus on the advancements made in the 1800's by Volta, Galvani, and Faraday. Using this knowledge, we will build a voltaic pile out of common materials. Students will make and test their own batteries.