Schience as I know it.

Well hellloooooo. Nice of you to drop by!

My name is Miriam. I'm a research schientist, according to my business card. (Yes, I had to get them reprinted.) I work for a research and development institute doing geochemistry, environmental science, and public outreach. I've been a science nerd about as long as I can remember. One day I found that if you mix baking soda and vinegar in a closed container, you get a mini-explosion... and I was hooked. I took loads of science in middle and high school, was on the geeky science team, and then went off to college intending to double major in science and music. As it turns out, aural theory is often at the same timeslot as biology, and it just didn't work out. So I stuck with science as a career and music on the side, got a couple degrees, and started working along the way. I've been really lucky so far with my work and university study opportunities. I've done everything from environmental analyses (like pesticides, PCB's, petroleum contaminants, etc.) to biosensors to nanoparticles to groundwater testing and underground chemical environments. It's all very exciting. The best part of all this is when I get to do field studies. It puts my normal nerdiness right at home out in the wild.

I also work in public outreach, taking the technical-schmechnical and translating it for the non-nerd types; often known as the Angry Citizens with Concerns. This is my FAVORITE. Seriously. I do public meetings, create posters and information sheets and other learning tools, and do lots and lots of talking. I could do this every day.

You'd think I'd get enough of all that molecular business on the job, but I spend a lot of time doing extracurricular academic journal reading (I know, I know... I need to get out more) on nutrition, pharmacology, and fitness. Biochemistry was my undergraduate concentration, and I've really enjoyed taking that info and applying it to the daily putting-of-food-into-mouth. Put all that together and I'm a bit of a lifestyle nerd as well.

My friends know this stuff about me, and as a result I wind up getting asked a lot of questions. "Should I be worried about Teflon?" "Why can't we recycle nuclear fuel?" "Does it really make my electric bill go up if I leave stuff plugged in?" "What's the difference between sugar and Splenda?" "How much protein should I be eating?" "Why IS the sky blue?" The goal of this blog, therefore, is to share useful day to day stuff that has to do with questions people ask me, anti-panic notifications, household stuff, and maybe just some generic interesting science info once in a while. How's that for a thesis statement?

Aside from all that, though... I'm a Christian, an organizing fanatic, and an overzealous collector of clothes, cute purses, and sparkly eyeshadow. (No sense LOOKING like a dork, after all.) I also, of course, spend way too much time on the computer. I appreciate the indulgence of a few online and real-life friends who have encouraged me to start this little blog in the rapidly expanding blogosphere, and I hope you'll come back again! Next time I'll even publish something useful.