“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” according to philosopher and novelist George Santayana. This applies not just to the political or economic sphere, but also to the activities of science as well. A case in point: the 1918 flu pandemic. According to a 2006 article published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Read More
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hexaoxatricosane
To understand a chemical compound, you’d want to know the basic chemical and physical properties, such as molecular mass, density, and vapor pressure. But if you really want to know about it, you’ll study its toxic effects on fish, its irritating effects on skin, and its debilitating effects on reproduction. An example is the IUCLID Read More
 Richard Gaughan January 31st, 2012
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Platform Scales Ensure Iowa Gets Value for Their Dollar
Anybody who’s ever sold anything to the government knows that the paper trail is as important as the item or service being sold. It can be a little frustrating, but the system is in place to ensure that transactions are fair and honest, and taxpayers get value for their money. A case in point is Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 31st, 2012
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Laboratory Refrigerator Maintains Integrity of Field Samples Until Testing
Cleaning up old nuclear weapons facilities doesn’t sound simple, but it certainly sounds important. It’s a job you want done right, because the consequences of error are serious, so the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment came up with a plan to sample and monitor Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 31st, 2012
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Carburetor Crud Floats Away During Ultrasonic Cleaning
Another in our series of videos on the value of ultrasonic cleaning. This one is pretty standard, with the creator commenting that “I always think it is cool to see the clouds of crud floating away when I turn it on.” And, sure enough, when this string trimmer carburetor hits that fluid, the crud comes Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 31st, 2012
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Rainfall Shelters Protect Agricultural Research Plots
When you hear the words “rainfall shelter,” it’s likely you think of a gazebo in the park or a shack at the corner bus stop. If you’re an agricultural scientist, you have a different idea. You can learn about that different idea in an article in the 2003 edition of the Encyclopedia of Water Science. Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 31st, 2012
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OSHA Monitors Liver-Damaging Chemical
OSHA is responsible for maintaining the health of the workplace. Their job requires a lot more than making sure mechanical equipment is built with safeguards, or establishing work rules for safety. For example, they establish monitoring and exposure standards for chemicals such as N,N-Dimethylformamide, which can cause liver damage, along with “abdominal distress, colicky abdominal Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 30th, 2012
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Using a Moisture Balance in Water Quality Analysis
Dissolved solids have an effect on water quality. Here's how to measure for them. Read More
 Rachel Kohn January 30th, 2012
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How to Build a Roadside Weigh Station
If you were responsible for enforcing the weight regulations for traffic on public highways, you’d want to set up measurement stations and then spell out requirements for those stations. The Washington State Department of Transportation is in just such a position, which is why they published requirements for installing and maintaining platform scales at their vehicle Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 30th, 2012
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Fluid Analysis Laboratory Capabilities Outlined
The Multiphase Fluids Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is used to characterize radiologic suspensions and slurries. They’ve got a variety of equipment, as they outline on their web page. For example, they have a rheometer to characterize viscosity and associated fluid parameters, they have a zeta potential meter to measure “the electrostatic interaction Read More
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Richard Gaughan January 30th, 2012
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