Professor K's list of chemistry, health, and QCC resources

• The American Chemical Society has a list of jobs you can get with a degree in chemistry, which includes job outlook and salary range.
  They list more than 30 different areas of employment, from Forensic Chemistry to Nuclear Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry and more!
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also lists the prospects of people with degrees in chemistry in the Occupational Outlook Handbook
• The Institute for Broadening Participation has a great search engine for finding paid summer internships in STEM

• You need a good calculator for chemistry, and it doesn't have to be expensive. Check this one out.
• ACD ChemSketch (free chemistry structure drawing program- very versatile and great for lab reports!)
• ChemDoodle is a similar web-based program
• Chemistry plug-in for Microsoft Word
• Periodic table or element questions? Check out the free Simple Periodic Table app at the Google Play store.
• Got an iPad instead? Check out the NOVA Elements iPad app (also available in an online edition).
• While a dedicated scientific calculator is required in most chemistry classes, the RealCalc Scientific Calculator app (Android) is great in a lot of other situations.
• The Royal Society of Chemistry has a free downloadable symbol font that can be helpful in writing lab reports. Note that you will have to save the font in a Word file if you are emailing the file, but you cannot embed it in a pdf.
• The AtomDroid app is powerful molecular modeling software (more powerful than a Silicon Graphics computer from the early 90s!).
• For iPhone/iPad, the free molecular modeling app is called Molecules.
• My Molecularium (from the folks behind the film "Molecules to the Max") is a fun game for Android or iPhone that allows you to build molecules in 3D and learn about them.

• Professor K's lab report checksheet to help you avoid the most common errors that beginning science writers make
• The QCC Library has an excellent guide to the research process. It isn't specific to laboratory reports (they're working on one), but is still useful, and definitely helpful in your other classes.
• Professor K's sample general chemistry lab report
• Professor K's sample organic chemistry lab report
• Are your lab reports not quite where they should be because of grammar? Sign up for the free newsletter (and see back issues) at GrammarBook.
• For a funny video on common grammar mistakes, check out these puppets.
• For excellent general writing tips, you should pick up a copy of E.B. White's The Elements of Style, and for science writing, get The ACS Style Guide.
• Chapter 14 of The ACS Style Guide on proper reference formatting is available for free online.
• Purdue University has a great Online Writing Lab which offers all sorts of help with writing, formatting, etc.
• This is a financial advice site, but it has a great guide to making charts in Excel.

• The QCC Library has a Guide for chemistry students
• Spectral Database for Organic Compounds
• Chemical compatibility chart
• Tons of online conversion factors and other tools at WebQC, including a great molecular mass calculator (though their spelling/grammar is lacking)
• For an interesting idea on a different arrangement of the periodic table, check out the Periodic Spiral
• Ptable is a great, dynamic periodic table that has more features added each year
• For even MORE periodic tables, check out the Database of Periodic Tables, which has some fun ones (The Simpsons, etc.) on the Chemogenesis Webbook site which has a LOT of other very useful information
• There is a LOT of information in GRAPHICAL format at the Compound Chemistry site developed by Andy Brunning

• Pearson's free math tutorial for chemists
• Mahjong Chemistry is a fun game that tests your skills at oxidation numbers, polyatomic ions, valence electrons, and several other topics (also available for Android phones)
• YouTube user CrashCourse has a whole series of chemistry videos that are quite useful
• Arizona State University + Crash Chemistry's chemistry review videos
• Very dry free chemistry videos from the Khan Academy
• Very dry free chemistry tutoring videos from some guy calling himself FreelanceTeach
• Andy Allan's ScienceGeek site is aimed at high school students, but has a lot of information that's good for college students and faculty, including a hilarious scientific doublespeak generator
• Fred Senese (co-author of the Brady & Senese textbook) has a lot of chemistry and math for chemistry tutorials available for free on his web site
• In addition to the Database of Periodic Tables above, the Chemogenesis Webbook site developed by Dr. Mark Leach has a LOT of other very useful information and is linked to another of his sites, Chemistry-Drills.
• A Professor’s Pointers for Success in College: 21 Easy-to-Follow Tips from the Huffington Post

• An interesting article on the value of working with your hands. (A gentle reminder for "type-A" students despite our slipping educational standards.)
• An interesting article on electronegativity anomalies
• Some cringeworthy chemistry jokes
• Education in Finland vs. the USA
• TIME magazine article on the future of higher education (October 2012 cover story)
• Interested in polymers? Steve Spangler gives lessons on how to make slime
• The #overlyhonestmethods hashtag is being used to mark some amusing things about research
• Thoughts on becoming a more productive learner
• Mike Rowe talks about working smart AND working hard

Health resources

• Free healthcare for young people, including LGBTQ youth
• The SUNY Optometric Clinic in Midtown offers totally free eye exams once a month
• Free healthcare offered by Mt. Sinai Hospital for young people age 10-22.

QCC information

© 2013-2021 Professor Kevin Kolack