[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ background_enable_color=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2022\/07\/bg_beige-bars2.png” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”off” custom_padding=”5px||||false|false” box_shadow_style=”preset2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ custom_margin=”36px||||false|false” custom_padding=”36px|0px|0|0px|false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans||on|on|||||” header_text_color=”#98347b” header_font_size=”31px” header_letter_spacing=”-0.3px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ custom_margin=”||25px||false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_enable_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|800||on|||||” header_2_text_color=”#000000″ header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” header_2_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ header_2_text_shadow_color=”#949494″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_enable_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ custom_margin=”||25px||false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_enable_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”|600||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” global_colors_info=”{}”]Courses created by teaching faculty in Carnegie Mellon University\u2019s Department of Chemistry<\/a> highlight chemistry in daily life.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try for students to become aware of what happens outside of their majors,\u201d said Gloria Silva<\/a><\/span>, an associate teaching professor of chemistry. \u201cIf they are chemistry majors, then we link what they\u2019re learning in the classroom to what they see everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n Gizelle Sherwood<\/span><\/a>, an associate teaching professor of chemistry, said that there is a perception that chemistry \u2014 and science in general \u2014 can be intimidating. While it is a foundational part of science, not everyone grasps that chemistry is all around.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing chemistry when we boil ramen and decide how high we put the heat up on the water. Baking is no different than what we do in an organic lab: we measure and put recipes together. That\u2019s chemistry,\u201d Sherwood said.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ background_enable_color=”off” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”contain” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ custom_margin=”||25px||false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_enable_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#e8c58d” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”|600||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” global_colors_info=”{}”]Sherwood and Silva first co-taught the course The Design and Making of Skin and Hair Products in 2018. The course has been taught in several iterations since then including as a six-week spring minicourse, a remote course during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an outreach program through the Gelfand Center<\/a> and as a project for high school students participating in the Summer Academy for Math and Science<\/a> at Carnegie Mellon.<\/p>\n The course is taken from students across the university. In its current iteration, students learn about the chemical components in cosmetic products and the methods for preparing items such as shampoos, conditioners, lotions, soaps and creams. The course includes a hands-on laboratory experience. With regular guest lecturers from the School of Design, students also delve into marketing products.<\/p>\n Among the class\u2019s alumni is Ananya Kapur, who graduated in 2021 with a degree in chemistry and an additional major in business administration. Kapur founded the cosmetics company Type Beauty right after graduation, but she made her first lipstick in Sherwood\u2019s course.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was my first time. I had already decided that was the direction I was going to go in. I love being in the lab. It\u2019s so fun to see something that you start from scratch and materialize into an actual product,\u201d said Kapur, whose New Delhi-based company has garnered mentions in Vogue, Elle and Harper\u2019s Bazaar.<\/p>\n Sherwood, who is from Trinidad and Tobago, came to CMU for her Ph.D. in chemistry. When she first arrived in Pittsburgh, she said shopping for haircare products could be a challenge because they were separated from other items.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, a Black female, that was kind of crazy,\u201d she said. \u201cEthnic shampoo has the same ingredients as any other shampoo, but maybe different concentrations of oils. Yet, my shampoo needs its own section.\u201d<\/p>\n With the beauty industry intersecting with people in different ages, races, gender identities, cultures and religions, Sherwood applied for and won a Provost Inclusive Teaching award, which provides a $5,000 fellowship for faculty working with Carnegie Mellon\u2019s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation<\/a> to develop and disseminate new approaches to inclusive and equitable teaching in their classrooms.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to get at the individual and to have diversity and inclusion. That meant everyone not only understood individually what the chemistry was for themselves but what it means for other people and their worldviews,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Sherwood and Eberly Center collaborators also found that by the end of each course, students were making more conscious decisions related to the sustainability and environmental impact of products they were purchasing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are seeing this sense of people feeling more empowered by the choices they make,\u201d said Sherwood, who won the Mellon College of Science\u2019s 2020 Julius Ashkin Teaching Award<\/a> for her devotion and effectiveness in teaching.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/04\/2023_initiator_faculty_notes_cosmetic_chemistry.jpg” alt=”Gizelle Sherwood with a student in a lab” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” animation_style=”fade” box_shadow_style=”preset6″ box_shadow_spread=”10px” box_shadow_color=”#98347b” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider color=”#98347b” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”5%” max_width=”5%” module_alignment=”left” animation_style=”roll” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/04\/2023_initiator_faculty_notes_colorcourse2.jpg” alt=”hand made soap” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” animation_style=”fade” box_shadow_style=”preset6″ box_shadow_spread=”10px” box_shadow_color=”#e8c58d” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider color=”#e8c58d” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”5%” max_width=”5%” module_alignment=”left” animation_style=”roll” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ custom_margin=”||25px||false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_enable_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#5bb1af” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”|600||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n On a recent trip to Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar<\/a>, Silva set students to testing the pH balance of coffee, apples and other foods. The session was her second iteration of the course Basics of Food Science, which this semester was taught as part of the micro course program for CMU-Q. This course was designed after The Illusion and Magic of Food, a minicourse taught every fall since 2016 at the main Pittsburgh campus.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things we tested was if black coffee has the same pH level as coffee and milk,\u201d Silva said. Turns out milk\u2019s pH is slightly more neutral than coffee so when it is added to coffee the drink is a little less acidic.<\/p>\n The course sheds light on the main nutrients found in food and their properties as well as discusses processing techniques and ingredients added to extend the shelf life or enhance its appearance.<\/p>\n \u201cMy intention is that they learn a little bit about what\u2019s going on in their food to make informed decisions about what they choose to eat,\u201d Silva said. \u201cSome people will learn how to improve their cooking through chemical reactions that are happening. They also learn what benefits that food can bring through choosing proper type of foods for their health.\u201d<\/p>\n While certain foods can have prestige attached to them, such as chocolate, Silva also addresses problems like child labor and conditions related to the food industry. For example, she has students watch the documentary \u201cFood Inc.\u201d to understand the social and environmental costs behind inexpensive food.<\/p>\n Silva\u2019s food courses have been popular, and she has taught variations for interdisciplinary first-year seminars and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Osher course, I was meeting these people with all of their life experience where we exchanged ideas and opinions,\u201d Silva said.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/04\/2023_initiator_faculty_notes_colorcourse3.jpg” alt=”Gloria Silva teaching the food minicourse” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” animation_style=”fade” box_shadow_style=”preset6″ box_shadow_spread=”10px” box_shadow_color=”#5bb1af” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider color=”#5bb1af” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”5%” max_width=”5%” module_alignment=”left” animation_style=”roll” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/magazine.mcs.cmu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/05\/2023_initiator_faculty_notes_silva_microcourse.jpg” alt=”Gloria Silva with students at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar\u2019s Doha campus” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” animation_style=”fade” box_shadow_style=”preset6″ box_shadow_spread=”10px” box_shadow_color=”#e8c58d” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||on||||||” text_font_size=”13px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Fatima Yousaf, a sophomore in computer science, and Jemal Velihanova, a first-year student in biological sciences, select chocolates during Gloria Silva\u2019s microcourse for students at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar\u2019s Doha campus.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#e8c58d” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”5%” max_width=”5%” module_alignment=”left” animation_style=”roll” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ custom_margin=”||25px||false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_enable_color=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#98347b” divider_weight=”20px” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”|600||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”24px” header_2_line_height=”1.1em” global_colors_info=”{}”]Textiles and chemistry were woven together in a new course during the fall of 2022.<\/p>\n Silva and Olivia Robinson<\/span><\/a>, a teaching professor for the Entertainment Technology Center<\/a>, co-taught The Culture of Color: Dyes, Chemistry and Sustainability. Housed within the Department of Chemistry, the course was offered through Carnegie Mellon\u2019s Integrative Design, Arts and Technology (IDeATe)<\/a><\/span> network.<\/p>\n For Silva, a core component of what she wanted students to take away from the experience was to understand how chemistry influences their lives as well as understand techniques to isolate natural pigment for dyes and how to produce dyes synthetically. Recognizing sustainability issues related to the dyeing and textile industry is also a central topic of the course to educate responsible citizens.<\/p>\nThe Design and Making of Skin and Hair Products<\/h2>\n
The Illusion and Magic of Food<\/h2>\n
The Culture of Color<\/h2>\n