Sibrina Speaks

In April 2014, I decided to make some important changes in my life, and my first step on this new journey, I joined Black Girls Run! There are several running groups across the country, and I'm a member of both the Cleveland and Akron groups. Now, I have some new buddies too! Why did I start running? Because it is a great way to deal with stress and improve your health. (Plus, my clothes were a little snug, and I needed to make some changes.) One thing I have learned from running is that the only limits that I have are the ones that I place on myself. Since April, I have made some important milestones. I never dreamed that I could run a mile without stopping, but I did it.  My best time so far is 12 min. I completed a 5K in 48 minutes. Yes, this may be slow to some folks, but I am not concerned about the time. All I care about is finishing. That's all that matters. I must admit that I love walking and running outdoors. Hitting the pavement also gives you the time to thin...

During the fall semester in 2012, I co-authored an article in the journal, The Chemical Educator that focused on using concepts from Hip Hop to attract students of color to the chemical sciences. We developed a powerpoint presentation to targeted high school students comparing both fields. In fact, we identified some analogies to teach chemistry concepts such as hydrogen bonding, the structure of ice and trends in the periodic table. Furthermore, we also discussed the important contributions of minority chemists (e.g. Saint Elmo Brady, Percy Julian, Sharon Haynie, and Joe Francisco), financing graduate education, and careers for chemists. After the presentation, the students completed a brief survey asking if they learned something new. A few responses: "I learned how gold and platinum can be used for medical reasons." "Yes, that there were minorities in chemistry that made a difference." "The presentation showed how there are innovators in chemistry suc...