Sibrina Speaks

Recently, I was reading an article about my favorite singer, Chaka Khan reflecting on the longevity of her career and offering some candid advice about being successful. (In my previous life, I truly believe that I sang backup for Chaka, but in this current life I can’t sing at all, but I digress.) Anyway, there was one statement in this article that really stood out to me, namely “create opportunities that align with your purpose.” Now, the Queen of Funk Soul was not talking about bringing diversity into the chemistry curriculum, but it made me think about some of my own passions, specifically writing about the contributions African Americans have made to the chemical sciences. Personally, I grew tired of not seeing pictures or reading about the contributions of chemists that looked like me in chemistry textbooks, so I just started writing about these scientists to tell their stories. But how could I bring this into the classroom? How could I bring diversity into the chemistry cu...

How do you prepare a syllabus? How do you decide which experiments to include in your laboratory courses? What are the advantages of teaching at a predominately undergraduate institution(PUI)?  These are just a few questions that were asked during a panel discussion entitled "Academic Careers at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs)," held in the Department of Chemistry at The Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio. My colleague, Professor Catherine Oertel (Oberlin College) and I each gave a brief powerpoint presentation describing our educational background and offered some "tools and tips" on careers at PUIs. (Let me just say that Professor Oertel was just awesome!) There were approximately 20 graduate students and postdocs in attendance with tons of questions for us. Needless to say, we were absolutely thrilled! Reflecting back on my own career as a graduate student, I didn't have an opportunity to talk with a faculty member from a PUI abou...

Last Sunday, while attending church my pastor began his sermon by making the following statement, "Change challenges us to trust God." I immediately thought about my current journey to become a reasonably good computational chemist. Believe me, right now, I refuse to "stay in my lane." For the past three weeks, I have been frustrated and frequently uttered the phrase, "Lord Jesus please help me." My pastor also stated, "It's hard to see the picture, when you are the one in the frame." Honestly, many of us are afraid to try something new because we don't like to be "uncomfortable." As a chemist, I make stuff in the laboratory and then I study it. Even if you don't actually make something in the lab, you can still study it using computer models, which is a really cool thing to do. But, what I have learned so far is that it is perfectly fine to be uncomfortable, specifically when you are trying to achieve something much bigge...

Many of you already know my journey, so I won't bother to go over boring details of my life for this blog entry.  But, recognize that I am a Buckeye that grew up in the State of Michigan.  Why is this a big deal? Well, I'm currently a visiting faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at The Ohio State University for one semester. (And yes, the proper name is "The Ohio State University.")  After earning my doctorate over 12 years ago, I actually get a chance to come back and do a little research focusing on developing metal complexes that may be useful for treating cancer. Honestly, in some ways, I feel like a graduate student again. In addition to lab-based research, I am making a little time to sit in on some classes.  Today, I attended an inorganic chemistry class and decided to sit in the back of the room because I didn't really want to be noticed. I wanted to "blend in" with the first-year graduate students. But, the instructor acknowledged m...

One day, I was complaining on facebook about going to the gym. My aunt posted an encouraging response and wrote "Paying diva dues. I love it."  Ok, I will be the first to admit it--I truly hate working out. I really do! But, I am committed to going to the gym at least twice a week to try to stay "young and fine" as my grandma often says. (Honestly, I just love to hear my grandmother tell me anything!) Anyway, I often hear this ongoing debate or "belief" that African American women don't work out because they don't want to mess up their hair.  Believe me, I see plenty of sisters at the gym with natural and permed hair that are committed to taking care of themselves.  These women are not letting a little sweat get in the way of being healthy. Honestly, I think the real issue for many women is just not making the time to go workout. Just like we make time for other things that are important to us, we have to carve out time to workout.  And yes, we d...

During a recent church service, I was flipping through my bible and found the following passage: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you." (Tim 4:16) I have read this passage several times since then, and I have reflected on what it means for my life. Not just professionally, but personally as well. As you know, I teach chemistry to undergraduate students and it is always a challenge to engage young people. As educators, we know that we cannot teach the way we were taught, so we have to find creative strategies to "reach" students in the classroom. I have adapted many teaching styles because there is no "one size fits all" model with learning. But, the passage above also helps me focus on the learning goals for class. What do I really want my students to know? That is the one question I try to keep in mind when I prepare a lesson plan. Personally, this passage also r...

Yes, this past weekend, a group of friends and I decided to see the movie “The Help” starring Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer working as maids in Jackson, MS during the Civil Rights Movement. The movie included other Hollywood heavyweights such as Cicely Tyson and Sissy Spacek. Do you remember watching the movies The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Carrie ? Awesome! I will not give away the plot of the movie because I do wish to encourage others to see it and make a decision for themselves. But, the goal for us as a group was to watch the movie and then sit down and “analyze it” over a bite to eat. The consensus of the group is that the movie had some good moments, but there were scenes that were either unrealistic and/or troubling to watch. That’s Hollywood for you, right? Moreover, the handling of the Civil Rights Movement and the impact of the assassination of the late Medgar Evers, was kind of a “back drop” to overall theme of the movie. Honestly, “The Help” was be...