Catherine Smith

3 weeks ago | edu.rsc.org | Catherine Smith

Here’s the solution to concentrating learners’ minds on the key aspects of this crucial topicSolutions are all around us; in sweetened drinks, in the sea we swim in and sail on, and in everyday household cleaning products. But how are they formed and what do they look like on a particle level? A solution is the homogeneous mixture formed when one substance (the solute) is uniformly distributed within another (the solvent).

Jan 20, 2025 | edu.rsc.org | Catherine Smith

Use these ideas and resources to ensure learners understand structural and stereoisomerismImagine trying to give your friend a handshake, but you offer your right hand and they offer their left. It wouldn’t work. Similarly, a square peg doesn’t fit into a round hole. The same is true for molecules. Each molecule has a unique shape that determines how it interacts with, for example, proteins in the body.

Aug 21, 2024 | edu.rsc.org | Catherine Smith

Ensure students get to grips with the electrostatic forces between metal ions and delocalised electrons with these teaching ideas Source: © Powerofforever/Getty Images What would happen if all your buttons suddenly turned to dust? Well, that is what material scientists believe happened to the soldiers in Napoleon’s army during their invasion into Russia over 200 years ago. The buttons on the soldiers’ uniforms that held their trousers up, and kept their coats closed, were tin.

May 10, 2024 | medrxiv.org | Tyler Lane |Catherine Smith |Caroline Gao |Jill F Ikin

MJA holds investigator-initiated grants for unrelated research from Pfizer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Sanofi and GSK. He has undertaken an unrelated consultancy for and received assistance for conference attendance from Sanofi. He also received a speaker's fee from GSK. YG was supported by a Career Development Fellowship of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1163693). RX is supported by VicHealth Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 2022.

May 3, 2024 | theguardian.com | Catherine Smith

Australia has a global reputation for high quality education. But inclusion for children and young people with disability in all that education can offer is something we aren’t getting right. This is not an easy fix – not all schools are resourced or welcoming to students with disability. Families of students with disability often find themselves exhausted by how much they must advocate to have their child understood and have their needs met.