Many forensic reagents must be used very carefully as they are nasty. My collaborators and I have been doing kitchen chemistry identifying fruit extracts and oils, which are safer and can be used to visualise fingerprints, or to bring back serial numbers that have been deleted from stolen property. I also use computers and maths to understand properties and chemical change, find out how students might learn science better, and use computers and maths to learn about properties and chemical change. The picture is at the Australian Synchrotron, where we were using the infrared microscope to look at the oils and amino acids in fingerprints.

My chemistry classes range from 20 to over 400 students. It is hard to discuss things in detail during class, there is a lot of on-line discussion and some email communication during term time. Out of term time is totally different — I read science books and journals and do research. This is really trying to figure out what we do still do not know about some area of science, or some problem, and them to discover the missing knowledge, or to solve the problem.

Toys like Lego and Magnetix are great models for learning about atoms and molecules. A Lego “humane molecule” can be used to learn about how substances fall apart into fragments, which are then detected in a mass spectrometer (Abby’s Major Mass Spec in NCIS). Other toys and gadgets would include little “pop-pop boats” whihc have candle-powered rocket engines, hydrogen-powered cars. These toys would be used to help your teachers plan your science lessons and to help explain science to people like your parents, relatives and friends.