Chemistry For Your Life

There are a lot more ways to reveal a fingerprint than the black powder you see on TV.In this second part of our forensic chemistry series with Nicki Stewart, we explore the surprising chemistry behind fingerprints. From powders and iodine vapor to super glue fumes and chemical reactions, we break down how forensic scientists reveal invisible fingerprints—and why choosing the right method depends entirely on the surface, the chemistry, and the evidence they’re trying to preserve.

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• 0:00 – What are fingerprints, really?


• 5:30 – What’s actually left behind when you touch something?


• 9:20 – The two main categories of fingerprint detection


• 14:00 – How fingerprint powder actually works


• 18:40 – Iodine fuming and why fingerprints disappear again


• 25:25 – Revealing fingerprints on sticky tape


• 29:40 – Ninhydrin and the chemistry behind purple fingerprints


• 35:05 – The surprising science of super glue fuming


• 42:20 – Why collecting fingerprints is much harder than TV makes it look


• 46:10 – Jam’s biggest takeaways from fingerprint chemistry

 

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References from the Episode:

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What does it mean to teach chemistry like a scientist?
In this BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with chemistry education researcher Ellen Yezierski about scholarly teaching: making evidence-guided decisions about how we teach and how students learn. They discuss why content knowledge alone isn’t enough, how educators can improve their teaching without becoming full-time researchers, and why some of the best chemistry teaching ideas come from asking better questions about learning.

 

Important Links

• bcce.divched.org/2026


• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife


• chemforyourlife.com

 

Time Stamps

0:00 – Why Melissa loves BCCE and chemistry education
2:50 – Meet Ellen Yezierski and the idea of scholarly teaching
4:00 – Moving beyond intuition and using evidence to improve teaching
6:35 – What chemistry educators can learn from cognitive science and education research
8:30 – The biggest challenge: finding time to improve your teaching
11:00 – Why conferences and community matter for innovation
13:45 – Barriers to evidence-based teaching and the risk of changing what’s familiar
16:20 – Applying the same scientific scrutiny to old teaching methods
19:40 – A practical first step toward scholarly teaching
21:00 – Finding useful teaching research without getting overwhelmed
25:20 – Meet the panelists and the ideas they’ll bring to BCCE
29:10 – How the Community Conversation will work
32:35 – Why good teachers are made, not born
34:00 – Filling your teaching cup back up at BCCE

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#061

Be honest. Have you ever glued yourself with super glue? Everyone should accidentally make that mistake at least once, so you can literally feel the impressive stickiness of super glue. Well today, you can learn about the chemistry within super glue, without putting any fingers or other body parts at risk! Let's do this.

 

References from this episode

1. Introduction to Polymers R.J. Young and P. A. Lovell


2. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/superglue/superglueh.htm


3. https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/cyanoacrylate/6261.article


4. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/86/8624sci5.html


5. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/March_ChemClubCal.pdf


6. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articlesbytopic/bonding/chemmatters-dec2006-glue.pdf
   
   

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AI is everywhere in education right now, but is that the only technology chemistry educators should be thinking about?

In this bonus BCCE preview episode, Melissa talks with Resa Kelly about technology in chemistry education, from visualizations and videos to flipped classrooms and AI. What do we actually want students to be able to do in a technology-rich world? How should that shape our teaching? And how can educators stay curious without feeling pressured to adopt every new tool that comes along?

 

Important Links

• bcce.divched.org/2026


• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife


• chemforyourlife.com

 

Time Stamps

• 0:00 – Introducing the Community Conversation on technology


• 1:11 – Resa Kelly’s journey into chemistry education research


• 2:20 – How visualizations and animations help students learn chemistry


• 3:31 – Why this conversation is about more than just AI


• 5:50 – Technology already shaping chemistry classrooms


• 7:20 – Staying curious even if you’re skeptical of new technology


• 9:10 – Time constraints and practical barriers for teachers


• 10:00 – Creative ways educators are using AI


• 14:15 – Teaching students to evaluate trustworthy information


• 17:13 – The central question: What should students be able to do in a technology-rich environment?


• 18:20 – Is technology helping students learn or just complete tasks?


• 19:00 – If AI gives answers, what are we really teaching?


• 24:00 – Why these conversations matter beyond BCCE


• 28:15 – Assumptions, AI, and trusting students


• 30:05 – Final thoughts and invitation to the conference conversation

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CSI makes forensic science look fast, easy, and almost magical. But how much of that is actually true?This week we’re joined by forensic chemist and graduate student Nicki Stewart to answer your questions about forensic science. We talk about crime shows, fingerprints, toxicology, illicit drugs, and what really happens inside a forensic laboratory. Plus, Nicki shares what surprised her most when she worked in a real crime lab and why forensic science is often much slower (and more complicated) than TV would have you believe.

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Time Stamps

• 0:00 – Do crime shows get forensics right?


• 1:20 – Nicki’s background in forensic chemistry and toxicology


• 6:15 – From forensic chemistry to chemistry education


• 9:10 – The “CSI Effect” and common TV misconceptions


• 12:30 – Breaking Bad, Project Hail Mary, and science accuracy in entertainment


• 14:10 – Transitioning from clinical chemistry to forensic chemistry


• 17:40 – The biggest misconceptions about forensic work


• 20:20 – Forensic chemistry vs. forensic biology


• 22:05 – How fingerprints actually form


• 26:35 – Can fingerprints be removed?


• 26:55 – How forensic labs identify illicit drugs


• 31:10 – Which shows portray science most accurately?


• 33:00 – What’s coming in our next forensic chemistry episode

Support this podcast on Patreon
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Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

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References from the Episode:

Thanks to our monthly supporters

Sara Hull

Dog Day Dan

Bri .

Summer Alden

Amanda Raymond

Kyle McCray

Justine

Ash

Vince W

Julie S.

Heather Ragusa

Autoclave

Dorien VD

Scott Beyer

Jessie Reder

J0HNTR0Y

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Venus Rebholz

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon

Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

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