Nikola Tesla was born on July 9, 1856, in a very small village called Smiljan, in the province of Lika, Croatia. You may not know who this man is, but he invented the theories of electricity we use today.

Tesla finished his basic schooling in Croatia. He continued his education in the Polytechnic School in Graz and finished at University of Prague. He worked as an Electrical engineer in Germany, Hungary and France before coming to the United States in 1884 as an immigrant. When Tesla arrived in New York, he quickly obtained a job with Thomas Edison. Tesla worked for Edison for many years until finally there differences in methods separated the two men in 1885. There two main differences were that Edison believed that DC (Direct Current) was the power of the future. Tesla had been working on the AC (Alternating Current) power we have today. After the Tesla left Edison’s lab, George Westinghouse, founder of the Westinghouse Electric Company, bought patent rights to Tesla’s system of alternating-current.

There were many advantages to Tesla’s alternating current vs. Edison’s direct current. The advantages became prevalent when Westinghouse used Tesla’s Alternating current to light the World Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. It was after this that people started to realize this type of electricity’s amazing abilities.

Tesla established a laboratory in New York City in 1887. His electrical experiments ranged from an exploration of electrical resonance and many studies of various lighting systems. In order to calm the public about the safety of Tesla’s power system, he would hold exhibitions of his power in his laboratory. He would light a light bulb without wires allowing the electricity to flow through his body in a spectacular flurry of lighting and sparks.

Tesla became a United States citizen in 1891. His creative powers were at its peak. He worked on and developed many things including the induction motor, new types of generators and transformers. He also developed a system that transmitted his AC current. There are so many things that you use today that Tesla created. It is little know but the lamp we use to conserve energy, the fluorescent light was also one of his inventions. Tesla had many interests in electrical power. Tesla best known for his method of a wireless power transmission. The Tesla Coil. He envisioned that he would transmit power straight through the air to the user for free. Amazing and truly a ground breaking idea. He started construction on a wireless power transmission tower in 1900. The project was abandoned due to his lack of financial support. Tesla soon turned his genius to other inventions, such as power generating turbines. He continued to have many problems with his financial support and many of his ideas were shelved.

Nikola Tesla is one of my favorite inventors. He had electricity flowing through his blood. The man invented so many things we take for granted today and received very little credit. He was well ahead of his time. We may thing that Edison was a great inventor and he was, but Edison and many others took Tesla’s ideas and exploited them to the things we have today for there own profit and took the credit themselves. We know now know this man was exploited and was not given credit where credit is due. Many Electrical Engineers still study Tesla’s notes in order to find an idea that can be exploited and elaborated today.

Tesla is most credited with His Tesla Coil. This coil will deliver power through the air with a great deal of voltage, like a lighting bolt. The wireless age is upon us, is Wireless power next?

“Before I put a sketch on paper, the whole idea is worked out mentally. In my mind I change the construction, make improvements, and even operate the device. Without ever having drawn a sketch I can give the measurements of all parts to workmen, and when completed all these parts will fit, just as certainly as though I had made the actual drawings. It is immaterial to me whether I run my machine in my mind or test it in my shop. The inventions I have conceived in this way have always worked. In thirty years there has not been a single exception. My first electric motor, the vacuum wireless light, my turbine engine and many other devices have all been developed in exactly this way.” Nikola Tesla

“Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.” Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla died in New York on January 7, 1943. There is a lot of information on Nikola Tesla available. I have only touched on the tip of this mans genius. Take some time and look him up. You will be amazed!

In a famous experiment, students were asked to take a lemon home and to get used to it. Three days later, they were able to single out “their” lemon from a pile of rather similar ones. They seemed to have bonded. Is this the true meaning of love, bonding, coupling? Do we simply get used to other human beings, pets, or objects?

Habit forming in humans is reflexive. We change ourselves and our environment in order to attain maximum comfort and well being. It is the effort that goes into these adaptive processes that forms a habit. The habit is intended to prevent us from constant experimenting and risk taking. The greater our well being, the better we function and the longer we survive.

Actually, when we get used to something or to someone - we get used to ourselves. In the object of the habit we see a part of our history, all the time and effort we had put into it. It is an encapsulated version of our acts, intentions, emotions and reactions. It is a mirror reflecting that part in us which formed the habit in the first place. Hence, the feeling of comfort: we really feel comfortable with our own selves through the agency of our habitual objects.

Because of this, we tend to confuse habits with identity. When asked WHO they are, most people resort to communicating their habits. They describe their work, their loved ones, their pets, their hobbies, or their material possessions. Yet, surely, all of these do not constitute identity! Removing them does not change it. They are habits and they make people comfortable and relaxed. But they are not part of one’s identity in the truest, deepest sense.

Still, it is this simple mechanism of deception that binds people together. A mother feels that her offspring are part of her identity because she is so used to them that her well being depends on their existence and availability. Thus, any threat to her children is perceived by her as a threat to her own Self. Her reaction is, therefore, strong and enduring and can be recurrently elicited.

The truth, of course, is that her children ARE a part of her identity in a superficial manner. Removing them will make her a different person, but only in the shallow, phenomenological sense of the word. Her deep-set, true identity will not change as a result. Children do die at times and the mother does go on living, essentially unchanged.

But what is this kernel of identity that I am referring to? This immutable entity which is who we are and what we are and which, ostensibly, is not influenced by the death of our loved ones? What can resist the breakdown of habits that die hard?

It is our personality. This elusive, loosely interconnected, interacting, pattern of reactions to our changing environment. Like the Brain, it is difficult to define or to capture. Like the Soul, many believe that it does not exist, that it is a fictitious convention.

Yet, we know that we do have a personality. We feel it, we experience it. It sometimes encourages us to do things - at other times, it prevents us from doing them. It can be supple or rigid, benign or malignant, open or closed. Its power lies in its looseness. It is able to combine, recombine and permute in hundreds of unforeseeable ways. It metamorphoses and the constancy of these changes is what gives us a sense of identity.

Actually, when the personality is rigid to the point of being unable to change in reaction to shifting circumstances - we say that it is disordered. One has a personality disorder when one’s habits substitute for one’s identity. Such a person identifies himself with his environment, taking behavioural, emotional, and cognitive cues exclusively from it. His inner world is, so to speak, vacated, his True Self merely an apparition.

Such a person is incapable of loving and of living. He is incapable of loving because to love another one must first love oneself. And, in the absence of a Self that is impossible. And, in the long-term, he is incapable of living because life is a struggle towards multiple goals, a striving, a drive at something. In other words: life is change. He who cannot change, cannot live.

(The use of gender pronouns in this article reflects the clinical facts: most narcissists are men.)

Anxiety Disorders &ndash and especially Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) &ndash are often misdiagnosed as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

Anxiety is uncontrollable and excessive apprehension. Anxiety disorders usually come replete with obsessive thoughts, compulsive and ritualistic acts, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and somatic manifestations (such as an increased heart rate, sweating, or, in Panic Attacks, chest pains).

By definition, narcissists are anxious for social approval or attention (Narcissistic Supply). The narcissist cannot control this need and the attendant anxiety because he requires external feedback to regulate his labile sense of self-worth. This dependence makes most narcissists irritable. They fly into rages and have a very low threshold of frustration.

Like patients who suffer from Panic Attacks and Social Phobia (another anxiety disorder), narcissists are terrified of being embarrassed or criticised in public. Consequently, most narcissists fail to function well in various settings (social, occupational, romantic, etc.).

Many narcissists develop obsessions and compulsions. Like sufferers of GAD, narcissists are perfectionists and preoccupied with the quality of their performance and the level of their competence. As the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR, p. 473) puts it, GAD patients (especially children):

“… (A)re typically overzealous in seeking approval and require excessive reassurance about their performance and their other worries.”

This could apply equally well to narcissists. Both classes of patients are paralysed by the fear of being judged as imperfect or lacking. Narcissists as well as patients with anxiety disorders constantly fail to measure up to an inner, harsh, and sadistic critic and a grandiose, inflated self-image.

The narcissistic solution is to avoid comparison and competition altogether and to demand special treatment. The narcissist’s sense of entitlement is incommensurate with the narcissist’s true accomplishments. He withdraws from the rat race because he does not deem his opponents, colleagues, or peers worthy of his efforts.

As opposed to narcissists, patients with Anxiety Disorders are invested in their work and their profession. To be exact, they are over-invested. Their preoccupation with perfection is counter-productive and, ironically, renders them underachievers.

It is easy to mistake the presenting symptoms of certain anxiety disorders with pathological narcissism. Both types of patients are worried about social approbation and seek it actively. Both present a haughty or impervious facade to the world. Both are dysfunctional and weighed down by a history of personal failure on the job and in the family. But the narcissist is ego-dystonic: he is proud and happy of who he is. The anxious patient is distressed and is looking for help and a way out of his or her predicament. Hence the differential diagnosis.

Bibliography

Goldman, Howard G. - Review of General Psychiatry, 4th ed. - London, Prentice-Hall International, 1995 - pp. 279-282

Gelder, Michael et al., eds. - Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry, 3rd ed. - London, Oxford University Press, 2000 - pp. 160-169

Klein, Melanie - The Writings of Melanie Klein - Ed. Roger Money-Kyrle - 4 vols. - New York, Free Press - 1964-75

Kernberg O. - Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism - New York, Jason Aronson, 1975

Millon, Theodore (and Roger D. Davis, contributor) - Disorders of Personality: DSM IV and Beyond - 2nd ed. - New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1995

Millon, Theodore - Personality Disorders in Modern Life - New York, John Wiley and Sons, 2000

Schwartz, Lester - Narcissistic Personality Disorders - A Clinical Discussion - Journal of Am. Psychoanalytic Association - 22 (1974): 292-305

Vaknin, Sam - Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited, 6th revised impression - Skopje and Prague, Narcissus Publications, 2005

What do doctors, lawyers and architects have in common? For one, they are among teens’ hottest career choices. They also require a significant understanding of math at work every day. Despite this, many teens are not motivated to take advanced math classes to help them prepare for success in these future careers.

A telephone survey of 1,000 12- to 17-year-olds commissioned by Texas Instruments revealed that four out of five teenagers believe math is important for achieving their goals of being doctors, scientists, executives and lawyers, but only half are planning to take advanced math classes beyond their schools’ minimum requirements.

The survey showed 80 percent of teens want to pursue careers in medicine, sports, science, education, business, military, law or architecture-many of which require advanced college degrees with significant focus on mathematics and science.

“Parents need to understand how important it is that they encourage their children to take higher-level courses of math while in high school,” says David Mammano, founder and publisher of Next Step Magazine, which provides career advice to more than 860,000 teens. “The disconnect between teens’ career aspirations and their plans to take minimal math classes could lead to students not being prepared for college-level classes or landing the job they want in the future.”

“No matter what career teens choose, a strong math education is critical because it builds analytical and reasoning skills. Students need to take challenging math courses every year in high school,” Mammano said.

He advises parents to work with their teenagers starting in middle school to plan out their course schedules. Parents can seek out resources to help teens understand the value of math and plan for their careers, such as MomsForMath.org, NextStepMagazine.com or Career Voyages.gov.

More tips from Mammano include:

Make Math Fun. Tie math into the things that already interest teens-their hobbies, TV or movies. A great place to start is Texas Instruments’ “We All Use Math Every Day™” program that teaches math lessons based on plots featured in the hit CBS TV show “NUMB3RS.” The free classroom activities are available at . cbs.com/numb3rs.

Provide Encouragement. Challenge teens to take harder upper-level math courses even though they may not make straight A’s. Parents can make a difference simply by applauding teens for the effort it takes to participate in those classes. Reinforcing everyday use of math at home, while shopping, budgeting, baking or gardening can also help increase students’ interest in math.

Get Involved. Get teens involved in school or community programs such as science fairs or math team competitions that stimulate them intellectually and hone their analytical skills.

Identify Career Role Models. Find local professionals and inquire about mentorship opportunities that match teens’ career interests. Teenagers can “shadow” an executive on the job to see what kind of knowledge is needed for that field.

Set The Example. They may not want you to know it, but teens look to their parents as role models. Let your teens see that you are interested in math and show them how you use it each day-at home and in your own career. Acknowledge that your teen’s proficiency in math may exceed yours and that is a good thing. Also be aware that they are learning more math in different ways and this often involves the use of technology or teaching tools that might be unfamiliar to you. Talk with your teen’s teachers to better understand these new advancements in math teaching. They’d likely welcome the interest.

As with many school systems across the United States, Arizona Schools have several measurement and accountability programs in place to improve student scholastic achievement. One accountability program for the Arizona schools is the AZ LEARNS achievement program. AZ LEARNS holds all Arizona schools accountable for the performance of their students and teachers, measuring performance over several years versus a snapshot one-year measurement. The AZ LEARNS evaluation is based upon four established measurements already required by the Arizona schools. They are:

• AIMS Scores &ndash Measures reading, language arts and mathematics for elementary schools; and reading, writing and mathematics for high schools.

• MAP &ndash Measure of Academic Progress for schools, where students scores for AIMS and SATs are compared to the state average.

• Graduation/Dropout Rates &ndash Used for the high schools.

• AYP &ndash Adequate Yearly Progress measures student proficiency in the state’s academic standards of reading and mathematics over time.

The AZ LEARNS program for the Arizona schools categorizes schools on a graded scale as either:

• Failing to meet academic standards,

• Underperforming,

• Performing,

• Highly Performing, or

• Excelling.

The Arizona schools for the 2004-2005 school year that were named Excelling are (listed by district/charter and school):

Arizona schools’ Academy of Tucson, Inc. Academy of Tucson Middle School

Arizona schools’ Alhambra Elementary District Alhambra Traditional School

Arizona schools’ Allen-Cochran Enterprises, Inc. Center for Educational Excellence

Arizona schools’ Amphitheater Unified District Canyon Del Oro High School

Richard B. Wilson Jr. School

Winifred Harelson Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Arizona School for the Arts Arizona School for the Arts &ndash both

elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ BASIS School, Inc. BASIS Tucson &ndash both elementary &

high school

Arizona schools’ Basis School, Inc. &ndash Scottsdale Basis Scottsdale

Arizona schools’ Benchmark School, Inc. Benchmark School

Arizona schools’ Benjamin Franklin Charter School Benjamin Franklin Charter School in

both Gilbert and Mesa

Arizona schools’ Bright Beginnings School, Inc. Bright Beginnings School #1

Arizona schools’ CASY Country Day School CASY Country Day School #1

Arizona schools’ Catalina Foothills Unified District Canyon View Elementary School

Catalina Foothills High School

Esperero Canyon Middle School

Manzanita School

Orange Grove Middle School

Sunrise Drive Elementary School

Ventana Vista Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Cave Creek Unified District Cactus Shadows High School/PSH

Desert Arroyo Middle School

Desert Sun Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Challenge School, Inc. Challenge Charter School

Arizona schools’ Chandler Unified District Anna Marie Jacobson Elementary

School

Basha Elementary

Basha High School

Chandler High School

Chandler Traditional Academy &ndash

Liberty Campus

Hamilton High School

Jane D. Hull Elementary

John M. Andersen Elementary School

Robert and Danell Tarwater

Elementary

Sanborn Elementary School

Santan K-8

Shumway Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Crane Elementary District Ronald Reagan Fundamental School

Arizona schools’ D.W. Higgins Institute D.W. Higgins Institute

Arizona schools’ Daisy Education Corporation Sonoran Science Academy &ndash both elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ Deer Valley Unified District Arrowhead Elementary School

Cooper Creek Elementary

Desert Sage Elementary School

Greenbrier Elementary School

Hillcrest Middle School

Legend Springs Elementary

Mountain Ridge High School

Sierra Verde Elementary

Arizona schools’ East Valley Academy East Valley Academy

Arizona schools’ Edu-Prize, Inc. Edu-Prize

Arizona schools’ Flagstaff Junior Academy Flagstaff Junior Academy

Arizona schools’ Flagstaff Unified District Charles W. Sechrist Elementary School

Flagstaff Middle School

Manuel DeMiguel Elementary School

Thomas M. Knoles Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Foothills Academy Foothills Academy &ndash both elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ Fort Huachuca Accommodation District Colonel Smith Middle School

Arizona schools’ Fountain Hills Unified District McDowell Mountain Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Franklin Phonetic Primary School, Inc. Franklin Phonetic Primary School

Arizona schools’ Gilbert Unified District Ashland Elementary

Carol Rae Ranch Elementary

Desert Ridge High

Finley Farms Elementary

Gilbert High School

GPS Traditional Academy

Greenfield Junior High School

Highland High School

Highland Junior High School

Islands Elementary School

Patterson Elementary School

Playa del Rey Elementary School

Sonoma Ranch Elementary School

Spectrum Elementary

Technology and Leadership Academy

Towne Meadows Elementary School

Val Vista Lakes Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Glendale Union High School District Sunnyslope High School

Arizona schools’ Heritage Academy, Inc. Heritage Academy &ndash both elementary

& high school

Arizona schools’ Hermosa Montessori Center Hermosa Montessori Charter

Arizona schools’ Horizon Community Learning Center, Inc. Horizon Community Learning Center

Arizona schools’ Humanities and Sciences Academy of the US, Inc. Humanities and Sciences High School

Arizona schools’ Ideabanc, Inc. AmeriSchools College Preparatory

Academy &ndash Tucson

Arizona schools’ James Madison Preparatory School James Madison Preparatory School &ndash

both elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ Joseph City Unified District Joseph City Junior/Senior High School

Arizona schools’ Keystone Montessori Charter School, Inc. Keystone Montessori Charter School

Arizona schools’ Khalsa Family Services Khalsa School

Arizona schools’ Khalsa Montessori Elementary Schools Khalsa Montessori Elementary School

&ndash Phoenix

Arizona schools’ Kyrene Elementary District C. I. Waggoner School

Kyrene Akimel A-Al Middle School

Kyrene Altadena Middle School

Kyrene Aprende Middle School

Kyrene Centennial Middle School

Kyrene de la Colina School

Kyrene de la Esperanza School

Kyrene de la Estrella Elementary

School

Kyrene de la Mariposa School

Kyrene de la Mirada School

Kyrene de la Paloma School

Kyrene de la Sierra School

Kyrene de las Brisas School

Kyrene de las Manitas School

Kyrene de los Cerritos School

Kyrene del Cielo School

Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School

Kyrene Middle School

Kyrene Monte Vista School

Arizona schools’ Lifelong Learning Research Institute, Inc. Lifelong Learning Academy

Arizona schools’ Litchfield Elementary District Litchfield Elementary School

Palm Valley Elementary

Arizona schools’ Madison Elementary District Madison Heights School

Madison Meadows School

Madison Park School

Madison Richard Simis School

Arizona schools’ Marana Unified District Coyote Trail Elementary School

Quail Run Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Mary Ellen Halvorson Educational Foundation Tri-City Prep High School

Arizona schools’ Mesa Unified District Barbara Bush Elementary School

Entz Elementary School

Falcon Hill Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School

Franklin Northeast School

Franklin South

Franklin West Elementary

George Smith

Hale Elementary School

Hermosa Vista Elementary School

Ishikawa Elementary School

Las Sendas Elementary School

Mountain View High School

Poston Junior High School

Red Mountain High School

Sunridge Learning Center

Arizona schools’ Miami Unified District Las Lomas Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Mission Montessori Academy Mission Montessori Academy

Arizona schools’ Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff, Inc. Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff

&ndash Campus

Arizona schools’ Montessori Schoolhouse of Tucson, Inc. Montessori Schoolhouse

Arizona schools’ Nogales Unified District Vasquez De Coronado Francisco

School

Arizona schools’ Northland Preparatory Academy Northland Preparatory Academy &ndash

both elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ Palominas Elementary District Coronado Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Paradise Valley Unified District Boulder Creek Elementary School

Copper Canyon Elementary School

Desert Shadows Middle School

Desert Springs Elementary School

Desert Trails Elementary School

Grayhawk Elementary School

Horizon High School

Larkspur Elementary School

Liberty Elementary School

Mercury Mine Elementary School

Mountain Trail Middle School

North Ranch Elementary School

Pinnacle High School

Pinnacle Peak Elementary

Quail Run Elementary School

Sandpiper Elementary School

Sonoran Sky Elementary School

Sunrise Middle School

Arizona schools’ Peoria Unified School District Apache Elementary School

Canyon Elementary School

Centennial High School

Copperwood School

Ironwood High School

Oakwood Elementary School

Paseo Verde Elementary School

Sunrise Mountain High School

Arizona schools’ Prescott Unified District Abia Judd Elementary School

Pescott High School

Arizona schools’ Queen Creek Unified District Jack Barnes Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Scottsdale Unified District Anasazi Elementary

Arcadia High School

Aztec Elementary School

Chaparral High School

Cherokee Elementary School

Cheyenne Traditional Elementary

School

Cochise Elementary School

Cocopah Middle School

Copper Ridge Elementary School

Copper Ridge Middle School

Desert Canyon Elementary

Desert Canyon Middle School

Desert Mountain High School

Hopi Elementary School

Kiva Elementary School

Laguna Elementary School

Mountainside Middle School

Pima Elementary School

Saguaro High School

Sequoya Elementary School

Zuni Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Sedona-Oak Creek Joint Unified District Big Park Community School

Arizona schools’ Self Development Charter School Self Development Charter School

Arizona schools’ Show Low Unified District Linden Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Skyview School, Inc. Skyview School

Arizona schools’ Sonoita Elementary District Elgin Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Tanque Verde Unified District Agua Caliente School

Emily Gray Junior High School

Tanque Verde Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Tempe Elementary District Rover Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Tempe Preparatory Academy Tempe Preparatory Academy &ndash both

elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ Tempe Union High School District Corona Del Sol High School

Desert Vista High School

Mountain Pointe High School

Arizona schools’ Tucson Unified District Fruchthendler Elementary School

Gale Elementary School

Ida Flood Dodge Traditional Middle

Magnet School

Miles-Exploratory Learning Center

Sabino High School

Sahuaro High School

University High School

Arizona schools’ Vail Unified District Cottonwood Elementary School

Desert Sky Middle School

Desert Willow Elementary School

Mesquite Elementary School

Arizona schools’ Valley Academy, Inc. Valley Academy

Arizona schools’ Veritas Preparatory Academy Veritas Preparatory Academy &ndash both

elementary & high school

Arizona schools’ Washington Elementary District Abraham Lincoln Traditional School

Lookout Mountain School

Arizona schools’ West Gilbert Charter Elementary School, Inc. West Gilbert Charter Elementary

School

Arizona schools’ Young Elementary District Young Teaching High School

In addition to the Excelling schools, Arizona schools named 255 schools across the state as Highly Performing schools.

Chemistry is generally divided into two broad branches: organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry. Other types of chemistry include physical chemistry, biochemistry, and analytical chemistry, with each field branching off into several specific subfields. Here’s a brief description of the most common branches of chemistry.

Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry has to do with the study of compounds that contain carbon (and sometimes hydrogen). Even though carbon is only the fourteenth most common element on the planet, it produces the greatest number of different compounds on Earth. Not surprisingly then, much of the study of chemistry involves organic chemistry.

The most studied groups of organic compounds are those that contain nitrogen. These organic compounds are important because they are often linked to the amino group. When the amino group combines with the carboxyl group, amino acids are born. Amino acids are important because they are as the building blocks of proteins.

Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic chemistry involves the study the properties and reactions of compounds that do not contain carbon and which are not organic. Inorganic chemistry studies all non-living matter, such as minerals found in the Earth’s crust. There are many branches of inorganic chemistry, including geochemistry, nuclear science, coordination chemistry, and bioinorganic chemistry.

There is much overlap between organic and inorganic chemistry. For instance, organometallic chemistry studies the use of compounds that are capable of creating a covalent bond between carbon and metal.

Physical Chemistry

As its name implies, physical chemistry has to do with the physical properties of materials. Physical properties that are studied may include the electrical and magnetic behavior of materials, as well as their interaction with electromagnetic fields.

There are several subcategories of physical chemistry. These include thermochemistry, electrochemistry, and chemical kinetics. Thermochemistry studies the changes of entropy and energy that naturally occur during chemical reactions. Electrochemistry is concerned with the study of interconversions of electric and chemical energy of matter, as well as the effects of electricity on chemical changes. Chemical kinetics involves the study of chemical reactions. Specifically, chemical kinetics studies the equilibrium it reached between products and their reactants.

Biochemistry

Biochemistry is a branch of chemistry concerned with the composition and changes of living matter. Biochemists commonly focus on the physical properties and structures of biological molecules. Common biological molecules include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Biochemistry is sometimes referred to as physiological chemistry and biological chemistry. Biophysics, molecular biology, and cell biology are research fields closely related to biochemistry.

Analytical Chemistry

Unlike the other main types of chemistry, analytical chemistry doesn’t deal specifically with specific elements. Analytical chemistry is concerned mainly with the various techniques and laboratory methods used to determine the composition of materials. Qualitative and quantitative analysis are the two most basic methods used in analytical chemistry. Qualitative analysis has to do with identifying all the atoms and molecules in a sample of matter, with attention paid to trace elements. Quantitative analysis also involves determining the atomical and molecular structure of matter, but includes also measuring the exact weight of each chemical constituent.

San Antonio Schools held two college fairs as part of its GEAR UP program to help the class of 2012 get ready for college.

GEAR UP Fairs in the San Antonio Area

Current Sixth Grade students and their families attended college fairs at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Participants learned about basic college requirements, entrance examinations, and how to find financial aid. To add a little local flavor to the occasion, school cheerleaders and mariachis performed and refreshments were served.

GEAR UP

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded grant given to states to increase the number of low income students enrolling in college. The grant provides funding for six years in order to promote one class of students in college readiness from sixth grade through twelfth grade. Some GEAR UP funds go toward college scholarships for needy students.

GEAR UP isn’t just for schools. Local businesses and community groups, including those with religious affiliations, can partner with local schools to provide college information for students. Each school or organization, however, is expected to match federal funding dollar for dollar, meaning that the non-federal contribution must be at least 50 percent.

Student Selection

GEAR UP funds can be used on a variety of student population groups by focusing on either a “cohort” or “priority students.” Each cohort must satisfy one of the following requirements:

• All of the students in a particular grade level at a participating school that has a seventh grade and in which at least 50 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch under the National School Lunch Act.

• All of the students in a particular grade level who reside in public housing.

Priority students, on the other hand, are students who are eligible to be counted under one of the following laws:

• The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Title 1)

• Free or reduced price lunches under the National School Lunch Act

• Assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Title 1 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996)

Private school students also have a chance to participate if they meet any of the above requirements. In order to do so, a local education agency must act on their behalf and either an institute of higher learning or a local education agency is in charge of their finances. For private school students to participate, the private school itself must also be a partner in the grant.

Opportunities for the San Antonio Independent School District

The district has a lot to gain from the GEAR UP program in targeting students and their parents early on in the college decision making process. Beginning with sixth grade students, the program allows parents and students to develop gradually in undertaking the many responsibilities that come with applying for and paying for college. The class of 2012 is on its way to making a smooth transition into university education.

Galaxies, the cosmos, astrophysics, observatories, telescopes: How do we possibly comprehend the reality that the universe is beyond measure, infinite, and endlessly mesmerizing?

We can’t; that’s why astronomy remains so completely fascinating. It’s the things in life we do not understand that most often draw our interest; that’s simply a natural human impulse — to be curious, to wonder and to want to be in awe of something far beyond and outside ourselves.

We know that stars, like everything else, live and die and that there are scientifically “correct” patterns in the remote sky that both perplex and bewitch us. If astronomy fascinates, it is because there exists in everyone a profound empathy with a world that is inaccessible in its complexity. Who among us has not felt, even fleetingly, spellbound by the immensity of this cosmos, this universe?

Modern observatories regularly function as educational centers, providing this feeling of entrancement by presenting the wonder of the cosmos directly to the audience, short-circuiting the intellect for an hour or so and uncovering the wonder at the magic of theuniverse; promoting a sensory, visceral feeling for the human condition and its place in the great book of the cosmos.

Astronomy, the science of stars, planets, galaxies, and black holes, is the oldest science, yet it is the most intriguing because the study of the universe will help answer the most important questions human beings can ask, such as:

How did the universe begin?

What is the structure of the universe?

How will the universe change in the future?

How do the planet Earth and its inhabitants fit into the larger universe of space and time?

Though we may never know the answers to these kinds of questions in our lifetime, we’re always thankful for those who will follow us, prepared, with a scientific brain, to one day provide answers — and maybe more — to humankind.

It’s difficult to understand our own galaxy, and we’re constantly “adding to it,” or discovering new frontiers and small, more distant planets than those we’re already familiar with. The sun, and the concept of the planets just in our galaxy alone, provoke wonder and all kinds of speculation. It’s food for our brain; it’s one of those applications of learning that so enthrall, it doesn’t seem like we’re “studying” anything. It’s an effortless exercise in the Unknown Sphere of the Universe.

What better way to pass the time, to postulate upon, to have an intellectually stimulating discussion, maybe with people you don’t even know yet?

And what about the theories of particle physics that have been developed in conjunction with the standard Big Bang model to explain the origin, evolution and

present structure of the universe?

What about the origins, evolution, interiors, and energy production of the stars themselves? How are they formed? Why? And we’ve all heard of “interacting galaxies,” but just what, exactly, does it mean? It all sounds like, well, a kind of heaven — a place we know exists, but that we cannot quite see or understand.

Then, there’s Newton’s laws, the concept of work and energy, momentum, gravitation, sound and light waves.

If you haven’t felt a slight thrill yet, it’s eitherbecause you already know about these atmospheric wonders, or you’ve been living under a local rock.

So get out there and Observe the Universe! It’s absolutely spellbinding!

Today, why not made a personal commitment to be happy, in spite of what life hands over to you. You have to admit that there are too many things over which you have no control. The only thing you can do is to stop allowing them to make dents in your spirit.

Happiness is not something that others can take from you. It’s something that you would have to throw away on your own.

There will be times when things don’t turn out the way you want them to. Your best friend at work may turn out to be a power-hungry corporate animal that backstabs you at every opportunity. The promotion you worked so hard for may go to someone else. Your partner might decide to leave me, a day before we are due to go for a vacation together. You may lose most of your savings in a market crash.

These are things that can happen to the most loving, compassionate, careful and reasonable person. But after the initial pain and shock, the decision whether or not to let yourself languish in despair is entirely up to you. You can allow misfortune to form the bulk of your life, or you can choose to leave what’s past in the past, and move on.

One’s friendly and caring behavior towards others should not be motivated by the thought of equally kind and affectionate responses. You understand yourself best, and regardless of how reasonably and responsibly you live your life, there will be people who won’t see your point of view or share your motivations.

People have the right to act in any way they see fit. I don’t have the right to judge whether their behavior is acceptable or not. They have to bear the responsibility for their own actions, and so do you. By feeling sorry for yourself, you are simply continuing the work for them, long after they have dealt their blow. You have to decide that, as far as possible, you will not allow these people to disturb your mind.

There are many things for which you can be grateful. There are yet unexplored experiences in which you can find enrichment and meaning. There are yet others who will like you for who you are, and in spite of who you are. If you spend my time being resentful and miserable, you are denying yourself the satisfaction of enjoying what this life has to offer.

There are enough unhappy people in this world who punish themselves and others constantly in a bid to find redress and compensation. But there is no satisfaction in retaliation and revenge. It’s a waste of time and spirit.

“To be happy we must not be too concerned with others.”

Albert Camus

One program in Charlotte Schools is focusing on the littlest learners. Recognizing that good learners begin early, education officials have developed an award winning preschool program called Bright Beginnings.

Bright Beginnings

The Bright Beginnings program involves full day, literacy based programs for four year olds in the Charlotte &ndash Mecklenburg area. More than 3000 students benefit from the program at five education centers and fourteen elementary schools. Over time the program has spread beyond the public school system and has been integrated into preschool classrooms throughout the community by partnering with the Smart Start, Child Care Resources, Child Care Centers, and More at Four programs, which all target the education needs of preschool students.

Developing Pre &ndash K Experiences

Teachers and program developers recognize the need for enriching experiences at the preschool level. Students at this age have very limited opportunities to explore the world around them, and the Bright Beginnings Program hopes to change that. By exposing children to new and different things, program developers believe that they can strengthen student vocabulary, a skill that they hope will carry over when the students learn to read. While many of these new experiences take place in the classroom, Bright Beginnings also encourages students with field trips to local learning centers, such as Discovery Place and ImaginOn.

Aligning Pre &ndash K with Elementary Education Curriculum and Instruction

Bright Beginnings has recently been incorporated under the North Carolina State Elementary Education Curriculum and Instruction area. Teachers hope to build connections between what they do in the Bright Beginnings program and what students will need to do when they enter kindergarten. The new partnership seeks to produce students entering kindergarten who are better prepared to learn and kindergarten teachers with a clearer idea of what their students have been exposed to and how they can build on that knowledge as they move through kindergarten. The program has the potential to raise student achievement at every grade level, as better prepared students advance year to year. Bright Beginnings recognizes that as Elementary Education Standards increase, preschool student curriculum must as well. As the director of the program explains, “(Children) are expected to learn more. The standards have increased, not just in college and high school but in kindergarten too.”

Professional Development for Teachers

As part of Bright Beginnings commitment to preschool education, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools has used federal and state grant money to ensure that the teachers working in the program are highly trained and qualified. All teachers must be certified in early child development, meaning that they have studied children from birth to kindergarten.

National Recognition for Bright Beginnings

Several years ago, Bright Beginnings sold its award winning curriculum to Pearson Publishing. Through this partnership, the curriculum has been distributed nationwide and continues to grow in neighborhoods far from the Charlotte &ndash Mecklenburg area. The director of the program credits Bright Beginning’s success to the continued dedication of teachers and developers to work towards better learning practices. She comments, “We’ve started some new things and we’re going to continue to build them. We have gotten great marks for our curriculum for years. (Charlotte &ndash Mecklenburg Schools) is a leader in the nation.”