Australia's Science Forum

Hi Rhonda, all the very best for a long and happy retirement! I'm finishing too and am looking forward to new adventures! Agree, this forum is a valuable resource to both experienced and new labbies. Robyn

Thank you! Yes we plan to do more travelling next year, Thailand in February and a "Fill in the Gaps" trip to places on our bucket list later in the year. We also plan to generally enjoy life moreand do more of what we want to do (reading more than a couple of pages of a book at a time bei...

Well, it seems some of you lovely people will be finishing for the year next week, so, I'd just like to let you know that after 27 years working in schools, I'm retiring (it's gone so fast). I'd like to thank you all for your help and support, your ideas and humour on this forum. It's been an invalu...

A number of years ago I contacted Chem Supply after our universal was turning red. I was having a hard time convincing the staff here that it was fine to use even after I tested it for colour change against HCl and NaOH. They kept tipping it down the sink! The following is the reply from Chem Supply...

Have been busily typing up the programs etc for Years 7 and 9 for next year. It seems we're using a few texts for reference: National Science (a new text) plus Science Focus and Science Search, Core Science is mentioned at times too! Not sure if we'll be buying class sets of National Science at this...

Japan for me!! Very excited; I went 12 years back on a sister city exchange program and loved it. My husband has been wanting to go ever since, so off we go. Will travel about plus visit one of the students we had stay with us many years ago. Then daughter number 2 will visit us in her break (Canber...

Had the same problem with a batch of tubes from Serrata a while back, the bottoms were melting out. Max sent a new, tested batch, and they were fine.

I've also bought that coloured brickies string at Bunnings....just waiting for them to use it some time and give me the verdict. Great minds think alike Robb,
from another Rob!

I once had a male teacher ask very seriously if he could have a curette?? Of course he meant a burette, but I do remember I got some milage out of that one!

What a variety of situations we find ourselves in! Here we have 7 labs in three different buildings and just 2 fume cupboards. The are both double sided but both in the same prep room, into two different labs. Fortunately they are in close proximity to the chem store. One is higher than the other, s...

Funny you should ask...we actually do have an endoscope in a lovely hard case. A past student actually found it at the dump, so the story goes, and brought it in for our Senior Science / Chem teacher who used to be a vet. I guess there may be a few bits missing and / or it doesn't actually work like...

Ours are similar - easy to make and easy to replace if needed.

all done as well

All of the above!! I've also put together, over time, a manual of hints, method useful for any labbie working here. It includes any procedures which are specific to our school, ideas I may have picked up in Chemtalk as well as passwords,names and numbers for other labbies in our area, locations of o...

I'm sure I'm the only person in the whole school who has any idea, or in fact cares what CSIS is. I have a checkbox on my order forms that the teachers are using the chemicals involved according to CSIS or otherwise they are meant to do an RA. Guess how many RAs I've been given?? Last year our Princ...

Thanks Trish and Sue; it's comforting to hear that it's not only me!! I really want to do the best job I can but sometimes I feel like I'm pushing it uphill! Thank goodness for this forum, without everyone's support here it would be very easy to feel isolated!! I've been doing this a LONG time but w...

Reading these forums I pick up on changes to the way we are supposed to go about our work with chemicals and I'm very grateful for it; and it lead me to wonder where everyone else gets their information?? Surely it's not just that I am in a rural area. Nothing has really been given to me in writing ...

Have just had a lengthy "chat" with Cedric on the Chemgold live chat line. He initially said "the average is what you intend to use for a particular location and the max refers to what is licenced to keep on site = manifest quantity" - kind of double dutch to me as how do I know ...

I agree!! If ANYONE has a proper handle on this thing can they please let us ALL know??

Hi, am just wading though my manifest using Chemgold 3 and have a couple of things I just want to check. I've added my chemicals to each store; do I add my actual amounts in the Average volume / weight column and then the pack size in the Max Volume / weight column (or does this refer to the max all...