Bullseye Factory Tour

You might've seen the factory tour videos of Kokomo Opalescent Glass that I've posted before

If so, you might also have seen my comments that the lack of PPE used when the glass ingredients are being measured out. I comment on that every year with my students because I make them wear N95 masks when they measure out the silica and other glass batching ingredients. They're doing it once, and I insist on PPE. The Kokomo folks are assumedly doing that every day and - at least as of the time of the videos being filmed - they aren't using any breathing protection at all.

Today's video works as a contrast to that with Kokomo representing an old-school, 'that's how we've always done things' look at manufacturing, and the Bullseye Factory Tour shown above shows how more modern manufacturing should look.

I went looking for more Bullseye factory tour videos to check for PPE again. The above one was posted in 2017, and it shows PPE. The below one was posted in 2016, and it shows PPE. There's another that's dated 1979 that doesn't show the same PPE, but it also doesn't show the ingredients being measured out, and that's where I'm most concerned about the use of PPE masks. It does, however, show smoking on the floor of the glass factory which feels incredibly dated. The second video below, the one from The Oregonian specificially mentions some of the environmental concerns involved in the production of glass. It's more about the use of heavy metals, but it's a valid concern.

2026 Teacher Camps

Here we are, folks, with the 2026 ASM material science teacher camp schedule.

Through the teacher camps, ASM Materials Education Foundation offers a week of professional development focused on five goals...

• Teachers will grow in their curiosity and enthusiasm for materials science and translate that excitement into engaging learning experiences for their students.
• Teachers will select and adapt labs and demonstrations from camp that can be integrated into their existing classroom curriculum.
• Teachers will have the opportunity to observe, explore, and practice a variety of teaching strategies, such as inquiry-based learning, collaborative learning, hands-on experimentation, questioning techniques, and lab management skills, among others.
• Teachers will identify and implement real-world applications of materials science concepts to make lessons more relevant and engaging for students.
• Teachers will establish connections with local ASM chapters, STEM industries, and fellow educators for foster collaboration and professional growth.

Attendees will do roughly thirty labs in the week and see another twenty+ demonstrations connecting material science concepts to the curriculum attendees already teach.

The workshop is free...and some are even provide housing for out of town attendees.

Attendees earn professional development / contact hours.

Attendees can pay for graduate credit hours through University of Missouri - Kansas City ($250 for 2 graduate credit hours).

Plus, it's just lots of fun.

True Facts Water Walkers: Educational Edition

If you've watched any of the True Facts videos before, you might be a little leery of my posting of the videos. They have historically used some adult jokes to keep viewers interested along the way.

The newer TrueFactsEducational channel, however, keeps the jokes no worse than PG meaning that they're okay to watch - at least in a middle- or high-school setting - which is awesome because the information presented about how water striders - and spring tails - walk and move on a surface of water is excellent and entertainingly presented. 

I helped break a 142-year old bell, and that's okay.

It's good to have the real Tom Scott back. We've been surviving on substitutes for a while now, but there's nothing like the real thing.

In Tom's first video back on YouTube, he takes us to see four bells cast in Loughborough, England at Taylor's Bellfoundry. You can check out their behind the scenes video of the visit below and can visit their site here.

Tom sees them make the forms - out of sand, resin, horse manure, graphite, straw, and a whole lot of experience. It's an impressive process which results in four absolutely gorgeous bells cast in bronze.

Amazing Lego-Style HEMP BLOCKS Make Building a House Quick, Easy & Sustainable

Hempcrete?

The hempcrete blocks make me think a whole lot of straw bricks, a pretty old composite technology - which falls into my frequently-reinforced observation that the more environmentally friendly a technology is, the more likely it is to be an updated version of technology that humans were using a thousand or more years ago.

Here the 'hempcrete' is really hemp hurd mixed with lime. The lime then absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the hempcrete sets.

Hemp has long been put forth as a renewable resource with fibers that can be useful in lots of ways.

If you're interested in learning more about hempcrete...

• Carbon Smart Materials Palette
• American Lime Technology
• Hempitecture
• Hemptraders

How the World's Most Expensive Color is Made

This video definitely doesn't make me sad, though I would understand why you might end up a bit blue after learning about the manufacturing process of lapis lazuli-based paints.

The Cennini method described here is understandably expensive - because it's insanely labor-intensive.

Understandably, Mohammed has a less labor-intensive method that he developed, but he's not sharing that with us in the video.

From about 6:40 onward, the video shifts from following the production method to looking into the mining of lapis lazuli in Afghanistan, a more political discussion than the initial portion of the video. Then they come back to Mohammed as he explains why natural, lapis-based paints are 'better' than its synthetic replacements.

Why It Was Almost Impossible to Make the Blue LED

I was watching a YouTube video from a Scottish YouTuber recently and heard him refer to a light as being a LED bulb. He, however, pronounced LED as if it were the element lead. I, an American, pronounce those bulbs as their three separate letters El Ee Dee, like an acronym. 

Neither, of course, is correct, nor is it at all relevant to this video.

This video, just over half an hour long and produced by Dr Derek of Veritasium, goes through the quantum mechanic explanation of how semiconductors conduct at room temperature which also explains how LEDs produce light and - eventually in the video - how LEDs can be tuned to produce different colors.

This video is also a great exploration of how doped semiconductors conduct electricity. 

I'm really happy that I don't have to teach this concept in my chemistry - or material science - classes because this really pushes my understanding of quantum mechanics and electronics. I didn't thoroughly understand it when I first heard about it back in 1993 or 1994, and I don't entirely understand it now. I do, however, fully accept that there are people who do understand these concepts and that we owe those people a massive debt because the widespread use of LEDs has been a huge revolution in energy savings for our world.

Plus it lets people wrap their cars in Christmas lights.