Day 14 Friday 3/27/20 COVID LOCKDOWN

Friday, March 27, 2020

Today is a rebound day for me - after the Zoom-exhaustion of yesterday -

CHEM100 work: spent some time responding to students e-mails (extensions (Elinton, Weston, Abby), questions about final projects (Felix, David).  Moodle Choice has been filled out with 24 students (out of the 37 students in CHEM100).  Most are naturally choosing "d" - which is essentially an independent project but alot are choosing "b" for baking.  Very few for "c" service.  Also heard from Pia Sorenson at Harvard - she gave me more resources for AmherstKidsCook@Home, choice "a".  Google Forms reported 8 students having finished Course Content with most getting 100% and some getting 8's and 9's.  The most common wrong answer was to the question - what additive to chocolate makes it Dutch Chocolate - the right answer is alkali - the popular wrong answer is "tulip dust."  Also spent a bit of time getting Module 5 launched.  Not there yet by any means.

Got to work a bit on BCBP minutes of yesterday's program meeting and working with Cathy to set up GOOGLE FOLDER for final drafts of theses.  Working on draft of letter to students.

CHEM-social at 3:30 PM - got to hang out with colleagues and students - Anna, Nate, Kashew, Alex, new sophomore major Eleanor with faculty - Sheila, David, Chris, Stephen, Richmond and me.  Stephen shared the moose on campus video while he was diffracting into his Science Center background and Anna shared with us the link to the ACS page with cool Zoom backgrounds.  Downloaded a few of the Chem images and added some olive images of my own.

Put in an Amazon order for folders, stickies, and small and big white board.

Rich had back to back meetings from  9 AM to 2 PM.  Teaching three classes, department meetings - managing breakout rooms and trying to get a handle on teaching stereochemistry (3 D thinking about molecules) when all of your experience is in 2 D)

Took an 11 AM solo walk - crocuses - frogs - balloon - brook - neighbors - Eddie,

First crocus of the year - top of driveway

Purple stars hiding in the myrtle

........ and later a 4 PM walk with Rich. Tried to order Mission Cantina first directly through their phone but they didn't answer or phone was busy. Tried through Delivery Express, but they were also unsuccessful.  We finally canceled delivery express order and had leftover meat pie with couscous.  Will try again midweek.

Put in a Zen and PeaPod Puzzle order for three puzzles - one for each girl and one for us.