Patrick Thomson
@patrickthomson.bsky.social
290 followers 210 following 170 posts
Chemistry Education (introductory lab inquiry, anxiety, secondary project work), University of Strathclyde. SFHEA, gamer, scot, DIY, usually not on fire.
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We did an open-access thing! Prelabs, what instructors (you) typically do in them, and what y'all think about them! Now with added "Outwith". pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... with @edinburghchem.bsky.social colleagues Ben and Mairi, @chemistryncl.bsky.social Cristina, and @annajkirkham.bsky.social !
Reposted by Patrick Thomson
Rest in peace to Jane Goodall, whose tireless advocacy for primates has brought us closer than ever to the Planet of the Apes becoming a terrifying reality
PC gaming feels a better fit than railroads. There aren't many consumers holding AI bonds about to get devalued, and the remnants won't be hundred-year infrastructures but technologies, products, and shifts in equilibria.
You're welcome. There's also a big kerfuffle about the bins at the moment. Feels like every country could do with a bit of Parish Council energy at the very highest levels of governance.
Reposted by Patrick Thomson
Heartfelt thanks to the Scottish parliament for keeping its political disasters on a level I can actually tolerate.
Quote from an article, which reads: 

The Highlands and Islands MSP claimed the incident happened in front of security and other parliamentary staff, after the pair had clashed over the scheduling of a summit to discuss "out of control" seagulls.
Reposted by Patrick Thomson
Right. My students working two part time jobs and/or having an hour and a half commute to uni because they have to live at home due to the cost of student accommodation lack drive and vigour. Sure thing, Peter. The UK Govt still haven't a clue about the realities of universities today.
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Congratulations to all the shows that won Emmys, they sound cool, I’ll definitely check them out when I’m done watching 500 episodes of Antiques Roadshow
Yes! I've been saying this for years, AI can at best be an accelerator for expertise; using it without any is utter folly. Teach it critically, to graduates.
There's a small thread on my timeline about calculators (I don't want to rope the folks on that thread into this) and I think it illustrates something about LLMs quite clearly. (1/n)
We LEAFd but it really feels more of a researcher thing, lots of simple stuff that passes, lots of avoidable consumption that didn't move the needle either way.
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Outstanding news that should be shared.
Wonderful #vicephec25, as always!
About to pass through the hated Wavertree Technology Park, voted "station most likely to be the only one that autocompletes when you forget that Edinburgh Waverley isn't just called Waverley"
Update: I am on the way to Liverpool and I did not do the shirt thing.
Seriously considering printing up a custom shirt for @vicephec.bsky.social that just says "Do your SFHEA already", figure I'll probably end up Orient Expressed by about 25% of the delegates.
If anyone's heading over/up/down to @vicephec.bsky.social next week, check out the presentation by Strathclyde student sgchem.bsky.social , who used TikTok to punch up our prelabs! Previously of the YouTube Paper fame, with @lemackz.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Scott Gardner (@sgchem.bsky.social)
sgchem.bsky.social
We did an open-access thing! Prelabs, what instructors (you) typically do in them, and what y'all think about them! Now with added "Outwith". pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... with @edinburghchem.bsky.social colleagues Ben and Mairi, @chemistryncl.bsky.social Cristina, and @annajkirkham.bsky.social !
Reposted by Patrick Thomson
For those arriving for satellite activities, #ViCEPHEC25 is just two weeks away. If you haven't already, this is another great opportunity to follow the conference starter pack.

Get in touch if you'd like to be added to this - it is a work in progress. go.bsky.app/FffPieC
We are fitting our own kitchen (not the royal we! Marrying an engineer has some benefits) and I actually used Duct Tape to Tape up a Duct and I've never been more devastated to realise I was previously stupid.
Seriously considering printing up a custom shirt for @vicephec.bsky.social that just says "Do your SFHEA already", figure I'll probably end up Orient Expressed by about 25% of the delegates.
The @advancehe.bsky.social awards are out - congrats to new chemistry #NationalTeachingFellow @drkevinmorgan.bsky.social ! And recognition for @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social "We are Chemistry" team in the #CATE.
With the decline of paper money and the "I'll have you know it's legal tender" conversation, us Scots need a new friction to export, so once again I find myself saying "it's a real word, albeit rarely used outwith Scotland"
A snippet of an editorial trace document, showing the word outwith has been replaced by the word outside
In about ten years time, any universities depending on international students from China is going to start seeing this come through as well.
Mind-blowing stats on nurseries in China: the number of births has fallen by half *since 2017*, leading to a collapse in early years provision.

The future impact on primary and secondary education is going to be seismic.

www.ft.com/content/8271...
So pleased that Taskmaster has added "Jason Mantzoukas, chaotic good" to the pantheon of positive male role models in media (alongside the entirety of the Fellowship, ofc). No longer am I forced to choose between a natural sprinter and a vegetable thief.