My Blog
Pinocchio in College
(updated from a published article) “Dr. Crocker, I know who complained about you to your boss—you reported her for cheating on her final exam.” Only a week after the publication of the story of my time as an educator at George Mason University (GMU), I was contacted...
Science by a Scientist: Macromolecules
A simple sugar. Several of these attached make a polysaccharide, like starch.The little balls represent amino acids. Those attach, the chain curls up, and the final result is a functional machine.The four railroad cars of DNA are guanine, cytosine, thymine, and...
Science by a Scientist: Germy Sponges
Kitchen sponges. Those who use them love them. Those of us who are scientists trained in microbiology don't. Why not? Wet Places are often Germy The simple answer is: because they remain wet. Bacteria love to grow in damp places. During COVID, I had my students do an...
Plugins
Picture the scene: My very patient and supportive husband and I are setting out for an Arts and Crafts fair, where Rambling Ruminations has a stall. “Where are we headed?” he asks. The Problem I pull up my website on my phone. “That’s the great thing about my...
Science by a Scientist: On Skepticism
Are scientists made or born? Obviously, career scientists do need training, but why do they even bother? It certainly isn't for the money! I can't guess why anyone else did it, but I can explore why I became a scientist. Fashion? It was not as a fashion statement....
The Educational Value of Homeschooling
In a month or so, I will attend the Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV) 2025 convention as a workshop speaker and vendor. I’ll teach about writing a book and sell my books. But that’s not what I want to write about now. To do that, I need to go back in...