How do we build chemistry classrooms where more students can thrive? In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with Matt Mayo about neurodiversity in chemistry education. They discuss why every student experiences learning differently, how understanding those differences can make us better teachers and colleagues, and why creating more accessible learning environments benefits far more people than we might expect. It’s a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, empathy, and what it means to teach the whole student.

Important Links

• Submit a Question for Community Conversations
• bcce.divched.org/2026
• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife
• chemforyourlife.com

• 0:00 – Introducing the Community Conversation on neurodiversity
• 2:40 – Meet Matt Mayo and why this topic matters to him
• 6:10 – What the BCCE session will explore: students and faculty
• 11:00 – Why more educators are thinking differently about neurodiversity
• 14:00 – Melissa’s ADHD journey and designing courses that help everyone
• 18:30 – Questions to bring back to your own teaching community
• 19:10 – Universal Design for Learning and meeting students where they are
• 24:00 – Why awareness is the best place to start
• 25:30 – ADHD “superpowers” and different ways of thinking
• 28:00 – Looking ahead to the Community Conversation at BCCE

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Hairspray seems simple… until you actually stop and think about it. How does it come out as a fine mist? Why doesn’t it dry up inside the can? How can it hold your hair in place without acting like glue? This week we’re unpacking the surprisingly clever chemistry behind one of the most common products in our homes—and discovering it’s far more complicated than either of us expected.

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Timestamps

• 0:00 – A question inspired by our forensics episode: what is hairspray?
• 4:40 – The three ingredients inside a can of hairspray
• 10:40 – How the propellant turns liquid into a fine aerosol spray
• 18:30 – How polymers create an invisible “hairnet”
• 29:00 – Why designing hairspray is harder than you might expect
• 36:20 – How hairspray compares to gel and mousse
• 45:50 – Fun categories: movies, cast iron, and things that turned out to be more complicated than expected

References from the Episode:

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Great teaching doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in community. In this bonus BCCE Community Conversation preview, Melissa talks with chemistry educator Dr. Joanne Stewart about communities of practice: groups of educators who come together to share ideas, solve problems, and help one another grow. They explore why teaching is hard to improve on your own, how these communities support both faculty and students, and why meaningful change in chemistry education depends on building relationships, not just sharing resources.

Important Links

• Submit a Question for Community Conversations
• bcce.divched.org/2026
• YouTube.com/@chemforyourlife
• chemforyourlife.com

• 0:00 – Introducing the BCCE Community Conversation series
• 2:40 – Meet Joanne Stewart and her work in chemistry education
• 5:10 – What is a community of practice?
• 8:20 – How educators can get involved (even as a “lurker”)
• 11:50 – Sharing teaching resources and learning from one another
• 15:30 – Building a “community of communities” in chemistry
• 18:50 – What this year’s Community Conversation will explore
• 23:50 – Why lasting educational change requires strong networks
• 29:20 – BCCE events, communities to explore, and final invitations

Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

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