By Holly Desrosier
For several years, Craven Community College (Craven CC) chemistry instructor Dr. Carmela Magliocchi-Byrnes has given her students the creative freedom to celebrate the holiday season while remaining in the chemistry element. At the end of each fall semester, her students have the option to rewrite lyrics to popular Christmas tunes in a chemistry theme.
She first started these special assignments in 2015 after challenging her students to write a chemistry-themed poem in the style of “The Night Before Christmas.” Since then, she has had students rewrite lyrics to “Carol of the Bells,” “The First Noel,” “Sleigh Ride,” and "Winter Wonderland."
This year, the assignment was to rewrite the lyrics to the Christmas classic “Silver Bells” in a chemistry theme. Two submissions are listed below:
"Silver Bells" by Erica Buchheim, Chemistry 152
Chemistry, chemistry
It’s chemistry time in the college
Ring-a-ling, (ring-a-ling) hear it ring (ting-a-ling)
Soon it will be chemistry time.
Crystal, alloys, and the Polymers
Molecular configurations
In the air there's a feeling of Chemistry
Molecular forces, vapor pressures
Clausius-Clapeyron Equation
Good luck pronouncing that right
Chemistry, chemistry
It’s chemistry time in the college
Ring-a-ling, (ring-a-ling)
hear it ring (ting-a-ling)
Soon it will be chemistry time.
Chemical kinetics, even rate laws
Giving all the energy
As we use concentration and time
Use the equations, just plug and chug
This is math’s big day,
And in the back of your head you hear
Chemistry (The college students)
Chemistry (Are busy now because)
Chemistry, chemistry
It’s chemistry time in the college
Ring-a-ling, it fills the laboratory air
Hear it ring, you see it everywhere
Soon it will be chemistry time.
Crystal, alloys, and the Polymers (Chemistry)
Molecular configurations (Chemistry)
In the air there's a feeling of Chemistry (It’s chemistry time in the college)
Molecular forces, vapor pressures (Ring-a-ling)
Clausius-Clapeyron Equation (Hear it ring)
Very soon it will be chemistry time.
"Stoichiometry" by Lauren Goins, Chemistry 131
Stoichiometry, stoichiometry
My least favorite thing about chemistry
Grams to moles, moles to moles
What does it all even mean?
Molar masses, noble gases
Where should I even start?
In the air there’s a feeling of panic
Conversion factors, coefficients
Know them before you start
And make sure you keep track of sig figs
Stoichiometry, stoichiometry
My least favorite thing about chemistry
Grams to moles, moles to moles
What does it all even mean?
Avogadro’s here to help you
Keeping track of the moles
When you need to know mass of a substance
Chemical reactions, products, reactants
Make sure to balance both sides
Just know on every exam you will see
Stoichiometry, stoichiometry
My least favorite thing about chemistry
Grams to moles, moles to moles
What does it all even mean?
Acids and bases, nuclear reactions
Equilibrium too,
Are a few of my favorite things
Lewis structures, nomenclature
I can do them just fine
But my problem just seems to be
Stoichiometry, stoichiometry
My least favorite thing about chemistry
Grams to moles, moles to moles
What does it all even mean?
