Tuesday November 14th brought forth the 30^th annual Faraday Lecture at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland. Among numerous other spectators, Dr. Belardi, Brother Eric, and nearly twenty sophomores from their chemistry courses were in attendance at this celebrated Pittsburgh tradition.

This lecture was led by Bob Becker, a high school chemistry teacher form Missouri. Bob received his Bachelor of arts in biology from Yale in 1983 and his Masters in education from Washington University in 1990. He has since written two books depicting his some of his many  experiments and teaching methods. Pittsburgh is lucky to have had the privilege the past thirty years to have experienced this man’s expertise in the field.

Too often, the term “lecture” is associated with long and ponderous expatiation or just a consummate regurgitation of information; however, the Faraday Lecture is the farthest thing from that. It is clear that Mr. Becker believes passionately in kinesthetic and interactive learning. He puts this disposition into practice each year, jam-packing over twenty different experiments into the succinct two hour period of time. Mr. Becker also resorted to various members of the crowd to assist him in his work and was able to actively incorporated the audience into his experiments, keeping everyone in the building on their toes at all times throughout the lecture.

Some of these experiments include many regarding flames, combustion, and other chemical reactions. One experiment that was especially appreciated by the audience on this Tuesday night was one in which Mr. Becker inhaled various elements, examining their impact on his voice. This was surely a crowd-pleaser and contributed further to a loose and stimulating  night.

The 30^th Annual Faraday Lecture at Soldiers and Sailors was a night to remember for the sophomore chemistry students, as well as everyone in attendance on Tuesday November 14^th. It was an engaging and interesting presentation of chemistry concepts though a plentitude of chemical experiments. The Faraday Lecture was certainly a beneficial way to spend a Tuesday night, and, should the 31^st annual come around, it would be a mistake not to consider making an appearance and learning from the mastered artistry of Mr. Bob Becker.