Mass Spectrometry Forum - Jelly beans and Mass Spectrometry for K-4 students

Each column in "Mass Spectrometry Forum" follows a stick-to-the-basics approach so that it can be used as a stand-alone introduction for the topic. Column content doesn't become overly dated, even as the photo that appears in the ending biography documents the advancing age of the author. Even with this "basics" approach, though, "Forum" columns are usually too lengthy and complex when a scientist needs to explain mass spectrometry (MS) to a student audience, using elementary concepts or simple science, within the space of maybe 20 minutes. When might such short explanations be necessary? From the author's direct experience, short, cogent presentations can explain gas chromatography coupled with MS,to a class of fidgety third-graders. Explanations using more-sophisticated analogies can be used in explaining forensic analysis using MS to a larger group of high-school students, or in describing instrumentation for MS to company managers who were wondering why the instrument purchase was so expensive. Or perhaps just explaining to family what you actually do for a living.