Dear College of Science Faculty and Staff,
We were treated this week in Community Meeting to a journey through our outstanding department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The Periodic Table of the Elements is an icon of chemistry, a beautiful, logical way to array the elements, those building blocks of complex molecules. Elements in Group 17, the vertical row second from right are called halogens, some of which you will know. From top (lightest) to bottom (heaviest) they are Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Astatine (unstable) and Tennassine (obscure). Chlorine is the most important global water disinfectant since it is highly reactive and so inactivates pathogens. Indeed, all the halogens are reactive, because they have seven electrons in their outer shell, just one away from a perfect eight, and they enthusiastically form compounds to get there.
Fluorine (F) is the smallest halogen, and fluoride (F-) (fluorine salt) can wonderfully protect teeth from decay. The discovery of dental protection from fluoride started with a mysterious medical observation of brown teeth in the Colorado Springs community, and extended through excellent scientific exploration into a new strategy for dental health. Fluoride seems to both prevent loss of minerals from enamel, and to promote enamel remineralization, sealing entry points for bacteria that cause tooth decay.
There is some contention over addition of fluoride to water, as too much can have toxic effects, but the dental benefits at approved levels are unequivocal. Reading this news article jogged me to remember an uncomfortable situation. When I was in seventh grade, my mom’s friend Ray came by our house with some printed flyers around fluoride, including pictures of smokestacks belching black fumes. Possibly there was talk of adding fluoride to the water in South Africa, and she had taken the stance that this was evil. Ray spoke emphatically to my mom and me for a bit, and then asked me to give a presentation at school on the danger of fluoride. Even at the time, it was an odd request, but it seemed expected that I’d agree. My teacher let me talk to the class, which I did, armed only with ominous flyers and Ray’s words. Then, as instructed by Ray, I asked my classmates whether they would vote against fluoridation. There was silence and finally one person said, we don’t know. And I realized I didn’t know either and went back to my seat.
The lessons I learned from this story hold decades later: understand the point of a request and become informed enough to have an opinion related to your response. What I could have done, even as a teenager, was to say I would need to think about it, or to discuss the request with my parents. A variation of these lessons is still true for me, and for everyone in our College. If you aren’t sure how to respond to a request made to you, please ask for more information, say you will revert to whomever has asked, or indicate you will need to check in with your supervisor or someone else. Making sure to understand the requests that come with your work, that you appreciate the context and the problem to be solved will ensure best use of your time and talent. Thank you! for your complex, brilliant work in the College of Science and across Northeastern University.
To our Muslim members observing the holy month, Ramadan Mubarak.
Warm wishes to everyone.