Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
Keeping students interested in the class can be a difficult task. This is one that not been the issue for Professor of Chemistry Mark Diskin. Diskin, also known as Mark A. to his students, has continued installing unorthodox techniques in his teachings.
Diskin, a graduate of Curtin University in Perth, Australia, became the first American graduate with a doctorate at his respective university. When doing his doctorate work in Australia, Diskin spent some time working for a gold mining company in the outback learning how to get the gold out of the ore using a cyanide process. Diskin travels to Curtin University occasionally to be a guest lecturer.
“Each time (I) go back, it’s a new world,” Diskin said explaining just how important the experience of going back is to him.
Diskin is known for his classroom demonstrations, but for him, these are more than just that. Diskin goes on chemistry road shows, performing at schools such as Stanford, Utah, DePaul, Maine, Chicago and Kansas State. Diskin performs acts as a character for staff and students, and he has multiple acts and tricks up his sleeves, but his character work can come off as the most impressive.
Such acts include the Chemistry Cowboy, which features a southern accent and many uses of the word “YEEHAW.” Big-Al-intine, another act, which was performed in front of a class for Valentine’s Day. Big-Al-intine is accompanied with many experiments with chemistry puns. He also acts as characters Laboratory Bill, and Mole-aria with Laboratory Bill also having a tough guy variation to his character. Diskin’s performances are chalked full of chemical reactions mixed with props to create almost a mad scientist like show.
“(It’s) primarily a combination of pyrotechnics, music and sometimes percussion,” Diskin said when asked how his show functions.
He has been performing for 11 years through the University Speaker Bureau. The shows did not start off how they are performed today. The show evolved over time from demonstrations to complete shows with characters. Diskin explains that his trips back to Australia are not his only trips out the country. He has also traveled to other countries to perform.
It is hard to gauge who the most interesting person on campus is at any point, but from this time on, we will always put Mark Diskin in contention.
