chemistry

Wendell L. Roelofs

Wendell L. Roelofs is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wendell L. Roelofs rather than just read about it. In short: Wendell L. Roelofs (born July 26, 1938) was the first researcher to characterize insect sex pheromone structures, developing microchemical techniques for the isolation and identification of pheromone components.

Key takeaways

Wendell L. Roelofs belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wendell L. Roelofs to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wendell L. Roelofs from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wendell L. Roelofs (born July 26, 1938) was the first researcher to characterize insect sex pheromone structures, developing microchemical techniques for the isolation and identification of pheromone components.

Education and career Roelofs obtained his Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1960 from Central College in Pella, Iowa and his Doctor of Philosophy in organic chemistry from Indiana University Bloomington in 1964. He is the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Insect Biochemistry in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

In his spare time, Roelofs coache[d] a youth league football team of kids aged eleven and twelve. Roelofs likened a cooperative effort in the laboratory to teamwork in football. With a coach's natural ability, he fostered an atmosphere where people could contribute their academic strengths and interests. "With our wide range of interests, we can always follow the most interesting lead whether it's my area of expertise or not," .... "That's how we stay at the forefront. It's synergistic. There's more creativity among us all."

Award Roelofs received the Wolf Prize in Agriculture in 1982, and the National Medal of Science from President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

References

External links Roelofs homepage at Cornell University

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wendell L. Roelofs

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wendell L. Roelofs claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wendell L. Roelofs before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wendell L. Roelofs ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wendell L. Roelofs

In research: Wendell L. Roelofs appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wendell L. Roelofs in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wendell L. Roelofs is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1938 births, 21st-century American chemists, Central College (Iowa) alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wendell L. Roelofs outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wendell L. Roelofs in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wendell L. Roelofs means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wendell L. Roelofs out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wendell L. Roelofs in simple terms?

Why does Wendell L. Roelofs matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wendell L. Roelofs?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wendell L. Roelofs.