Debbie Gale Mitchell

@heydebigale

Chemist, 🧲 spectroscopist, mother, (Teaching) Professor of Chemistry at University of Denver. Loves reading romance and nonfiction 💖📚, currently writing a narrative nonfiction book on spectroscopy🚨Opinions and thoughts and posts are my own!

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Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 1d

Nonfiction science new releases for AUGUST, 2026! Which of these books are you adding to your TBR? I am planning to read PREGNANCY INTERRUPTED very soon. #nonfiction #booksky #science 🧪 #sciencebooks #womeninscience #nonfictionscience

A green -colored slide with the text "nonfiction science new releases August, 2026" along the top with a structure of morphine at the top right corner. 20 book covers are lined up in rows below the title:

THE VANISING EARTH by James Crawford
A IS FOR AMOEBA by Money
PREGNANCY INTERUPTED by Clancy
ALIVE by Challenger
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF STARSHIPS by Rasmussen
TOGETHERNESS by Hooper
THE BINARY DELUSION by Berkowitz
TO THINK LIKE A STATISTICIAN by Efron
REGEN by Montgomery
IMPOSSIBLE CHOICES by David Hackney
THE GHOST OF THE MOUNTAINS by Suryawanshi
THINK BEFORE YOU THINK by Owen
UNDESIRaBLE by Crawford
Global by Design by Amos Winter
ENDLESS ENDINGS by Ricard Sole
I HAVE THIS THING FOR FLOWERS by Sawchyn
UP ON COVE MOUNTAIN by Earl Swift
Sentinels by Michael Dulaney
MOTHERS OF INVENTION by Moiya McTier
IT COULD BE OTHERWISE by Firestein

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 3d

On this day 81 years ago, countless lives were destroyed when the US military dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. LUMINOUS PURSUIT is Osamu Shimomura’s autobiography. He won 1/3 of the 2008 Nobel in Chemistry for GFP. Osamu and Akemi Shimomura were both survivors of the Nagasaki bomb.

Cover of the book LUMINOUS PURSUIT is overlayed on top of an image of Akemi, Osamu, and several others including their children on a trip to collect jellyfish. They are standing on a dock by water.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 4d

And I’m proud I can say I didn’t use an LLM for any step of this process (Like it’s hard?) 💅🏻

Elle Woods Like it’s hard meme. It’s an image of Elle woods and her ex boyfriend and he says “you fact checked your entire 80,000 word book without the helps of LLMs?” And Elle replies “What, like it’s hard?”

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 4d

I finished fact checking my book RESONANCE & RADIANCE last night. About 850 facts were checked (13 chapters by me and my friend Stephanie checked my two biochemistry chapters) Even with the help it was about two solid months of my full-time labor to fact check my book.

A manuscript sits on a patio table with a cup of tea and a stack of chemistry books

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 6d

Finally framed the original Ginsburg my husband gifted me!!! Now I just need to read BESIEGED! #booksky #romancelandia

A photo of a book case filled with mass market paperback romance novels. A framed romance cover art hangs over the book
Case

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 6d

Also I am obsessed that "fluorescence" was coined in the footnote of Stokes 1852 paper. He was like -- if opalescence can be named after opals, why not name this glowing after fluorspar? And I think that is cool royalsocietypublishing.org/rstl/article...

A screenshot from On the change of refrangibility of light by Stokes. Page 15 of the document. He says, " I confess I do not like this term (dispersive reflexion) I am almost inclined to coin a word and call the appearence fluorescence from fluor-spar, as the analagos term opalescence is derived from the name of a mineral.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 6d

Album getting me through fact checking today. I’m almost done with the two fluorescence chapters that my friend Stephanie helped me fact check 🥹🥹🥹 Im at 523 facts and counting

Screenshot of WORST GIRL IN AMERICA album by Slayyyter

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 7d

Book mail from @manhattanscientist.bsky.social !!! I’m so excited to read your book, Julian!!! I love when #chemsky friends write books! 🩷😍 🫧🧪⚛️🫧

A photo of a hand holding the book HOW AND WHY SOAP WORKS with grass and blue boots in the background

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 24d

What’s everyone reading this weekend? I started UNREASONABLE WOMEN yesterday. I couldn’t stop & finished it late last night. Grateful I had both audio & ebook on Libby. It’s a book about “criminalized survival”—women who are victims of violence who are convicted when they try to survive. #booksky

My review for UNREASONABLE WOMEN on goodreads. It says “CW: Graphic violence, Sexual Assault, Child SA, gore, child death
This book is about the concept of criminalized survival. This book follows three women and how their lives were shaped by poverty, sexual assault, and finally the threat of losing their life.
This line stood out to me: "When these women were victims, they could not access proper services support or care. Then, the moment they defended themselves, they were considered criminals, and no expense was spared in their punishment."
Definitely a very important read albeit extremely heavy read.

Screenshot of the audiobook UNREASONABLE WOMEN on Libby

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· 29d

Nonfiction science new releases for JULY, 2026! ❓Which of these books are you adding to your TBR? I am currently reading LOST IN CURIOSITY and I hope to read CAPITAL FROM ZERO. #nonfiction #booksky #science 🧪 #sciencebooks #womeninscience #nonfictionscience 🎢

A rust--colored slide with the text "nonfiction science new releases July, 2026" along the top with a structure of morphine at the bottom right corner. 20 book covers are lined up in rows below the title:

SNAKE MEN by Zach St George
HIDDEN CREATURES by Dino Martins
LOST IN CURIOSITY by Robera Kwok
GOOD SEDIMENT by Monica Patrice Barra
BIOLOGICAL WAR by Annie Jacobsen
SNAKE DAY by Marty Crump
MEET THE NEIGHBORS by Steven Benner
AGING OUT by Lucy Schiller
CAPITAL FROM ZERO by Kohei Saito
OUR WILD FAMILIARS by Dab Werb
HUMAN RAISED by Dana Suskind
THE SAVAGE LANDSCAPE by Cal Flyn
THE EARTH SAID REMEMBER ME by Jason Dove Mark
THE SECRET WORLD OF TWILIGHT by Sally Coulthard
GRUB by Lee Cadesky
UNDYING FIRE by Stephen J Pyne
FUNGI by Kit Ondaatje Rolls
FAST TRACK by Christian Wolmar
THE DEVILS GARDEN by Peter Marren
TIN CAN COAST by Joseph Ogilvy

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· Jul 4

And it is a funny little document because it is a mix of very serious primary sources but then me also checking geography with google maps and then checking calculations and screenshotting excel.

A fact checking document checking geography of Casa Bonita, Colfax and Bannock, and Civic Center Park.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· Jul 4

A few of my favorite books that had me seeing the USA differently. ❤️🤍💙 ❓What is a book that helped you learn US American history that you were not taught in school? #booksky #usa250 #july4

Image description: a woman with blue hair and red lipstick stands near a grassy sports field. Book covers are overlayed on the photo: AMERICAN ZION, AMERICAN OASIS, HOW THE WORD IS PASSED, ORIGINAL SINS, AN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, WHEN TREES TESTIFY, AND THE BAND PLAYED ON, and BRAIDING SWEETGRASS

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· Jul 4

I use both. I think goodreads is better as a social to see what your friends are reading and also better to support authors for better or for worse. StoryGraph is nice because of the stats and they make these cute collages at the end of each month which I really appreciate.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· Jun 13

Congratulations to all of the DU graduates!! I’m beyond honored that I get to play a small role in so many educations.

selfie of a white woman with mint hair standing in front of the DU golden spire

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· Jun 9

Nonfiction science new releases for JUNE, 2026! ❓Which of these books are you adding to your TBR? I’m currently reading CHAIN REACTION & enjoying the discussion of the chemistry of hair relaxers! I’m a New Mexico girlie, so I’d love to read RIBBONS OF GREEN. #nonfiction #booksky #science 🧪

A royal blue-colored slide with the text "nonfiction science new releases June, 2026" along the top with a structure of morphine at the bottom right corner. 20 book covers are lined up in rows below the title:

DINNER WITH AN ASTORNAUT by Leroy Chiao
POKING THE SQUID by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
CHAIN REACTION by Ijeoma Uchegbu
A POX ON FOOLS by Thomas Levenson
LITTLE BLUE DOT by Katherine Dunn
LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON by Elizabeth Dunn & Jiaying Zhao
THE DOPAMINE CODE by Sydney Ceruto
ON THE ORIGIN OF SEX by Lixing Sun
ESTROGEN, INTERRUPTED by Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su & Amy Voedisch
DAD BRAIN by Darby Saxbe
LIGHTNING BENEATH THE SEA by James M Tabor
BIRDS OF AMERICA by Chera Hammons
THE PROOF IN THE CODEby Kevin Hartnett
NATURE’S ECHO by Thomas Crowther
THE SUMMER OF DEATH by Geoff Williams
THE BOOK OF BIRDS by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
NOTICING by Richard Louv
RIBBONS OF GREEN by John Fleck and Robert P Berrens
FIRES IN THE NIGHT by Mattew Wolfe
INSECT SAFARI by Margie Patlak

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 24

What’s everyone reading this weekend? I’m listening to BAD COMPANY while I’m running errands and it’s infuriating but a must read. 😭🤬 The way the author is focusing on individual narratives from a variety of sectors and then weaving in big picture reporting is really working for me. #booksky

Screenshot of the audiobook Bad Company by Megan Greenwell

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 20

The DISORDERED COSMOS is referenced a lot, which I love. Love that book. And the journey to understanding their own gender is reminding me of HOW FAR THE LIGHT REACHES

Book cover for THE DISORDERED COSMOS by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Book cover for HOW FAR THE LIGHT REACHES

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 20

I’m thinking about other books that are connected to ENTANGLED STATES. The author’s issues with immigration is reminding me of Katalin Karikó’s struggles in BREAKING THROUGH. The queerness of physics is reminding me of the queerness in math discussed in MATH IN DRAG.

Book cover for BREAKING THROUGH: MY LIFE IN SCIENCE by Katalin Karikó

Book cover for MATH IN DRAG by Kyne Santos

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 19

I just started ENTANGLED STATES by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan and I am really enjoying it so far. It is a mix of science writing & memoir centering around three areas of physics: Time, Space, and Interactions. I love this line: "Memories can be built from dirty diamonds."

photo of the cover for ENTANGLED STATES: A LIFE ACCORDING TO QUANTUM PHYSICS by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 12

I found this Microwave shirt at the thrift store so I added it to my lab attire rotation! 🧲💡🌊🙂‍↔️ #chemchat 🧪 #womeninscience

Selfie of a white woman wearing a t-shirt that says “microwave” while sitting in front of a microwave EPR spectrometer

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 12

Nonfiction science new releases for MAY*, 2026! Which of these books are you adding to your TBR? I am planning to read INVISIBLE RAINBOWS, and THE CREATURES GUIDE TO CARING! *BIRDS UP CLOSE was April 28 #nonfiction #booksky #science 🧪 #sciencebooks #womeninscience #nonfictionscience

A purple-colored slide with the text "nonfiction science new releases May, 2026" along the top with a structure of morphine at the bottom right corner. 19 book covers are lined up in rows below the title:

CLIMATE WAFINDING by Katharine Wilkinson
THE CREATURES GUIDE TO CARING by Elizabeth Preston
ARACHNOMANIA by Maria Tatar
INVISIBLE RAINBOWS by Alredo Carpineti
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE Sarah Alam Malik
ENTANGLED STATES by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
BODY ELECTRIC by Manoush Zomorodi
SIGNALS by Saira Hameed
THE UNFRAGILE MIND by Gavin Francis
BIRDS UP CLOSE by Lorna Gibson
THE SLEEPLESS APE by David Samson
NATURAL CONNECTION by Joycelyn Longdon
WILD FIRE by Jesse Winter
THE RESPONSE by David Shukman
NAMING NATURE by T.A. Barron
FOREST OF THE SEA by David Helvarg
THE PREVENTIONEERS by Barry R Davis
TRAIL WORK by Dillon Osleger
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER by Neil Degrasse Tyson

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 9

To celebrate our 19 year wedding anniversary my husband and I bought this stunning original Ginsburg that was the cover art of BESIEGED by Laurel Ames. My husband picked this one because he thought it looked the most like us! I thought the #romancelandia & #booksky crowd would appreciate 🥰🥰🥰

A photo of a painting by max Ginsburg featuring a redheaded man and a blonde woman sitting on a bench looking at each other in front of a flowering tree. The painting is perched on a bookcase filled with mass market paperback romance novels

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 7

IR spectroscopy of plastics/polymers today in my “seeing with chemistry” honors seminar! #RealTimeChem #ChemTwitter

A pair of safety glasses are held in an ATR IR
Spectrometer

A pair of safety glasses are held in an ATR IR
Spectrometer. The IR spectrum is displayed on the computer

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

ABBEY ROAD by The Beatles My mom is a huge Beatles fan and I grew up listening to this album (and many of their other albums). I have a renewed appreciation for the Beatles as I am learning the drums. I love Come Together so much!! Really cool song for the drums. Ringo Star was that guy.

Album cover for Abbey Road by the Beatles. Four men walk in a cross walk.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

brat & brat and its completely different but also still brat I am not exaggerating when I say that I wrote the majority of my book to these two albums. No skips on either of them. Fav on Brat: Sympathy Is A Knife Fav on the Remix: Von Dutch

Album cover for brat by Charli XCX. A lime green background with the text "brat"

Album cover for brat and its completely different but also still brat by Charli XCX. A lime green background with the title in black.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

I am a romantic, and I believe the most romantic album of all time is Kacey Musgrave's GOLDEN HOUR. This album lyrically is genius. The metaphors and double meanings of lyrics are stunnnnnning. Rainbow, Butterflies, and Space Cowboy live rent free in my mind.

Album Cover for GOLDEN HOUR by Kacey Musgraves

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

EMOTION by Carly Rae Jepsen is perfect to me. This album came out when I had two toddlers and got me through it. Any time I need a pick me up, this album is a go-to! Favorite song: I Didn't Just Come Here To Dance

Album cover for EMOTION by Carly Rae Jepsen

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

Speaking of Linkin Park, I am still obsessed with METEORA, and it is my favorite album by Linkin Park. These two albums really defined my high school music taste and were two of the few CDs that I listened to regularly in my 1998 red Chevy Blazer that I bought my senior year of high school.

The album cover for METEORA by Linkin Park. A photo of a man spray painting with a metal ladder in the background

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

HYBRID THEORY by Linkin Park I've mentioned this before, but this was the first CD I bought with my own money and hid to listen to when my mom wasn't around Still in the rotation. I love it so much.

The album cover for HYBRID THEORY by Linkin Park which features a drawing of a person planting a flag with wings and grafiti in the background.

Debbie Gale Mitchell@heydebigale· May 3

For fun, here is a thread of all-time favorite albums that have no skips (in no particular order). GOOD GIRL GONE BAD: RELOADED This album was on repeat in grad school. Back when the entire lab listened to what I was listening to and Breaking Dishes is the best song to wash dishes to LOL.