Kristen Black is not only a chemistry professor, but she’s also a musician. “I think my students might be shocked by some of my lyrics and shocked at how rockin’ some of it is,” she said.
Aryn Sanderson
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Over clinking glasses of rich red wine and hushed conversation, a woman takes the stage. With arms toned like Michelle Obama’s, the black-dress clad blonde props a guitar to her hip. Kristen Black is ready to give the audience at ‘alegria wine and ware’ an education … in rock ‘n’ roll.
Most of the time, though, when she’s teaching a crowd, it’s chemistry. Literal chemistry. By day, she’s a tenure-track organic chemistry and neurochemistry professor at Cal Poly. By night, rockin’ musician.
She goes by Kristen Black onstage to “protect (her) anonymity,” she chuckled.
Offstage, Kristen Meisenheimer leads a dual life.
“There have been times where I’ve had a gig right after lab, and I’ll be literally changing in the bathroom, getting my guitar and then going downtown to play,” she said.
Although it’s jam-packed, living a double life has its perks.
“I’ve had plenty of times students come in, and they don’t know that I’m in the band that’s playing, at SLO Brew or Mother’s Tavern, and one time tequila shots immediately flew up on the stage,” she said. “The fingers that point up on the stage with the ‘Oh my God’ look are always pretty funny.”
Though performing is “the only place where you can have a drink on the job,” she said, Meisenheimer isn’t looking to pursue music full-time in the near future.
“I love teaching and interacting with my students and inspiring them to be the best organic chemists they can be,” she said.
Actually, chemistry and music have gone hand-in-hand for Meisenheimer since college.
Meisenheimer’s father was a chemistry teacher at her high school, so she shied away from taking chemistry classes to avoid the embarrassment of having her dad as her teacher.
But when Meisenheimer went to college and had to take the class, her chemistry with chemistry was undeniable.
“I couldn’t ignore that I liked it — I just didn’t want to admit it,” she said. “When I took general chemistry, I thought it was pretty cool, but then when I took organic chemistry, it was like a light shone down upon me, and I realized that I really, really enjoyed it.”
Meisenheimer’s first live show was with a band she started in graduate school with other chemistry students. The name? Spontaneous Human Combustion, of course.
Since then, as a professor, chemistry and music have remained intertwined. Meinsenheimer is known for teaching students songs to help them remember concepts.
And, as a musician, she’s far more comfortable in front of a crowd because of her experience teaching.
“Teaching and performing definitely complement each other,” she said. “I took some time off of music when I got my tenure-track position, but there was a void in my life. I realized that I’m a better professor, better mom, better person when I’m doing both music and teaching. There’s a difference that spills over. I’m happier and better in the classroom when I’m playing music. They feed each other.”
In a way, chemistry and music are very similar, Meisenheimer said.
“Organic chemistry uses the artistic side of your brain. It’s almost like telling beautiful stories, taking a molecule and making it into something else. And I think music does the same thing — it tells a beautiful story.”
Still, her tunes might surprise some of her students, Meisenheimer said, then laughed quietly.
“I think my students might be shocked by some of my lyrics and shocked at how rockin’ some of it is,” she said. “Some of my lyrics are maybe on the un-politically correct side of things. Like, I have a song called ‘Love on Drugs,’ which is about, well, love on drugs. Really, though, I’m still drawing from my neuro-chemistry side.”
Not surprisingly, Meisenheimer’s favorite molecule is serotonin.
And if she ever had the honor to grace the cover of “Rolling Stone,” what would she want her headline to say?
“Chemistry and Rock: Mix and Stand Back.”
So stand back, Mustangs, your chemistry professor’s about to explode.