Chemistry week creates positive charged bonds
The GCSU Chemistry Club celebrated National Chemistry Week Oct. 21-27. A variety of events took place on and off campus to expose chemistry to the community. This year’s theme was “The Many Faces of Chemistry,” which highlights the diversity of people involved in chemistry, and the wide range of career opportunities in chemistry.
National Chemistry has been observed for 20 years this year. It has always included the day of Oct. 23, in honor of Mole Day, which honors the scientist Amedeo Avogadro and the number he is famous for, 6.02 x 1023.
The week kicked off early this year with GCSU’s own many faces of chemistry. Over 100 people showed up at Centennial Center to have their faces painted with a chemical symbol. The end result was a human periodic table.
The hope for this venture is to gain national recognition. The GCSU chemistry department is no stranger to recognition, however. They have won several awards in the past from the American Chemical Society.
One goal of the week is community outreach. Chemistry Club members have been to local schools and schools in neighboring counties, demonstrating chemistry concepts to the students. These serve to show children that chemistry can be fun rather than boring. Children were not the only ones to be impressed by the show; students went to nursing homes to entertain the elderly as well.
Mole Day was observed by a trip to Oak Hill Middle School, where Dr. Pohl and some Chemistry Club members demonstrated various chemical reactions in honor of the middle school’s science night.
On Oct. 24, Front Campus was host to “Chemistry on the Lawn.” Despite the rain and cool temperatures, the show went on.
“The rain may have hindered the turnout, but it didn’t hinder the fun,” junior chemistry major Tiffany Shoham said.
Students could shoot a potato gun, watch chemistry students carve pumpkins “chemistry style” and watch some chemical reactions.
Students from GCSU’s Early College were also involved with the Front Campus event. They showed visitors how to make slime and what happens when vinegar and baking soda mix.
Another draw for those brave enough to weather the rain was the chance to pie a chemistry professor in the face. One of these lucky professors was Dr. Chavonda Mills.
“It was all in the name of chemistry,” Mills said, despite her less than enjoyable experience.
Things were really looking up as everyone prepared for Family Fun Night. On Oct. 25, the third floor of Herty Hall had a new look and sound. The voices of small children echoed throughout, and the roar of a hovercraft pierced the air. One classroom was transformed into a spooky Halloween maze, another hosted a magic show, and others had hands-on experiments.
“Family Fun Night was my favorite event; I helped build and design the maze,” junior chemistry major Corey McTeer said.
Int he maze uests navigated their way through a dark classroom with only a glow stick for light. Volunteers were in the maze to scare those who were trying to exit.
Down the hall, cheers erupted from the magic show, where children were in awe as they saw liquids change colors before their eyes. Some of them had seen the show at their schools; others were seeing it for the first time.
Jay Owens, a senior chemistry major, enjoys the positive reactions from the people watching the magic show.
“Younger kids get more excited, they aren’t as jaded,” said Owens.
The closing event for National Chemistry Week was the mall show on Oct. 27 at the Milledgeville Mall. Tables of experiments attracted a crowd as students mixed vinegar and baking soda, used solutions of different pH levels to change colors and taught more children how to make slime.
Overall, the week achieved a positive result. Many children and adults were exposed to the excitement of chemistry.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 18 2007. Filed under News.
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