An On-Campus Celebration of National Chemistry Week

Abstract

This article describes an on-campus celebration program for National Chemistry Week (NCW) at the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville (UPT). The program, consisting of a chemistry magic show, hands-on chemistry fun, and a poster display session, was presented free of charge to the public on the Saturday of NCW. Presenting the program on campus avoided the transportation of the necessary materials, allowed the incorporation of many interesting demonstrations, and provided an opportunity for the school to showcase its state-of-the-art facilities. The program reached the public through different media, such as flyers, newspapes, and TV and radio. Over 100 people of all ages from the local community participated in the program. One of the most successful characteristics of the program was the substantial involvement of college students taking chemistry classes. Directly doing or seeing various reactions that involved changes in color or production of sound, heat, or light was stimulating and memorable. Many student participants became chemistry club members right after the events and were excited about more opportunities to explore the world of chemistry. This article also described activities highlighting the theme of NCW 1999, “Celebrating Polymers.”