NATIONAL CHEMISTRY WEEK

Your Home – It’s All Built on Chemistry!

October 22nd – 28th, 2006

ACS ILL-IA Section

 

 

 

The ACS Illinois-Iowa Local Section was proud to have assisted the ACS in celebrating National Chemistry Week (NCW) with a focus on this year’s theme, “Your Home – It’s All Built on Chemistry!”.  Local schools, universities, a museum, local section volunteers, and even a local television station got involved to make the local NCW sites successful.  NCW in this American Chemical Society (ACS) section was again a success.  Hundreds of students and parents alike participated at various supported events throughout the section.  Scroll through the highlights below to look through a summary of the events and to see photographs of some of the activities.

 

 

Paula Sands Live, KWQC-TV6, Davenport, IA

 

Coordinators – Richard Craddick, Jerod Corbin

 

We wanted to start off NCW with a great PR program to start people thinking about events to follow.  We invited two professional and highly recognized chemical demonstrators, Drs. Don Showalter and Marvin Lang, to attend one of our local section meetings (Sept 28) and also do a segment on a local television variety program, Paula Sands Live (PSL).  PSL is runs at 4:30 pm on KWQC-TV6.  This television station covers the entirety of the IL-IA local section plus more.

 

 

Their segment was first in the afternoon lineup and ran for 8 minutes.  That evening a more in-depth program, “Freezing Hot….Boiling Cold”, was done at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL.  This extended program was also promoted during the PSL segment.  Some PSL program viewers did show up at Augustana College.

 

 

Bettendorf, Iowa & Colona, Illinois – Family Museum, Grant Wood Elementary, Colona Grade School

Coordinators:  Jerod Corbin, Brandon Corbin

 

An annual event in its fourth year includes a small tour of a few local elementary schools before (and after) NCW week doing chemical demonstrations before classes and promoting the section’s poster contest.  The chemical demonstrations included a variety of safe hands-on tests, common item experiments, and more graphic demonstrations.  Several different shows for ~250 children of 4th, 5th and 7th graders were put on. 

 

 

The culminating spot of this event is the main show at the Family Museum in Bettendorf, IA.  Our typical chemical show was put on followed up with an award presentation of the winners of the section’s poster contest.  Awards this year were certificates and trophies.  Approximately ~35 visitors attended the two hour event.

 

  

 

 

Clinton, Iowa –  Felix Adler Discovery Center

Coordinators:  Marion Johnson

 

With the novelty of last year’s event at the Felix Adler Discovery Center, the site coordinators were asked to do another show this year in early November.   The Discovery Center is a "hands-on" children's museum with several educational exhibits and lots of fun things to do, including miniature golf.  The exhibitor had chemical demonstrations, science toys, and hands on activities.

 

 

Davenport, Iowa – St. Ambrose University

Coordinators:  SAU Chemistry Faculty and students.

 

What is more home than a laboratory to a chemist?  What is more home to a “wizard” or “alchemist” in training than a school?  Sunday, Oct 22, at St. Ambrose University’s “Kids and Chemistry Day” marked the opening of SAU’s School of Alchemy and Wizardcraft!  The SAU Chemistry Department faculty and student volunteers had a real good time showing the fantastical wow of real science with a flare of costume to the 50 some children.

 

      

 

The event included dramatic demonstrations and hands-on activities.  Local Scout Troops could also earn a badge for attending.  For more pictures and information, please visit their website - http://web.sau.edu/chemistry/NCW2006.htm 

 

  

 

 

 

Rock Island, Illinois – Augustana College

Coordinators:  Augustana College Chemistry Department and ACS Student Affiliates Chapter

 

The Augustana College Chemistry Department and ACS Student Affiliates Chapter held chemical demonstrations for elementary school students throughout the Augustana College Science Building.  This site was promoted by use of fliers and notifications sent to many local area newspapers and schools.  A local news station covered their efforts and ran coverage that evening.

 

 

 

Student affiliate members and faculty either performed many demonstrations for the attendees or assisted them with hands on activities.  Approximately 75 people visited the site.  For more information and pictures, please visit their website - http://www.augustana.edu/studentlife/groups/chemical

 

 

Dubuque, IA – Loras College

Coordinators:  Loras College Chemistry Department and Students

 

The outreach event planned was a tour of the science hall conducted by student ACS members followed by a 45 minute chemistry demonstration show.  An estimated 75 Girl Scouts and 9 leaders attended the program. 

 

 

 

SPECIAL TOPICS

Chemists in the Library

 

The NCW Committee wanted to expand the opportunities of exposure of NCW to the public.  Every year, the national office sends a packet of information and ideas to the NCW Coordinator.  This packet includes literary and internet information in regards to the NCW yearly theme.  Every year this information was shared with schools and their librarians. Any library site can register with ACS national and they would receive a similar information packet that NCW coordinator received, handout materials for NCW (like book markers), and a NCW display poster.

For 2006, we visited the Bettendorf and Davenport Libraries.  We gave them magnets with NCW logo to hand out and the information packet covering this year’s theme.

 

 

Broaden Public Outreach

 

To further expand public awareness, the NCW Committee again purchased two television quality commercial tapes from Brainstorm Media.  These tapes were created from another ACS local section’s innovative grant proposal a few years back.  The promotional videos available cover only Earth Day and National Chemistry Week.  The purchased videos were sent to KWQC-TV6 and WQAD-TV8 and to be run free as public service announcements (PSA).  Members again noted seeing these PSAs around the news (early morning and evening).

 

Conclusions

The 2006 NCW week was very successful in a variety of ways.  We had broadened our scope of communication via television public service announcements and the PSL show.  We kept in contact with libraries to include them in the celebration.  Our focus and resolve were very great to spread the word about chemistry.  Good work to all involved, especially to the many volunteers.

 

 

Jerod Corbin

2006 NCW Site Coordinator