National Chemistry Week News
National Chemistry Week 2003
will be celebrated October 19-23, 2003. This year's theme is
"Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond." Here are just some of the
events planned for this year’s NCW.
K‑12 Poster Contest‑‑In the
K‑12 th grade poster contest, "Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond!,"
students are asked to draw a poster illustrating contributions made by
chemistry to the advancement of aviation and atmospheric chemistry. National
winners will receive a handheld color TV, honorable mentions will be awarded a
set of Talk‑About 2‑Way radios, and teachers of winning students
will each receive a Periodic Table of the
Elephants poster. Further
information is available from chair of the CT Valley section’s NCW Committee:
Dr. Ellen Anderson, 29 Farmstead Lane, Windsor, CT 06095, email: profeanderson@yahoo.com
Publications‑‑The activity
publication for elementary and middle school students, Celebrating Chemistry, will contain activities and articles related
to the atmosphere, space and aviation. The October issue of ChemMatters, the magazine for high
school students that is published by the ACS Education Division will also
feature articles related to this year's NCW theme. Two lists of resources
(electronic and books) are also available. Copies of these publications may be
requested from Dr. Ellen Anderson (see above).
The Journal of Chemical Education
will feature articles and activities related to the NCW‑2003 theme in
its October issue. You can order JCE materials for your classes or groups:
additional copies of our October issue, copies of the new Classroom Activity
(an investigation of combustions), or copies of previous Classroom Activities;
or you can arrange for temporary access to JCE Online for your
group. Contact: Journal of Chemical
Education, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Department of Chemistry, 1101
University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1396; phone: 1-800-991-5534 of
690-262-5153; fax:608-265-8094; email: jce@chem.wisc.edu;
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/
Cool New Products‑‑promotional products for
National Chemistry Week as well as local section recognition, Chemagination,
and Chemists Celebrate Earth Day. New specialty items for NCW include the Periodic Table of the Elephants T-shirts, posters, and 3‑ring
binder sheets; kids "Having a Ball with Chemistry" T-shirts, and
Night Spectra Quest cards. The ACS Office of Society Services is ready to receive
your orders. Please order as soon as possible, as supplies of some items are
limited. To place a telephone order call 1‑800‑227‑5558 or 1‑202‑872‑4600. Products may also be purchased from the ACS
Online Store at www.chemistry.org/store
Chemists in the Library‑‑Another year‑round
program that is often used during NCW is the Chemists in the Library program.
The program is designed to strengthen an awareness of chemistry within local
communities. Libraries that register for the program receive a package of
display materials. The package includes a Chemists in the Library poster,
bookmarks, a bibliography of theme related publications, balloons, and several
ACS publications. A registration flyer and two lists of resources that you may
wish to share with your area schools and libraries are available from Dr. Ellen
Anderson (see above).
Ideas for Celebrating National Chemistry
Week in Your Classroom
Some ways you can become a
part of National Chemistry Week (NCW):
Read the brochure describing NCW! Contact
your local section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) for information
regarding their planned celebration. Call the ACS Office of Community
Activities for this information or visit the NCW Coordinator Lookup at
chemistry.org/ncw. Become a volunteer for your local section by assisting with
their NCW activities or planning events in your school. Plan a celebration with
your students during the week of October 19‑25, 2003. Invite a chemist
from the ACS local section to visit your classroom and conduct demos or hands‑on
activities with your students. Allow your students to earn credit for community
service during NCW.
Incorporate a NCW
celebration into your curriculum. Try some of these ideas that focus on this
year's theme‑Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond! Assign a project due during
NCW that highlights contributions made by chemistry to the study of the
atmosphere and/or outer space. Participate in a theme‑related NCW contest
sponsored by your local section of the ACS. Use the articles and activities
from the October issue of ChemMatters magazine,
targeted for high school students, to spark your students' interest in learning
about how much chemistry is involved in space. Obtain copies of Celebrating Chemistry, the activity
publication developed for 4th‑6th grade students, and conduct the
activities with your students, or take older students to an elementary school
to lead the activities. Conduct activities that can be used as a service
learning opportunity for your class. Clean up a community park, or playground.
Paint a community building that is showing wear. Students can provide service
to the community while they learn ways that can improve their presentation and
leadership skills. Plan a visit to a local elementary school or library. Have
the students participate in a hands‑on activity or demonstration program
featuring the activities from the NCW website, chemistry.org/ncw, or the Celebrating Chemistry activity
publication. Plan a visit to a local space museum and explain the connections
to chemistry. Conduct a hands‑on activity or chemical demonstration
program at a PTA meeting. Invite a pilot or a weatherman to speak to your
students about their career and how it relates to chemistry. Hold an "Aeronautics
Theme Party" featuring fun activities and discussions explaining the
chemistry that is involved. Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Wright
Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk. Use resources available on the NCW website at
chemistry.org/ncw to get ideas for fun activities!
Ideas for Celebrating
National Chemistry Week in Your
Local Section and Community
2003 Theme: Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond!
Join
ACS volunteers across the country and carry out the mission of NCW! Use this
year's theme to reach out to the public, especially students, with messages
about the important role chemistry plays in our lives.
Suggestions for NCW 2003:
Call the
Office of Community Activities (OCA) (800‑227‑5558 ext. 6097) and
request NCW brochures and copies of the activity publication, "Celebrating
Chemistry." Ask local libraries and science museums to make them available
to the public. Send a brochure and copy of the publication to the chemistry
teacher and science department of the middle and high schools in your area.
Suggest an activity they could do during NCW and offer additional copies of the
publication.
Call
the OCA or visit the NCW website at chemistry.org/ncw to find out who the NCW
coordinator is for your local section. Contact the coordinator to learn about
activities in your area. Your coordinator will have information about this
year's NCW publications that contain theme related articles and activities.
Hold
an "Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond!" awareness event at your local
library, school, or other public site.
Tour
a laboratory or government facility that monitors the environment or the
atmosphere.
Participate
in the NCW Unifying Event, "Honoring Innovators and Pioneers in Aviation
and Atmospheric Chemistry" by recognizing the individuals or venues in
your community with a Salutes to Excellence plaque.
Organize
a demonstration show and hands‑on activity program for elementary
schools, scout groups, or senior citizens that includes chemistry‑related
activities.
Sponsor
an event or activity at a public facility and conduct demonstrations
illustrating the role of chemistry in the atmosphere.
Join
with the local sections of ACS and participate in the NCW 2003 poster contest
for K‑ 12 th grade students titled "Earth's Atmosphere and
Beyond!"
Work
with your local NCW coordinator to support an event that is being planned for
your community by providing support to run activities and/or purchasing
supplies for the event.
Sponsor
an essay contest for students that challenges them to explain how chemistry
plays a significant role in the study of the atmosphere, an aspect of aviation,
or protecting the public in commercial flights.
Engage
employees of local industries in discussions about the role chemistry plays in
their profession and possibly arrange a seminar or workshop for either students
or adults about that topic.
Hold an "Earth's
Atmosphere and Beyond" event for students that features various stations
where they can engage in activities explaining chemistry and its role in space
and the atmosphere (use ideas we post on the NCW website or your own ideas).
For further information contact:
American Chemical Society,
Office of Community Activities, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC
20036; call
1‑800‑227‑5558,
ext. 6097; email ncw@acs.org; or visit the NCW website at chemistry.org/ncw.