Chemistry week made fun for kids

This Saturday marks the conclusion of National Chemistry Week and the "grand finale" of events for the program. Activities will start at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with a poster contest among students of local elementary schools and will conclude with a magic show at 11:45 a.m. Participation is free. \nKris Quinlan, the National Chemistry Week coordinator at IU, said the outreach is mostly aimed at children, but even adults will be entertained with the chemistry magic show that will conclude the day. \n"We're trying to expose kids to chemistry and show them how it can help them understand everyday life; to teach them it isn't evil," said Quinlan. "There will be door prizes; the magic show is always very entertaining and the tour includes glass-blowing and machine shop exhibitions, laser demonstrations and a tour of IU's world-renowned Molecular Structure Center."\nLori Watson, a doctoral chemistry student helping to coordinate events, said it was the event's goal to give back to the community. \n"We want to promote chemistry to the kids, but we are trying to help out the community by having a food drive as well," said Watson. "The food drive is called 'Chemists Reacting to Hunger,' and will benefit the Monroe County Food Bank and the Community Kitchen" \nGary Wiggins, chair of the Southern Indiana section of the American Chemical Society, a professional chemistry organization, and director of the chemistry library here at IU, said the week is primarily aimed at increasing awareness and appreciation of chemistry to the community. \n"This is a national event, it's endorsed by the American Chemical Society and is happening all over the country," Wiggins said. \n"Not only is it a good time to learn, but it is a social atmosphere where local kids can meet other kids around the region that are also interested in the sciences," Wiggins said. "This year's theme is 'Kitchen Chemistry' and the event will focus on understanding the reactions that people do every day, but call cooking; it should be very interesting."\nNational Chemistry Week is an event sponsored by the American Chemical Society. National Chemistry Week is designed to enhance public awareness of the important contributions of chemistry to the quality of our lives, according to the society's Web site at www.acs.org. The program was started in 1987, as a National Chemistry Day, but has been extended to allow for more activities, according to the Web site.\nNational Chemistry week open house events:\n8:30-9 a.m.\n• Poster Contest registration\n9-11:30 a.m.\n• Tours of the Chemistry Building\n• Hands-on experiments for all ages\n• Chem-Star photos\n• Poster presentations\n• Career services station\n• Teachers' resource station\n• Industrial displays\n• Sale of refreshments, T-shirts and beaker mugs\n11:30-11:45 a.m.\n• Presentation of poster contest awards and door prizes 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.\n• "The Wonders of Chemistry" magic show