Colgate Elementary students learn from Army Research and Johns Hopkins chemists about the chemistry in our homes

National Chemistry Week provides an opportunity for students to work directly with chemists.

When fourth grade students went home from Colgate Elementary School on October 26, they were likely to view those homes with new eyes.After spending the afternoon with chemists from the US Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, they knew countless new facts about the different chemicals present in their homes, how insulation works (heat transfer), diffusion and how various home hazards spread, and how scientists test the strength of materials (including those used for building a home).

According to Dr. Sandra K. Young, deputy chief of the US Army Research Laboratory’s Materials Applications Branch, this visit was part of the laboratory’s celebration of National Chemistry Week from October 22-28. National Chemistry Week is a community-based program sponsored by the American Chemical Society. The goal of the program is to reach out to the public, especially elementary and middle school-aged children, with a positive message about chemistry. The theme for 2006 is “It’s Your Home: It’s All Built on Chemistry.”

"National Chemistry Week provides students with an opportunity to interact with concepts of science in an authentic way,” says Colgate Principal Kevin Connelly, ”The Army chemists from Aberdeen captivated our students’ attention by applying chemistry to their everyday lives through hands-on experiments, observation, and discussion of the outcomes. We truly appreciate the support of the Aberdeen chemists and the significant impact their program has on how our students feel about science, its practical applications, and the importance of science in their future aspirations and careers."

Sharon Marquette, a mentor and Gifted and Talented catalyst at Colgate, agrees. “The activity was a great experience for the students to interact with scientists,” she adds. “The experiments used daily connections to understand scientific principles as well as educating students about possible careers in science.” 

“It is really important that children see that chemistry is alive,” concludes Angela Dwyer, a grade 4 teacher at Colgate. “It is really motivating to them to see that you can make a career out of being curious about things.”

Story by Diana L. Spencer, communications officer. Photos courtesy of Colgate Elementary School.