Chemistry department getting involved in Year of Chemistry

The United Nations has named 2011 the International Year of Chemistry to encourage individuals and institutions to celebrate chemistry and its effects on society. 

The University of Mississippi chemistry and biochemistry departments will sponsor various events during the 2011-2012 academic year in honor of this worldwide campaign.

The Ole Miss Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has decided to use the International Year of Chemistry as an opportunity to provide more outreach to undergraduates, as well as high school students.  

The ACS took advantage of the celebration and used it to implement its new outreach program at Ole Miss.  

Debra Jo Scardino, secretary and public relations director for the local chapter of ACS, said the International Year of Chemistry was the “fire starter” for what the department already wanted to do this year.

Filling the academic year with guest speakers and seminars, the ACS has created a set of activities and events to encourage undergraduates and high school students to become interested in chemistry and specifically the chemistry department at Ole Miss. 

“We find that if you aren’t a chemist, or even if you are an undergraduate chemist, that when a lot people come and talk about their research, it may be a little bit above the level that they’re at right now,” Scardino said. “We wanted something that everyone could attend, that they enjoyed.”   

One key aspect of the outreach is to incorporate guest speakers and events that are accessible to a wide range of students. For example, the ACS is hosting comedian and scientist Pete Ludovice next semester for a talk that should be both entertaining and informative for all students, not just those with a particular interest in chemistry.  

Recently, Steven T. Case, UM Medical Center associate dean for medical school admissions, spoke in Coulter Hall to inform students of the ins and outs of the medical process.   

Lynn Valentine Joe, a chemistry graduate student, said the dean explained to them what they should do leading up to applying for medical school. He also spoke about the “dos and don’ts” of the medical school application and medical school itself.    

The ACS is also stressing outreach to high school students. 

“Because our counties in Northern Mississippi make up a lot of underprivileged schools, we really wanted to give them a reason to get involved with chemistry, and get their students interested in chemistry so that way they can maybe go to college or maybe even community college, and try to see that there actually is a life beyond high school,” Scardino said.

One example of the ACS’s outreach is an upcoming water purifying competition between high schools in the Northern Mississippi area. This competition is used to get high school chemistry students more involved in the ACS of the local area. The ACS is also calling for proposals from high school chemistry teachers from the 21 counties in the local section.  

A few of the upcoming events at Ole Miss for the International Year of Chemistry are “Where Chemistry Meets the Law: Alternative Careers for Chemistry Majors” on Monday at 5:30 p.m., “Choosing and Applying to Grad School” on Oct. 18 at 5:00 p.m., and “Fascinating Facets of Chemistry” on Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m.; all held in Coulter Hall Room 300.