Science Saturday Celebrates International Year of Chemistry

VALDOSTA -- The public is invited to participate in hands-on science experiments and tours of the Valdosta State Department of Chemistry from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 12, in the atrium of the Hugh C. Bailey Science Center at Valdosta State University. Science Saturday is an outreach event to commemorate the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) 2011 -- an initiative to increase public appreciation of chemistry’s role in addressing global concerns and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry.

Valdosta State University’s College of Arts and Sciences has paired with the Southwest Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society to host the free event to excite young people about the wondrous world of science. Children will make slime and use bananas as hammers, among other activities. Chemistry professors will also tour the public through various research labs and expose them to equipment used in many popular forensic and crime television shows. Refreshments will be served during the fun, educational event.

Science Saturday is one of many IYC events being held throughout the world under the unifying theme “Chemistry -- our life, our future.” The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and several other global outreach groups established the initiative to invite the general public to view chemistry as accessible and to explore how chemical research is critical for solving our most vexing global problems.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry being awarded to famed female physicist and chemist, Madame Marie Curie -- recognizing the contributions of women to the field. This year also marks the centennial of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies, which aims to promote international scientific collaboration.

E-mail VSU Chemistry Professor Dr. Linda de la Garza at ldelagarza@valdosta.edu or Dr. Gary Lynn Wood at lwood@valdosta.edu for more information about Saturday’s event. For more information about the International Year of Chemistry, go to www.chemistry2011.org/ .