Example Programs
Bonding with Color - Tie Dye Outreach Program
This program, established at Gamma Theta, is a great way to get people of all ages interested in chemistry - through the tie dying of t-shirts! For more information and resources on how to start this program at your chapter, visit the Bonding with Color page.
Community Days
There are many great community events held by chapters all over the country! One example is Alpha Kappa's CHEMFEST. This event usually draws 80 to 100 people and features experiments and demonstrations such as bouncy balls, Boo Bubbles, and freezing (and smashing!) objects with dry ice and isopropyl alcohol. Another example is Gamma Nu's Family Science Saturday, which invites people to make slime, sample liquid nitrogen ice cream, and make shrinky dinks. Gamma Eta organized an event to celebrate DNA Day at Marshall University. Activities ranged from decorating helical cookies to extracting DNA from strawberries to running an electrophoresis gel on a sample of DNA! Many chapters also include tie dying t-shirts, a magic show, and other events that allow children and people of all ages to have a unique opportunity for direct involvement in demonstrations.
National Chemistry Week
National Chemistry Week, a program of the American Chemical Society, is a great way to reach the public with positive messages about chemistry. This community based program is a particularly good way to reach elementary and secondary school children. The 2016 National Chemistry Week will take place on October 16-22 and the theme is "Solving Mysteries through Chemistry." For more information, visit the American Chemical Society website.
Partnering with Schools
Weekly science clubs, judging science fairs, and providing tutoring sessions are just a few ways that chapters partner with schools to promote chemistry. Alpha Beta Chapter coaches a Science Olympiad team at a local elementary school. Alpha Sigma Chapter has been hosting the weekly Science Club at Leverett Elementary in Fayetteville, Arkansas since 2008. The chapter organizes and supervises fun experiments in the after school program.
Science Demonstrations
Many chapters hold science demonstrations to help people of all ages get excited about science! This presentations could feature demos of making lava lamps with vegetable oil and colored water, creating slime for Halloween, and always a crowd favorite - ice cream made with liquid nitrogen! Demonstrations can be held at local schools, on campus or in combination with other events chapters are hosting!
Scout Programs
Several chapters host activities with Boy Scouts or Girls Scouts to allow them to earn badges. For example, the Iota Chapter hosts Boy Scout merit badge sessions throughout the year at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. The sessions include safety presentations, the chemistry behind cooking, and hands-on experiences.
Volunteering, Fundraising, and Giving Back
Alpha Chi Sigma Brothers not only work to spread the love of chemistry and the scientific field, but also participate in events that benefit their community, universities, and charitable organizations. Brothers at Zeta Chapter volunteered with Be The Match on Campus Bone Marrow Drive, where they were able to get 76 people to sign up for the bone marrow registry. Alpha Chapter gave back during events at the local Ronald McDonald House and adopted a highway in Madison, WI. Epsilon Chapter is the largest Greek organization at Indiana University to participate in the annual Jill Behrman 5K Color Run that raises money to support assault prevention and student scholarships. Many chapters partner with schools to provide free tutoring sessions.