Students enjoyed National Chemistry Week Oct. 22–26 and participated in everything from eating nitrogen ice cream treats and chemistry magic shows.
James Patterson, an assistant chemistry professor, was in charge of the poster research session during the week’s events.
“It’s a chance for students and faculty to present and share their research,” Patterson said. “The main purpose is to inform students of the different projects and give researches chance to practice those (presentation) skills.”
The BYU chemistry magic shows were a crowd favorite. The shows were offered every evening of the week in rooms w111 and w112 of the Benson Building.
“It’s a different thing to do than the normal date stuff,” Wilson said. “A lot of students think chemistry is kind of boring, it’s good to see the other side of chemistry because it can be fun.”
Professor Josh Price’s chemistry magic show impressed students because of his inclusion of chemistry formulas and terms in helping students understand the magic being created.
Families, cub scouts and students filled the room leaving no empty seats. The back of the classroom was lined with cub scout groups while the stairs were lined with students, and Professor Price captured the audiences’ attention.
Austin Carter, a sophomore from Melbourne, Fl., enjoyed seeing reactions that he had learned in his chemistry class, and also being introduced to new reactions he had not yet learned.
“It was impressive the professor explained what chemical reactions were going on,” Carter said. “I felt it was a way of showing chemistry could be interesting and fun.”
