BYU’s Chemistry Department and Y-Chem Club celebrated National Chemistry Week with colorful experiments, community outreach and even liquid nitrogen ice cream, all to bring science a little closer to the community.
Each fall, BYU joins schools across the country to celebrate National Chemistry Week, a national effort to share science outside the lab and inspire curiosity through hands-on learning.
“YChem is BYU's chemistry club. We try and facilitate a stronger community within the chemistry and biochemistry department through providing activities to create connection,” Elijah Wilson Y-Chem secretary said.
During the week, Y-Chem raises money for student researchers, selling T-shirts and liquid nitrogen ice cream to help fund their trips to present research at national conferences.
“What we do is we are trying to raise money to help send undergraduate research assistants in the department present their research at the American Chemical Society Research Conference in spring,” Wilson said.
The Chemistry Department also showcased colorful reactions and interactive demonstrations throughout the week.
For many attendees, it was a chance to see, and feel, science come alive.
“When you're at a National Chemistry Week demonstration show, that's not AI. When you feel that heat or you see the color change or something explodes and you feel that shockwave, you just had an amazing experience with science,” BYU Chemistry professor Dr. Jeff Macedone said.
Dr. Macedone said the week is about showing real, hands-on science in a world dominated by screens and AI, reminding students and families that chemistry is something you can see and be inspired by.