ACS recognizes CSUN CHEM CLUB again!

For the second year in a row, our ACS Student Chapter has been recognized with an Honorable Mention. The photo below is our current president, Fernando Ortega, posing with the kids from 4th grade at Canoga Park Elementary School. Fernando is holding the jumbo test tube showing how it is possible to layer saltwater solutions by density (Celebrating Chemistry, page 5, Saltwater Rainbows).

For the 2017-2018 school year:

We reported 7 Service Events

• Meet the Clubs (Fall)
• Chemistry and Biochemistry Spectacular
• Family Science Night
• Meet the Clubs (Spring)
• I Heart Science Day
• I'm Going to College Day #1
• I'm Going to College Day #2 *

We reported 8 Professional Development Events

• Research Panel (Fall)
• Meet the Speaker (Fall)
• ACS Program-in-a-Box
• Meet the Speaker (Spring)
• Research Panel (Spring)
• Make-and-Take at the ACS National Meeting *
• ASBMB Regional Research Symposium
• Chasing Coral Film Screening *

We reported 3 Chapter Development Events

• Movie Night
• Pizza Rev Fundraiser
• End of Semester Bash

* Green Chemistry Events.

We were also awarded a green chemistry award for our I'm Going to College Day #2 program on FRI, APR 27, 2018 using the Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW) edition of Celebrating Chemistry.

The activity we did with kids is green chemistry because when we were working on the “Oil Spill!” activity (page 9), we measured what material was the best at cleaning up an environmental disaster. The fabrics tested were natural (cotton, linen) and synthetic (nylon, rayon, polyester). This is green chemistry because we should consider the entire energy burden to produce the materials used for remediation. Cotton and linen require energy for cultivation, harvesting and processing into fiber. The polymers (nylon, rayon and polyester) require energy for synthesis and processing into fiber. A discussion on the merits and drawbacks to different materials balanced with the materials’ abilities to absorb spilled oil in simulated ocean water is definitely a topic under the umbrella of green chemistry.