Community
Outreach
The Lehigh Valley Section strives to make "Chemistry for Life" a part of the experience of every one of our neighbors within our 7 county area. From school Science Fairs to our ongoing partnerships with The Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown, we offer Informal Science Education opportunities to kids of all ages, 8-80!
Demonstrate Science
LVACS chemists make science come alive with demonstration tables at schools and civic institutions. It's also a great way for young chemists such as college students to 'give back' what they have already learned and help the community to understand how chemistry impacts their daily lives. Would you like to be the chemist for fascinated kids and their parents? Extract DNA from strawberries? Make edible waterpods? It's fun and mind-opening.
Are you a community member in the PA counties of Berks, Schuylkill, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe or Warren NJ looking for a chemical professional to demonstrate science for your group and talk about the chemical profession? Please contact us!
Here's an example of a recent science fair we attended.
ACS CHEMLUMINARY AWARD WINNER!!
"Chemistry Fun with the Berks Chem Society" on BCTV aired its pilot filmed Feb. 26, 2021 with host Greglynn Gibbs, featuring different ways and different things to use to "make a home-made battery" with special guest, battery expert Robert Coller from Enersys, Reading, PA. Take a look at this show: https://youtu.be/CiChpnzWsZY and two subsequent episodes...
The Chemistry of No-Pop Bubbles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEFYi7XaHo0&t=2s.
"Reduce Your Footprint with Shrinky Dinks!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut7DdsL3p5M.
Da Vinci Science Center
The Lehigh Valley section is an active partner with our local science museum, Da Vinci Science Center of Allentown, in "Bringing Science to Life and Lives to Science." Da Vinci's mission meshes splendidly with ACS' mission of "Chemistry for Life" thus making our collaboration truly synergistic. You'll find LVACS chemists celebrating National Chemistry Week (NCW) and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW) here every year! In 2020, LVACS was honored by Da Vinci with its Grand Maestro Award in recognition of its substantial contributions to the scientific community and the Center. Here's what we did for: "Marvelous Metals" (NCW 2019) "Sticking with Chemistry" (NCW 2020) "Take Note: The Chemistry of Paper" (CCEW 2019) “FAST/OR SLOW…Chemistry Makes It GO!” (NCW 2021) "The Buzz about Bugs: insect chemistry" (CCEW 2022) "The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae" (CCEW 2023) - seaweed was everywhere! "The Healing Power of Chemistry" (NCW 2023)
RED = ACS CHEMLUMINARY AWARD WINNERS
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NCW 2023
“The Healing Power of Chemistry”
ACS Members and groups explored the NCW topic of fiber chemistry with the theme, “The Healing Power of Chemistry.” LVACS volunteers honored our dear Mole's Day with outreach events at Da Vinci Science Center (see above) and Allentown Public Library (Migrant Education Program (MEP)'s 'Lights on Afterschool') as well as the annual Illustrated Poetry Contest. See News for more!
CCEW 2024
“Get a Charge out of Chemistry”
Celebrate CCEW the week of April 21-27, 2024 with the theme, “Get a Charge out of Chemistry.” This year is all about batteries. Batteries have the power because they can accept energy from alternative energy sources such as such as solar, wind, and hydropower, then store it in chemical bonds. Anywhere and anytime we want, batteries release electrical energy. Today, batteries are an indispensable part of our world. We use them in devices, such as remote controls, wheelchairs, hearing aids, cars, mobile phones, laptops, bike lights, and more. Did you know that by 2025, the global EV (electric vehicle) market is expected to be valued at $567 billion? Innovations in battery design and efficiency for the entire lifecycle of batteries will protect our environment even more. Get a Charge out of Chemistry as you learn about batteries and their impact on our everyday lives!
Celebrate CCEW with the Lehigh Valley local section as part of Reading Science Center's "Celebrate Science Day" held on the campus of Drexel University College of Medicine, West Reading Campus, 50 Innovation Way, Wyomissing, PA 19610. Google Maps Directions, Sunday, April 28th 1-5 pm. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to help kids build their own batteries and learn about the chemistry of electrical conduction. CONTACT: Philip Elias, LVACS CCEW Coordinator philipjelias@gmail.com
Join the fun!
We're always looking for volunteers for a wide variety of outreach events...and each year we award a worthy Volunteer of the Year. Just give us a shout and we'll give you your chemistry magic wand!
Philip Elias, 2024 Outreach VOTY
Philip J. Elias, 2023 LVACS Chair-elect and now assuming the Chair responsibilities for 2024, has been named 2024 Volunteer-of-the-Year for the Lehigh Valley Section by ACS and will compete with other local section volunteers for the title of ACS Volunteer-of-the-Year. Philip graduated from Muhlenberg College (‘22) and has been an engaged member of the LVACS since his senior year. He started volunteering at NCW events and was elected as the section Chair-elect for 2023. In 2023, Philip became the section’s NCW and CCEW coordinator, organizing several outreach events at our local ISE partner, Da Vinci Science Center and with the PA Migrant Education Program’s "Lights on After School" event and STEM Saturdays at the Allentown Public Library. Philip also judged at the Lehigh Valley Science Fair and did demonstrations at Science Fairs within the section such as the Southern Lehigh STEAM Expo and Pocono Mountain West Night of Science for middle and high school students. In addition to these outreach activities, Philip organized the September LVACS meeting at Evonik including lab tours and talks (largest attendance for a section meeting in many years). Philip has grown, over the past 3 years, in his role from participating volunteer to leader of events. He developed the entire program for the September Evonik visit, which brought a company new to the section into partnership with us. He also planned our NCW outreach event at Da Vinci Science Center this year, including all arrangements with Da Vinci staff and ordering of supplies. Thanks, Philip! We’re lucky to have you
