In her official proclamation, Mayor Ashley Swearengin cited as reasons for declaring Oct. 18-24 National Chemistry Week in the city of Fresno:
Chemistry is essential for meeting our basic needs, improving the quality of our lives and maintaining a strong economy.
Citizens are increasingly called upon to make decisions on political, scientific and technological issues in which chemistry plays a central part.
The late Prof. George C. Pimentel of the University of California at Berkeley, who originated the idea of National Chemistry Day, which evolved into National Chemistry Week, was a native of Fresno.
America's chemists and chemical engineers wish to communicate with the public about the many benefits that chemistry brings to our lives and to respond to the public fears about the risks associated in the popular mind with chemistry and chemicals.
National Chemistry Week reaches millions of people via print, radio, television, Internet and in person with demonstrations, hands-on activities, open houses, contests, workshops, exhibits, classroom visits and positive messages about chemistry.
Sponsored by the 163,000-member American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, it is celebrated annually during the fourth week in October by the society's 187 local sections, educators, practicing chemists, industrialists and others dedicated to chemistry.
NCW won the Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil Award for Excellence in Special Events and Observances and the American Society of Association Executives' Award for Excellence.
The theme of this year's NCW is "Chemistry -- It's Elemental." The elements, a primary part of everyday life on Earth, are the basis of the entire universe.
Carbon, an essential component of our bodies but a culprit in global warming, forms our pencils (graphite) and diamonds. Tungsten is in light bulbs, neon in signs, copper in wires, aluminum and tin in cans, and chlorine and sodium in table salt.
Technetium is a diagnostic radioisotope, gadolinium is an MRI contrast agent, and radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Transuranium elements include americium in every home's smoke detector but dangerous plutonium. The list is literally endless.
The theme is especially timely since 2009 is the 140th anniversary of Russian chemist Mendeleev's periodic table of the elements, which American astronomer Harlow Shapley called "probably the most compact and meaningful compilation of knowledge that man has yet devised. [It] does for matter what the geological age table does for cosmic time. Its history is the story of man's great conquests in the microcosmos." Also, the San Joaquin Valley ACS Section celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Scientific and educational magazines and newspapers are devoting their October issues to NCW activities, e. g., ChemMatters (www.acs.org/chemmatters; for high school students); Celebrating Chemistry (portal.acs.org/portal/Navigate?nodeid=1045; for elementary school students; hands-on activities highlighting history and uses of elements); Journal of Chemical Education (jchemed.chem.wisc.edu; for high school and college students; annotated bibliography of activities, demonstrations, experiments, videos; new articles by prominent chemists on "My favorite element"; Become a Fan: Support Your Favorite Element on Facebook: wiki.chemeddl.org/index.php/PTL:Elements_at_Facebook).
The ACS is sponsoring a K-12 national poster contest focused on a fun, motivational, and inspiring representation of an element or elements in the periodic table. For an annotated collection of print, video, and online resources on the elements and periodic table log on: www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/swain/hosted/ncw/2009.
CSUF Chemistry Club has activities all week: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. near McLane Hall: Monday, Oobleck; Tuesday, dry ice bubbles; Wednesday, Old Foamy; Thursday, guess the number of moles; Friday, kiss a pig; Saturday, chemistry show for third- to sixth-grade students (Details: Steven A. Chabolla; schabolla07@csufresno.edu).
High school chemistry teachers can participate in a free one-day workshop (from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 24: demos on allotropes and environmental chemistry; teaching tools for stoichiometry and dimensional analysis; lecture by environmental chemist; choice of two 21/2 labs; free lunch and snacks (Details: Dr. Joy J. Goto, 278-2530, jgoto@csufresno.edu). Don't forget to check out the huge (11 ft. x 8 ft.) interactive periodic table of the elements mural featuring back-lighted artwork by contest-winning San Joaquin Valley students (third floor, CSUF Science Building).
Valley parents, students, educators, media coordinators and industry representatives can obtain further information from: www.chemistry.org/ncw.
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