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'). See News for more!
CCEW 2023
“The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae”
Celebrate CCEW the week of April 16-22, 2023 with the theme, “The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae.” Algae are emerging as one of the most promising long-term, sustainable sources of food, feed, and other co-products.
It may have been thundering outside on Saturday, April 15th but our LVACS volunteers sure made the inside of Da Vinci Science Center rock with their enthusiasm for science! Curiosity and Amazement were definitely everywhere to be seen and heard with education about the Earth and its algae the ultimate winner. The Lehigh Valley ACS local section thanks you for taking the time out of your schedules to bring 'science to life and lives to science.' Avi the mole salutes you!
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!
Greglynn Gibbs, 2021 Outreach VOTY
Greglynn successfully hosted and facilitated online and outdoor (socially distanced) outreach events celebrating National Chemistry Week, including Undergraduate Resume Workshops and community-wide Halloween Chemistry and Online Slime workshops through partnerships with the Penn State Alumni Association, Spring Township Parks and Recreation, and the Reading Science Center. In addition to her service as Membership Chair of the Lehigh Valley Local Section, she serves as Student Chapter Advisor at Penn State Berks, an ACS Career Consultant, a member of the Reading Science Center Programming Committee, and is on the Committee on Community Activities.
