In the spirit of all things scientific, occasionally explosive and all-around inspirational, the Texas A&M University Department of Chemistry is gearing up to host the 34th annual edition of one of the most popular educational attractions to be found on the Texas A&M campus.
Texas A&M Chemistry invites science enthusiasts from across the Brazos Valley and the state of Texas to join in celebrating three decades and counting of one of Texas A&M's proudest fall traditions, the Chemistry Open House and Science Exploration Gallery, set for Saturday, October 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the main Chemistry Building complex.
The open house is held annually in conjunction with National Chemistry Week, celebrated this year from Oct. 16 to 22 and centered around the theme, Fabulous Fibers: The Chemistry of Fabrics.
Visitors are encouraged to start their open house tours by checking in at the "Welcome" tent located at the intersection of Ross and Spence Streets adjacent to the Chemistry Annex to receive a free bag of scientific goodies. A secondary table will be situated in the plaza outside of the Chemistry Building at the intersection of Ross and Ireland Streets just north of the three red-brick water fountains. Free parking is available in Lot 51 north of the Zachry Engineering Education Complex, with additional paid parking to be found in the Northside Garage.
"We are very excited to bring the Chemistry Open House back as an in-person event," said Stephanie A. McCartney, First Year Chemistry Program instructional associate professor and event organizer. "Alongside many old favorites, we have several new and exciting activities and demonstrations to present to the community. We hope everyone comes out to this free event ready to enjoy a fun-filled day of chemistry!"
The day-long festival will be highlighted by four presentations of the popular Chemistry Road Show (9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m.) in Room 100 of the main Chemistry Building. The show is recommended for all ages and includes popular science demonstrations, such as fires, explosions, weird polymers and super-cold materials. Please note that the free color-coded tickets for seating, which can be obtained at the welcome tent in the water-fountain plaza, are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and tend to go quickly.
Hands-on and polymer experimentation, computer activities, guided laboratory tours and demonstrations also will be in progress throughout the day as part of the Science Exploration festivities along with on-site food trucks and a lunch buffet at Sbisa Dining Hall. In addition to faculty, students and staff from the Department of Chemistry, activities and demonstrations also will be presented from various departments throughout the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and science-based student groups such as Women In Science and Engineering.
The Chemistry Open House and Science Exploration Gallery is sponsored in part by VWR Scientific, Hayden-McNeil Publishing, the Texas A&M College of Arts and Sciences, the Texas A&M University-American Chemical Society Local Chapter and the First Year Chemistry Program.
For more information, visit https://www.chem.tamu.edu/openhouse.
We are very excited to bring the Chemistry Open House back as an in-person event. Alongside many old favorites, we have several new and exciting activities and demonstrations to present to the community. We hope everyone comes out to this free event ready to enjoy a fun-filled day of chemistry!