This semester is our semester of partnerships. While we will be continuing our annual You Be The Chemist Challenge (YBTC) with the Chemical Education Foundation (CEF) and Brenntag North America, as well as our Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW) programming with Spring Township Parks and Recreation, we will be focusing the majority of our efforts on building more partnerships that advance the ACS’s core value of Diversity, Inclusion & Respect.
The ACS Diversity, Inclusion & Respect Approval Program recognizes the importance of diversity, inclusion, and respect and aims to provide students with equitable access to an excellent undergraduate chemistry education. By extension, we as an undergraduate student chapter would like to provide students in the surrounding community with access to excellent chemistry education outreach events. Not that we didn’t strive to do this before or focus on reaching as much of the surrounding community as possible, but with educational inequities of resources, technology, and instructional tools finally brought to light during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more individuals and organizations turning their attention to where it is most needed in our new and expanded online learning environment.
Online classroom learning can be challenging. And with so much of our daily lives taking place indoors, fun, engaging social activities are especially important. This is why the Penn State Berks Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (BCS) is partnering with The Lehigh Valley Section of the American Chemical Society (LVACS) and the Northampton Community College (NCC) Science Club to provide an interactive, virtual after-school chemistry enrichment program for Middle and High School students via Zoom!
This program, funded by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Diversity, Inclusion, & Respect Grant, provides students with an opportunity to make new friends while meeting and connecting with scientists and college STEM students from across our vibrant, diverse communities. Weekly activities include free fun experiments, themed demonstrations, guest speakers, a movie watch party, book club, and more!
If you are interested in learning how you can support, volunteer, or participate in this year’s programming, visit:
- LVACS After School Chemistry Partnership Program (Feb 3rd – April 28th, 2020):
https://sites.psu.edu/berkschemsoc/after-school-chemistry-program/.
- The CEF & Brenntag North America You Be The Chemist Challenge® (TBD):
https://www.chemed.org/programs/challenge/
- Chemistry for Kids with Spring Township Parks & Recreation (Saturday, April 17, 2021):
https://www.springtwpberks.org/family-programs/