From medical devices, to automobiles, to disposable packaging, polymers (or plastics) are found throughout our modern world. In the Mobile Science Workshop – Chemistry session, Dr. Andy Landis, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Penn State York, has devised an experiment to demonstrate the fundamental chemistry of polymerization. Students first engage in a physical activity where they behave like molecules linking together to simulate the formation of polymeric molecules. Students then follow lab instructions to prepare a liquid solution of a reactive monomer and expose the mixture to visible light which initiates polymerization of the liquid to create a solid, plastic PSU souvenir. Students are informed that this reaction is the same as dentists use when filling a cavity.