The chemistry department at Elmhurst College is always actively involved in a number of outreach activities. In addition to hosting K-12 classes on campus from time to time and participating in community activities (such as judging local science fairs), we host a number of formal programs that bring chemistry to an audience outside of the walls of EC.

 
Demo Shows - We train EC undergraduates to put on demonstration shows at local elementary schools. For example, we offer a January Term Science Demonstrations Class has been a popular course with EC pre-service teachers. Future teachers enrolled in this course spend a great deal of time in the laboratory. They learn, prepare and practice several demos. Then as a group, they visit area elementary schools and put on a great show. This cycle is repeated a number of time over the course of the term. This is a great learning experience for the undergraduates as well as the elementary school students. The popularity and success with this class lead us to offer Chemistry 100: Chemistry and the Natural World with a Demo-Focused Laboratory component. The laboratory component of this course is similar to the January term class, and has been a hit with EC undergrads and with the schools we visit.

If your school is in the local area and would like to have one of our student shows on your campus, contact us.

 
Summer Workshops - During the summer months the department typically hosts or helps host a number of programs. Recent visitors include the Flinn Scientific Foundation Summer Chemistry Workshop which brought 40 High School Chemistry Teachers onto our campus. Other programs include programs for junior high and high school students such as the Math and Science Academy (a cross-disciplinary program) and a chemistry class for the West Suburban Consortium for Academic Excellence.

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