Students celebrate National Chemistry Week during Saint Mary’s Chemistry Nights

WINONA, Minn. — Many area high school juniors and seniors will perform hands-on chemistry projects during upcoming Chemistry Nights at Saint Mary’s University, which will run 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 27 and Nov. 3.

Chemistry Night, sponsored by the SMU Department of Chemistry and the La Crosse-Winona local section of the American Chemical Society, is an annual event designed to help students explore the discipline of chemistry and appreciate the positive role that chemistry plays in our everyday world.

Each year students solve a challenging but fun chemical problem, based on the National Chemistry Week (Oct. 16-22) theme. 2011 happens to mark the International Year of Chemistry, and coinciding with National Chemistry Week is the unifying theme of “Chemistry – our life, our future” — exploring the positive impacts of chemistry as it relates to health, energy, environment and materials.

Students will work in small teams, using wet chemistry and working with chemical instrumentation in the SMU Department of Chemistry, under the guidance of SMU chemistry majors.

Prizes will be awarded to the teams that have the greatest success in solving the chemical problems. Prizes will include SMU scholarships of $2,000 and $1,000.

Eight area schools and approximately 50 students are participating this year.

For more information, contact Dr. Brett Bodsgard at (507) 457-6972.