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Chemistry Festival Arrives In Beijing

Public outreach event is part of Chinese Chemical Society conference

by A. Maureen Rouhi
September 15, 2014 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 92, Issue 37

Hundreds of children were riveted by chemistry demonstrations during the Chemistry Festival held on Aug. 3–4 in Beijing. The event kicked off the 29th Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) Congress, hosted by Peking University. Thirty volunteers from Peking University and the international chapters of the American Chemical Society in Shanghai and Hong Kong entertained the kids and their parents with a variety of hands-on activities, including testing pH with natural indicators and poking a polymer. ACS, CCS, and Peking University jointly organized the crowd-pleasing event.

The Chemistry Festival is an ACS community outreach activity that depends on volunteers to communicate the importance of chemistry in our daily lives, says ACS Director-at-Large Ingrid Montes. Montes popularized the Chemistry Festival in Puerto Rico, where it is known as Festival de Química. It has traveled to Chile, Colombia, and Mexico; it will arrive in Peru in October.

As the festival’s master teacher, Montes trains local volunteers to perform the demonstrations and to teach others so that future events can be run by local groups. Volunteers from Shanghai and Hong Kong trained by Montes intend to bring the festival to their communities.

The 2014 CCS Congress, held on Aug. 4–7, drew about 8,000 attendees, the highest attendance ever, according to meeting organizers.

POKE A POLYMER
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Credit: Kelen Fureigh
Volunteer Zile Wang demonstrates the power of polymers with leakproof Ziploc bags.
Volunteer Zile Wang uses leakproof Ziploc bags to demonstrate the power of polymers at the Chemistry Festival, held in the lobby of a teaching building at Peking University on Aug. 3–4, 2014. The event kicked off the 29th Chinese Chemical Society Congress, hosted by Peking University.
Credit: Kelen Fureigh
Volunteer Zile Wang demonstrates the power of polymers with leakproof Ziploc bags.
ANTICIPATION
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Credit: Maureen Rouhi/C&EN
Volunteers (from left) Zhang Xing, Qi Xiaoyue, Chen Duo, and Wang Haomin have a quiet moment before the crowd arrives.
Volunteers (from left) Zhang Xing, Qi Xiaoyue, Chen Duo, and Wang Haomin  have a quiet moment before the crowd arrives at the Chemistry Festival, held in the lobby of a teaching building at Peking University on Aug. 3-4, 2014.
Credit: Maureen Rouhi/C&EN
Volunteers (from left) Zhang Xing, Qi Xiaoyue, Chen Duo, and Wang Haomin have a quiet moment before the crowd arrives.
CROWD
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Credit: Kelen Fureigh
Kids and parents jam the Chemistry Festival, held in the lobby of a teaching building at Peking University.
Kids and parents jam the Chemistry Festival, held in the lobby of a teaching building at Peking University on Aug. 3-4, 2014. The event kicked off the 29th Chinese Chemical Society Congress, hosted by Peking University.
Credit: Kelen Fureigh
Kids and parents jam the Chemistry Festival, held in the lobby of a teaching building at Peking University.
Tiny Scientist
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Credit: Maureen Rouhi
Jane Wang, who is three-and-a-half years old, tries her hand at poking a Ziploc bag.
Jane Wang, who is 3 ½ years old, tries her hand at poking a Ziploc bag at the Chemistry Festival, which was held in the lobby of a teaching building at Peking University on Aug. 3–4, 2014. The event kicked off the 29th Chinese Chemical Society Congress, and was hosted by Peking University.
Credit: Maureen Rouhi
Jane Wang, who is three-and-a-half years old, tries her hand at poking a Ziploc bag.
FESTIVAL
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Credit: Caroline Ma
The ACS delegation to the 2014 CCS Congress was led by Immediate Past President Marinda Li Wu (front row, sixth from left), shown here with Director-at-Large Ingrid Montes (front row, seventh from left), Chemistry Festival volunteers, and ACS staff.
The ACS delegation to the 2014 CCS Congress was led by Immediate Past President Marinda Li Wu (sixth from left in front row), shown here with Director -At-Large Ingrid Montes (seventh from left in front row), Chemistry Festival volunteers, and ACS staff. The 29th Chinese Chemical Society Congress, hosted by Peking University, ran Aug. 3-4.
Credit: Caroline Ma
The ACS delegation to the 2014 CCS Congress was led by Immediate Past President Marinda Li Wu (front row, sixth from left), shown here with Director-at-Large Ingrid Montes (front row, seventh from left), Chemistry Festival volunteers, and ACS staff.

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