ACS Program-in-a-Box highlights sports chemistry

On Feb. 21, groups from around the world, including ACS student chapters, local sections, and chemistry clubs, held watch parties as part of ACS’s Program-in-a-Box live event featuring the chemistry of sports.

During the hour-long broadcast, attendees learned about the impact of chemistry on sports via video segments featuring subject matter experts. Attendees also participated in sports chemistry trivia and interacted on social media using the hashtag #acspib.

Claire Ortiz, founder and chief executive officer of Ortiz Industry, and Norman Wagner, chair of chemical engineering at the University of Delaware and founder of STF Technologies, spoke about their research, then took questions from the audience.

Ortiz shared how her company collaborated with Dow Chemical to design smart clothing that integrates body-monitoring sensors into textiles using conductive inks. And Wagner discussed the potential for the use of shear-thickening fluids to make better protective equipment for athletes.

David Cowan and Liying Jiang of King’s College London’s Drug Control Centre described how analytical chemists maintain a level playing field for athletes through drug testing for the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The program is archived and available at goo.gl/8qqu4x.

The next Program-in-a-Box will take place on Oct. 24 and will highlight the chemistry of rocks and minerals, which ties in with this year’s National Chemistry Week theme. For more information, visit www.acs.org/pib.