NCW 2001 - Celebrating Chemistry and Art

Chairperson:
Dr. Sarah Iacobucci, Tufts University,
sarah.iacobucci@tufts.edu

Co-organizers:
Dr. Shelby Kashket, Forsyth Institute
Dr. Doris Lewis, Suffolk University
Dr. Christine Jaworek, Emmanuel College
Ms. Caroline Angel, Boston Museum of Science

National Chemistry Week was a great success in the Boston area, thanks to the many activites that were offered for people of all ages. See below.

November 3, 2001
Undergraduate Day at Boston University, Boston, MA
As a prelude to National Chemistry Week, the ACS Student Affiliates Chapter at Boston University, Chemia, and the Northeastern section of the American Chemical Society hosted and sponsored Undergraduate Day at Boston University. Undergraduate Day is designed specially for chemistry, chemical engineering, and biochemistry students in the local area. During Undergraduate Day, students from area colleges and universities had the opportunity to attend numerous workshops, seminars, technical talks, a job fair, and a graduate school fair. This relaxed yet productive day allowed the undergraduate students to meet and exchange beneficial information about the world of chemistry with scientists, engineers, faculty members, graduate students, and fellow undergraduate students from local schools and industries. http://www.bu.edu/chemistry/undergrad/chemia

November 4, 2001
Chemistry and Art Celebration at the Boston Museum of Science
In collaboration, the Northeastern section of the American Chemical Society and the Boston Museum of Science sponsored and hosted a Chemistry and Art Celebration for National Chemistry Week. Volunteers (totaling approximately 50 students) from various ACS Student Affiliates Chapters in the Boston area (such as, Emmanuel College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stonehill College, and Tufts University) joined together for the numerous workshops and exhibits at the Boston Museum of Science. Throughout the day, the volunteers assisted thousands of visitors at the paint and plaster workshop, the art forgery exhibit, and the art preservation demonstration. They also helped visitors on a passport journey through the museum as they made chemistry and art connections with several of the museum’s permanent exhibits. Among the highlights of the day, Prof. Bassam Shakhashiri of U.Wisconsin-Madison gave two presentations of his lecture Picasso, daVinci, Shakhashiri: Artistry and Chemistry which were enjoyed by children and adults alike. The Northeastern section of the American Chemical Society also presented Prof. Shakhashiri with an Honorary Lifetime Membership Award.

November 6, 2001
Chemistry and Art Symposium at the Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA
A symposium on Chemistry and Art was sponsored by the Northeastern section of the American Chemical Society and hosted by the Forsyth Institute. Seminar topics ranged from the uncovering of art forgeries, the role of chemistry in art conservation, and the chemical analysis of African artwork. Among highlights of the symposium were the showing and authenticity analysis of the impressionist’s painting Reading in the Forest (on loan from Brandeis University), talks covering the role of medical conditions and neuroscience in artists’ work, and scientific techniques for verifying, dating, and restoring works of art. The symposium included question and answer sessions where audience members could ask the chemists questions about their fields of study.
http://www.forsyth.org

November 6, 2001
Careers in Chemistry Symposium at Suffolk University, Boston, MA
For National Chemistry Week, the ACS Student Affiliates Chapter at Suffolk University hosted a Careers in Chemistry Symposium in which five Suffolk University alumni in different branches of chemistry discussed their fields of expertise. From this symposium, the students were able to obtain first-hand knowledge from working chemists.
http://www.cas.suffolk.edu/woodbury/chem_s~1.htm

November 7 & 9, 2001
Chemistry and Art Discussions at Emmanuel College, Boston, MA
In celebration of National Chemistry week, Prof. Christine Jaworek at Emmanuel College organized a gathering of student groups to discuss topics such as the chemistry of vision and the chemistry of paints and dyes. The students had enjoyable, enlightening, and scientific discussions on these topics.
http://www.emmanuel.edu/academic/academic.htm

November 10, 2001
A Paper-Making Workshop at Wheaton College, Norton MA
At Wheaton College in Massachusetts, Prof. Laura Muller organized a Paper-making Workshop and in the spirit of National Chemistry Week used it as an opportunity for outreach to the entire campus. Students from various departments, staff members, and an artist made paper from grass picked from the campus lawn and from a variety of garden vegetables.
http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Faculty/LauraMuller.html