Chem night seeks to create STEM reaction

April 13, 2016

The NIU Chemistry Club will harness the powers of fire and ice to demonstrate that chemistry is cool (and hot!) at its annual Chem Demo Night, 8 p.m., Friday, April 15 in the Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center.

The evening will feature rapid phase change manipulations, magically timed reaction kinetics and luminescence – also known as explosions, chemical reactions and stuff that glows in the dark! At the conclusion of the night, the club will make (and share) ice cream made using liquid nitrogen.

“It’s an event worth seeing,” says John Carnahan, chair of the NIU Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. It’s an opportunity to see some of our best and brightest students put on an engaging show.

As fun as the show will be, it has goals that go beyond showmanship. It is also an effort to demonstrate to students in grade school, middle school and high school that science can be exciting, and to get them thinking about pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Parking for this event is available in the NIU Parking deck or the NIU Visitor’s Lot, free of charge, starting at 7 p.m. Both can be accessed from Lincoln Highway via Carroll Avenue.