American Chemical Society National Chemistry Week October 2024

The National Chemistry Week (NCW) program of the Cleveland Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) began in 1994 with an idea to put together a scripted program that could be performed at any local school or library. It is a fun and educational program designed to interest students in grades 2-6 in chemistry and science. This idea has expanded to become the centerpiece of the Cleveland Section's NCW activities. On numerous occasions it has received national recognition from the American Chemical Society, including several ChemLuminary Awards the last of which was in 2012. In 2024 the Cleveland Section’s volunteers will perform at least 10 demonstrations at libraries, schools, and other public sites involving up to 250 students. Our NCW efforts reach many students each year because of various sponsors who have donated money, materials and/or services to the Cleveland Section specifically for National Chemistry Week. We would like to especially thank our partners at the Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) for creating and distributing flyers, registering students, and providing the facilities for this program. We further extend our sincere thanks to John Carroll University for hosting GAK Day (Grand Assembly of Kits Day) and to our Cleveland ACS Section for its financial support. Last and most importantly, we thank all the volunteers who have donated their time and expertise. This library/school program and other NCW events are the result of the hard work of many dedicated and talented volunteers. It all starts with our local section NCW Planning Committee. The Committee recommends, tests, and reviews activities & experiments; writes this script including a story line intended to hold the attention of children; collects supplies and materials; prepares the kits; recruits sponsors and volunteers; contacts libraries and schools; and schedules demonstrations. Committee members include Katie Arendt, Genevieve Crane, Mason Kruger, Helen Mayer, Shermila Singham, Susan Wang, Bob Williams, Shaowei Yang, Joe Yurko and Bob Fowler. Special thanks to Joe Yurko for creating this year’s theme and storyline and for inspiring our Planning Committee and to Helen Mayer, our Editor-in-Chief. Additional credit and thanks are given to the many GAK (Grand Assembly of Kits) Day volunteers including professors and students from Baldwin Wallace, Case Western Reserve, Cleveland State and John Carroll universities who gave up a Saturday in September to help count, measure and assemble all of the necessary materials for our demonstration kits. A final thank you goes out to the many dedicated chemistry professionals and scientists who lead the presentations and activities in schools, libraries, and other public locations. Without them there would be no Cleveland Section NCW program.