EVENTS: Chemistry and Space
October Sky Film Showing
Headed by: Jessica Gross and Avigail Soloveichik
October 15, 2009
October Sky was shown to inaugurate this year's theme of Chemistry in Space and to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (2009). The film is based on the true story of a high school boy named Homer Hickam, who grows up in a mining town in the age of Sputnik. With the help of his friends, Homer achieves his dream of building a rocket. The story culminates with the Rocket Boys surpassing all odds and winning the National Science Fair. Follow these links to learn more about Homer Hickam and about the annual October Sky Festival held in Coalwood, West Virginia.
National Chemistry Week
Headed by: Stern College Chemistry Club Board
October 15-24, 2009
The Chemistry Club helped Stern College celebrate a happy National Chemistry Week (NCW) by handing out pamphlets and sending emails to inform students about the week and its significance. The goal of NCW was to unite individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry in our lives. Mole Day, October 23, is during NCW (Avogadro’s Number = 6.02 x 10^23).This year, the ACS theme for NCW was “Chemistry—It’s Elemental!” 2009 was the 140th anniversary of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of the Elements. NCW this year was a wonderful opportunity to investigate and appreciate the discovery and use of the elements in every aspect of our lives. Learn more about NCW on the American Chemical Society’s website.
Kukin Lecture
Headed by: The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
November 2, 2009
Professor Richard Silverman, the John Evans Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University, presented this year’s annual Kukin Lecture. Some of sis research interests focus on rational drug design; he spoke about “Drug Discovery: Ingenuity or Serendipity?” Dr. Silverman has received many honors, and it was an honor for us to hear him speak about his research and to hear his thoughts on the topic.
Science Careers
Headed by: The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
November 3, 2009
Dr. Richard Silverman, the 2009 Kukin Lecturer, gave a talk on the Beren Campus on the subject of: what can a student do with a degree in science? He discussed different aspects about science that make it a great field in terms of its practicality, its applicability to other disciplines, and the knowledge that we gain. He also spoke about specific career paths that some people choose, such as the M.D./Ph.D. route. It was a great opportunity to learn about career options in the scientific world.
Space Medicine
Headed by: Shoni Rozenberg and Becky Weiss
November 11, 2009
Dr. Eleanor O’Rangers, President and CEO of Space Medicine Associates, LLC Clinical Pharmacist, Cardiovascular Pharmacology, gave a presentation on the physiological impact of space and the applications of space medicine. She addressed the particular issues of how drugs work in space, i.e. the fact that the human body metabolizes drugs differently in space than on Earth. Dr. O’Rangers also spoke about the current attempts taking place for commercial spaceflight, and how that plays into the bigger picture of space medicine and the questions and issues surrounding it. You can learn more about Dr. O’Rangers and the Space Medicine Associates by visiting their website. Under Presentations, you can find the PowerPoint presentation from Dr. O’Rangers' speech at Stern College.
Chemistry of Leadership
Headed by: Yeshiva College Chemistry Club
November 12, 2009
The Yeshiva College Chemistry Club hosted the event titled, “The Chemistry of Leadership,” which was co-sponsored by the YC Biology Club, the SCW Chemistry Club, the SCW Pharmacology Club, and the Career Development Center. Many students came to hear panel speakers discuss the dynamic career opportunities available in the sciences. The panel featured: Joseph B. Crystal, Ph.D., Esq. Patent Attorney, Goodwin-Procter, YC ’95; Ms. Elaine Kellman-Grosinger M.A., Flavor Chemist, Citromax Flavors; Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky Ph.D., Chair, Dept. of Forensic Science, John Jay College; Yedidya Saiman, Md.-Ph.D. Candidate, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, YC ’06; Dr. Deborah Schachter, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Johnson & Johnson. The speakers spoke very well about their respective topics and answered many questions.
Chemistry of Jupiter
Headed by: Loriel Solodokin
November 16, 2010
This event featured a lecture and learning session about the chemistry of Jupiter. Mike Wong, from the Outer Planets Colloquium Series, spoke about various aspects of the chemistry of this largest planet, including a discussion of Jupiter’s clouds and cosmochemistry. Visit the Colloquium's website to learn more about the Outer Planets Colloquium Series and about Mike Wong’s research focus.
Tuesdays in the Dome
Headed by: Julie Meir and Eliana Shaul
November 24, 2009
The Chemistry Club planned a field trip to the Hayden Planetarium, at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, to attend a Celestial Highlights: Tuesdays in the Dome event. The event was very enjoyable and well-attended. We were given a tour of the night sky, and we learned about meteor showers, eclipses, and the current positions of the planets and stars. Visit the information page on the Rose Center website for more information about Tuesdays in the Dome.
PolyAspirin Lecture
Headed by: Loriel Solodokin
December 8, 2009
This lecture was titled “PolyAspirin: The Latest Innovation in Polymer Chemistry.” Dr. Kathryn Uhrich, from Rutgers University, discussed her research in biocompatible polymers. She gave a PowerPoint presentation that provided an overview of the history, chemistry, and practical uses of PolyAspirin, and she also spoke about what inspired her in this project. Her involvement in PolymerDrugs, such as PolyAspirin, is a novel initiative. Click here to learn more about Dr. Uhrich’s amazing research.
Chemistry Club Shabbaton
Headed by: Julie Meir, Loriel Solodokin, Avigail Soloveichik, Becky Weiss
December 11-12, 2010
The Chemistry Club Shabbaton took place on the weekend of Shabbos Chanukah, Decemeber 11-12, 2010. It was held in conjunction with the Biology Club and the Energy and Environmental Club. Highlights included delicious Chanukah themed foods; divrei Torah; “mixed” Jeopardy with biology, environment, chemistry, and outer space questions; a Chanukah tisch; and a Chaburah entitled “Shabbos in Space.” On Motzei Shabbat, we had a Melaveh Malkah with pizza and an art project to make DNA double-helix earrings.
Chemistry Magic Show
Headed by: Jessica Gross
February 18, 2010
The annual chemistry magic show was a big success! Experiments included creating slime, an oscillating clock reaction, glowing "fireflies," and painting with acids and bases. The show was well-attended and enjoyed by all.
The Chemistry Club and the New Moon
Headed by: Shoshy Arnow, Julie Meir, Avigail Soloveichik
Began February 2010
The Stern Chemistry Club initiated a new project for this year's theme of Chemistry in Space. For every Shabbos Mevorchim (the Sabbath preceding the new moon), the club organizes a Tehillim (Psalms) list and shares a short dvar Torah. There is a lot of interesting chemistry data about the moon, such as recent indications that it might contain water; we want to celebrate the moon in Torah, as well!
Women in Science: Discussion
Headed by: Stern College Club Board
March 11, 2010
The Chemistry Club recommended that all interested students attend "The Madame Curie Complex," a discussion of the role of women in science. The lecture was held at the CUNY Graduate Center, located at 365 5th Avenue. Click here to view a description of the event, which addressed the following question: "Why are science and technology still considered predominantly male professions?"
In the Shadow of the Moon: Documentary
Headed by: Julie Meir, Avigail Soloveichik, Becky Weiss
March 23, 2010
The Chemistry Club showed the award-winning documentary, In the Shadow of the Moon, for this year's theme of Chemistry in Space. The film discusses America's race to the moon. It shows pieces of interviews with astronauts and intersperses that with actual footage of shuttle launches, moon landings, and other fasincating pieces of NASA's history. A particularly moving part is when Michael Collins, one of the three astronauts aboard Apollo 11, recalls: "Wherever we went, people, instead of saying, 'Well, you Americans did it!' — everywhere, they said, ‘We did it! We, humankind, we, the human race, we, people, did it!’” (click here for written source). Click here to watch a trailer and read about the documentary.
Learn About Telescopes
Headed by: Stern College Chemistry Club Board
March 25, 2010
The Chemistry Club recommended the following fascinating event: a lecture, given by Dr. Sara J. Schechner of Harvard University, titled, "What Galileo Saw and How: Glass and its Challenges for 17th Century Telescope Makers." The event was held in the Lecture Hall of the Bard Graduate Center, at 38 West 86th Street. Click here to learn more about this great event.
The Chemistry Club Rocks!
Headed by: Loriel Solodokin
April 12-23, 2010
The Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University runs a program that compares rocks from around the world to rocks from Mars. The rocks are analyzed via Infrared Spectroscopy, just like we use in Orgo Lab. Click here for more information. We invited students to participate in the Stern rock shipment! We asked that students bring back a rock from wherever they were for Passover break, to be sent to the Mars Space Flight Facility. The submitted rocks have been analyzed and processed by the facility, and the results can be viewed online:
Naomi F.: http://ratw.asu.edu/05121010817.html
Ilana I.: http://ratw.asu.edu/05121010818.html
Avigail S.: http://ratw.asu.edu/05121010815.html, http://ratw.asu.edu/05121010816.html
We also let our fellow students know that you can send your name to Mars! You can click here to fill out your name, country, and zipcode; and your name will be included on a microchip on the Mars Science Laboratory rover going to Mars in 2011.
Community Interaction Grant, Part I
Presented by: Loriel Solodokin, Avigail Soloveichik, Becky Weiss, Tzippy Wiesenfeld
April 9, 2010
This year, our student ACS Chapter was awarded funds for a Community Interaction Grant; the grant, titled "Blast Off into Outer Space!," was written by Julie Meir and Avigail Soloveichik. We came up with a presentation to teach local elementary school students--three fourth grade classes at Henrietta Szold, on the Lower East Side--about the relationship between chemistry and outer space. We divided our presentation into two parts, and two days: the first part was a magic show where all the experiments involved the connection between chemistry and space; the second part was a hands-on activity where the students built edible versions of Mars and Earth. More information about the ACS Community Interaction Grant can be found on the ACS Website.
In Part I (the Magic Show), four Chemistry Club members showed five exciting experiments to illustrate the chemsitry of things in space, the chemistry of how we get to space, and the chemistry of scientific experiments carried out in space. We created a model of a comet using dry ice and other ingredients; made a model of a volcano on Venus by using soap, hydrogen peroxide, and potassium iodide; made a small rocket blast off by using baking soda and vinegar; and presented visocity and vegetable electricity as examples relating to scientific experiments carried out in space. The presentation was a big success!
*Information about scientific experiments in space that relate to viscosity and to vegetables can be found on NASA's website. Click here for visocity and here for vegetables.
Community Interaction Grant, Part II
Presented by: Gigi Ben-David, Jessica Gross, Julie Meir, Eliana Shaul, Tzippy Wiesenfeld
April 16, 2010
The second part of our presentation was held on the following Friday. First, we used posters that we had prepared in advance to explain the chemical and geologic compositions of Earth and Mars, including the five primary layers of Earth's atmosphere. Then we divided the students into four groups, and each group received the ingredients and materials necessary to build an edible version of either Earth or Mars. One Chemistry Club student was assigned to each group to help the students and to discuss with them what each ingredient represents for the real planet.
*Click here to read about directions for the Earth/Mars project, and here for specific directions on how to make edible versions of these planets.