Every summer for the past 6 years, Professor Aaron Goldstein and his graduate students put on a 90 minute module, "Chemical Reactions" for the C-Tech2 and Imagination summer camps. C-Tech2 (Computers and Technology at Virginia Tech, http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/ctech2.php) is a two-week summer camp for 30 high school girls, and Imagination is a week-long day camp for 100 middle school boys and girls (http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/imagination_why.php). These summer camps are organized by the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity at Virginia Tech, but rely on faculty and staff to design and lead the individual modules. The module "Chemical Reactions" involves both demonstrations and hands-on activities in the Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory.
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| Kitchen chemistry: synthesizing aromatic esters. This one smells like that banana scent they add to nail polish remover. | |
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| A little alchemy turns ordinary pennies gold and silver. Unit Operations Laboratory student, Sean Harvey, shows the campers around the lab. | |
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| Finishing up with a little liquid nitrogen ice cream. Aaron Goldstein (center) along with assistants Lindsay Sharp, Robyn Shaffer, Kristin McKeon, and Kate Kavlock (left to right) catching their breath before the next group of campers arrive. | |