XU Chemistry Department Celebrates International Year of Chemistry
by Bren Mark Felisilda and Faustino Tarongoy, Jr
The year 2011 was officially declared by the 2008 UN General Assembly, upon the initiative of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in partnership with UNESCO, as the International Year of Chemistry. Dubbed as IYC 2011, this worldwide celebration is a recognition of the many achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind. With the theme, “Chemistry—our life, our future,” chemists and chemistry enthusiasts have prepared various activities ranging from the interactive and educational to the entertaining which aims to attract the public in the local, regional and national level. Through this planned activities, the IYC celebration hopes “to increase the public appreciation of chemistry in meeting the world’s needs, to increase the interest of young people in chemistry, and to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry.”
In this line, the XU Chemistry Department is organizing a variety of events, which include the Chem Caravan and Career Talks for elementary and high school students, a photo exhibit for the general public and an Industrial Plant Tour for BS Chemistry students. This will be followed by more exciting happenings for the second quarter like the CHEMIKS 2011, a fun and informative semi-summer camp for junior high school students. The department also intends to participate in the Global Chemistry Experiment project of IUPAC and UNESCO. Moreover, events are also planned for teachers through chemistry lecture series and a workshop on chemical education about do-able chemistry experiments for high school. This will be in partnership with Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP) and Kapisanang Kimika ng Pilipinas (KKP), the professional organizations for chemists and chemistry enthusiasts that have local chapters in Region 10 and ARMM. A CHEM Variety Show is also slated for XU students taking up Chemistry.
More activities are laid out for the second half of the year, which include the CHEMBUSTION Quizbowl and Game Show, the Student Chemistry Congress, poster-making contest, a Chemistry Science Fair and Exhibit for the public, and alumni homecoming. Those are just some of the many events the XU Chemistry Department is preparing for this very important year. Many varied activities are also expected to be organized in other academic institutions and establishments from industries and laboratories. And at the end of the day, it is hoped that chemistry would be appreciated more as a creative science essential for sustainability of life.