Annual Chemistry Workshop for High School Seniors

Since 2001 the chemistry department has offered a weekend workshop nearly every year to high school seniors who are considering studying chemistry at Lawrence. Since the workshops began, more than 100 prospective students have attended the chemistry weekend.

The two-day workshop typically begins on Friday evening with a dinner and an introductory session. Often this includes a tour of the science facilities, sometimes conducted by current students. In 2004 we added a color mixing activity during which students used a set of just three dyes (cyan, magenta and yellow) to tie-dye a T-shirt with the full rainbow of colors.

On Saturday the workshop continues with both morning and afternoon hands-on experimental sessions. The activities that are chosen vary from year to year, are always led by Lawrence faculty and sometimes include Lawrence students as participants or assistants. These experiments are designed to introduce students to some of the department's instrumentation as well as some of the faculty members' research interests.

2005 Activities:
The synthesis of nickel nanowires and their characterization using the scanning electron microscope
Molecular structure and stereochemistry: connections between structure and odor

2004 Activities:
Exploring Semiconducting Light Emitting Diodes
Synthesis of an Aqueous-based Ferrofluid
Molecular structure and stereochemistry: connections between structure and odor

2003 Activities:
Exploring Semiconducting Light Emitting Diodes
Synthesis of an Aqueous-based Ferrofluid
Molecular structure and stereochemistry: connections between structure and odor

2002 Activities:
Exploring Semiconducting Light Emitting Diodes
Synthesis of an Aqueous-based Ferrofluid
Exploring a chaotic chemical reaction

2001 Activities:
Exploring Semiconducting Light Emitting Diodes
Synthesis of an Aqueous-based Ferrofluid
The determination of lead contamination in various soil samples

Last updated July, 2008

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