Outreach

Faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Chemistry at UNC Charlotte are all working to extend outreach leadership in the Charlotte area, around North Carolina, and across the US.

Below are some of the past and ongoing outreach projects that the Department of Chemistry is involved with:

UNC Charlotte Science and Technology Expo: held every spring and coinciding with the North Carolina State Science Festival. The 2014 expo on UNC Charlottes Campus featured more than 50 science/engineering exhibits and interactive displays. The expo will be held again in April 26th of 2015. Faculty contacts: Dr. Tom Schmedake, Dr. Michael Walter. Web Pages: UNC Charlotte Sci. and Tech. (Facebook Page), NC Science Festival Below: Some pictures from the 2014 Festival

Charlotte Teachers Institute: Privately funded community outreach connecting researchers at UNC Charlotte / Davidson College and teachers at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. “Cultivating content-knowledge, creativity, leadership skills, and collaboration within Charlott’es public school teachers.” faculty contacts – Dr. Marcus Jones, Dr. Tom Schmedake, and Dr. Michael Walter

“Juice from Juice” Solar Cell Workshops: Using dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells, high school/middle school students and teachers can learn about renewable energy and nanotechnology while building their own solar cell using TiO2 nanoparticles and the juice from blackberries. NSF funded workshops are held in the Department of Chemistry at UNC Charlotte and at several local schools. Web Pages: Blackberry Solar Cells, Arbor Scientific Videos: “Juice from Juice” kit. Next: Public Demo at CTI’s “Exploding Canons – Sustainability in Charlotte and Beyond” open to the publc October 16th: CTI Exploding Canons. NMSU Renewable Energy Camp (2013): Faculty Contact: Dr. Michael G. Walter.

Science Cafe: UNC Charlotte faculty and students support several schools in the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg area as coaches for middle and high school Science Olympiad Teams. Dr. Poler and Ms. Rabinovich coached Piedmont Middle School’s SO team. In 2010, the team’s inaugural year, they came in 3rd place at the Regional Competition held on the UNC Charlotte campus. In 2011 and 2012 the team came in first place at regionals. Each of these years the team went on to state competition held on the NCSU campus. In 2011 the team came in 2nd and in 2012 they earned 1st place in state competition going on to compete at the national Science Olympiad competition.

Jordan Poler, “Nanotech: Smaller, Smarter, Stronger. How new materials and processes transform culture.” Discovery Place, Charlotte NC, February 10th 2011.

Association of Chemistry Graduate Students (ACGS – UNC Charlotte Chapter): Graduate chemistry students involved with community outreach/service while promoting education and research in the chemical sciences. Recent activities: (March of Dimes Food Drive (Spring 2012), Juice from Juice at UNC Charlotte Sci./Tech. Expo, Graduate Student Abstract judging for GPSG Graduate Research Fair)

Nanodays at Discovery Place:

ACS SEED Project: