An Erlenmeyer flask, molecular model, and jack-o-lantern on the NOVA Manassas Chemistry Week display table in Colgan Hall.

NOVA’s Manassas campus celebrated National Chemistry Week with a student-friendly display in Colgan Hall from Oct. 19 through Oct. 23. Colorful-molecular models and an Erlenmeyer flask with a lime-green solution sat underneath posters about the use of chemistry in detecting counterfeit bills and preventing sunburns. At the edge of the table, a small glass display showed differences in atomic size and ionic size for several elements. Other displays showed differences in color in various lead compounds and the molecular makeup of a variety of crystals.
Students celebrated Halloween along with Chemistry Week by taking a Tootsie Roll from the plastic jack-o-lantern on the table. Then they could select a beginner-level quiz from a folder on the table and submit it for a chance at a prize.

Pamela Kraemer, a science instructor at the Manassas campus, emphasized the importance of chemistry to a number of career fields, including nursing, respiratory therapy, veterinary science and pharmaceuticals.

Kraemer said her own interest in science was nearly life-long.

“Ever since I was 5 years old, [I knew] my Dad wanted someone in the family to go into science,” she said. “He always had [science] books
around.”

Kraemer also credited her teachers for giving her encouragement in the field she chose.

For more information on Chemistry Week, Kraemer recommended visiting the American Chemical Society online at www.acs.org. The web site has sections listing career and volunteer opportunities in the field, along with articles on emerging science. Although the NOVA Manassas celebration of Chemistry Week was friendly for beginners, this web site might be one place beginners can go to become more advanced.

By: Christine Boyce

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