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NJIT Hosts 16th Annual Chemistry
Olympics
NEWARK, April 24- The Department of Chemical Engineering,
Chemistry and Environmental Science in Newark College of Engineering
(NCE) at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) proudly sponsors
once again the 16th annual Chemistry Olympics, May 2, 9 a.m.-noon,
at NJIT, says Reginald Tomkins, Ph.D., professor of chemistry.
Events include a laboratory experiment with chemical reactions that
change color; an environmental analysis; a demonstration of electrolysis
principles; and creation of a web page explaining the greenhouse effects.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: To cover this event, contact NJIT public relations
department.)
NCE professors started the Olympics to make learning chemistry more
fun for New Jersey high school students, says NJIT Chemistry Professor
James M. Grow, a founder. "It's rewarding to impart knowledge
to the next generation and see the students' positive reactions,"
says Grow.
This year more than 400 students from 24 New Jersey high schools will
participate in 10 different events. The students must complete six
of the ten events to compete. Corporate New Jersey donors and the
North Jersey local section of the American Chemical Society fund the
program. The Chemistry Olympics is the only event of its kind held
in New Jersey that focuses only on chemistry, although groups in other
states sponsor similar competitions, says Grow.
To create the event, chemistry and chemical engineering professors
at NJIT and chemistry high school teachers throughout New Jersey donate
their time. Preparation begins the previous September. This year,
steering committee members include Reginald Tomkins, chemistry professor,
NJIT, Borislow Bilash, II, a chemistry teacher at James Caldwell High
School, Caldwell; George Gross, a retired Union High School chemistry
teacher; Ann Marie Reardon, chemistry teacher, Dwight Englewood High
School, Englewood. The day of the event more than 30 New Jersey industry
leaders, high school teachers and professors donate their time to
judge the ten events.
Other events include a demonstration of atomic theory; a test of chemical
names;
answering five questions about chemistry using Internet sources; an
organic chemistry laboratory; a choice of performing five laboratory
experiments; another laboratory experiment to determine the concentration
of a colored solution; the qualitative analysis of ions using micro-laboratory
techniques; and a research paper.
First, second and third place teams for each of the ten events, plus
first, second and third place overall winners for the entire program
will receive engraved plaques. A luncheon and awards presentation
follows completion of the program.
Corporate program sponsors include: The American Chemical Society-North
Jersey Section, the Teachers Affiliates; C.R. Bard Foundation; Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company; The Dow Chemical Foundation; Engelhard Corporation;
Infineum U.S.A.; L'Oreal U.S.A.; National Starch & Chemical Company;
and NJIT. More sponsors include: The North Jersey Section of the American
Chemical Society; Schering Plough Corporation; Sun Chemical Corporation;
Tosco Refining Company; Uniqema. Participating publishers include
Academic Press; Addison-Wesley Longman; H. Harcourt, Inc; Houghton-Mifflin
Company; Holt, Rinehart & Winston; Prentice Hall, Inc.; Saunders
College Publishing; WCB McGraw-Hill.
NJIT is a public research
university enrolling over 8,200 bachelor's, master's and doctoral
students in 80 degree programs through its five colleges: Newark College
of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science
and Liberal Arts, the School of Management and the Albert Dorman Honors
College. Research initiatives include manufacturing, microelectronics,
multimedia, transportation, computer science, solar astrophysics,
environmental engineering and science, and architecture and building
science. According to Yahoo! Internet Life magazine rankings, NJIT
has been America's most wired public university for three consecutive
years.
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