Chemistry Students to Showcase Experiments that Make Science Fun at National Western Stock Show on Jan. 21

Colorado State University chemistry students will be at the National Western Stock Show on Saturday, Jan. 21, to illustrate how chemistry fits into everyday life.

The students, part of the Chemistry Club in Colorado State’s College of Natural Sciences, will make slime, power a fan with a liquid battery and create a "clock" out of rainbow colors, among other activities.

The Chemistry Club will be at the Colorado State booth at the stock show. The booth is in the southeast corner of the third floor of the Expo Hall at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt St., Denver.

"We want to show people that chemistry is not scary and it’s not hard," said Laura Wally, a senior chemistry major who is seeking her secondary education license to teach high-school chemistry. "Chemistry is essentially everywhere."

The Chemistry Club at Colorado State includes about 50 students, many of them chemistry majors, who participate in outreach programs largely for elementary school-age children and at some universitywide events.

"Most of our activities are hands-on for the kids to do," Wally said.

The club has hosted a haunted house on campus at Halloween, and undergraduate students have created experiments for fourth- and fifth-graders based on the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.  These activities teach science and build enthusiasm and interest in science for kids.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the partnership between Colorado State University and the National Western Stock Show. The university has had an intimate role with the stock show since showing the first grand champion steer in 1906.

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