Local Girls Bond with Chemistry at UIUC Day Camp

(University of Illinois, Urbana, IL) — On Saturday, July 19th from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, 60 local middle school girls (grades 6th-8th) representing more than nine area schools will meet at the University of Illinois Chemistry Department for a free day of fun, hands-on chemistry. Event volunteers include University of Illinois graduate students, staff, and faculty.

The event is focused on science careers, giving the girls real-world science experience in such areas as forensic science and food chemistry. Participants will perform individual experiments in a laboratory, observe some exciting demonstrations, and collaborate on several group science experiments. The participants will be able to learn new science techniques under the mentorship of female science professionals.

The day camp is being put on by the East Central Illinois Women Chemists Committee and sponsored in part by a grant from the American Chemical Society with support from the UIUC Department of Chemistry. The opportunity to learn about a variety of science-related careers may help inspire a new generation of American scientists.