Tom Cech, Nobel laureate and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder, will present the next installment of the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards Series on campus on Saturday, April 24, at 9:30 a.m. in the Chemistry building, room 140.
The free presentation, titled "Chemical Reactions, Forward and Backward," is recommended for children in grades five through nine. Reservations are not required.
Cech will use exciting visual displays to explain the scientific concept of chemical reaction. He will convert hydrogen and oxygen into water and convert water into hydrogen and oxygen to show the explosive consequences of some chemical reactions. He also will explain how chemical equilibrium is related to biochemical reactions that occur inside the human body.
Cech enjoys teaching chemistry to local children through the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards series, and likes to explain things about the world that children encounter in everyday life. "The children get to see and participate in experiments that involve equipment that may not be available in their elementary and secondary schools," Cech said.
Cech was selected last month to become the next president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Md., beginning in January 2000. Cech said that as the next president of the organization, he "hopes to make an impact on the quality of undergraduate science education."
The ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards series is an annual program that provides an informal introduction to astronomy, chemistry and physics. It includes presentations by ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder faculty in several areas of expertise.
Free parking is available in lot 378 east of the stadium and north of Colorado Avenue, lots 396 and 169 north of the stadium and lot 436 east of the Engineering Center. Anyone with a disability or special need should notify the physics department at 303-492-6952 a few days in advance of the show.
Call 303-492-4318 for parking instructions or general information about the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Wizards series.