ACS Makes a Boom on Campus

Chemistry demos are not only a thing of freshman year General Chemistry. The student chapter of the American Chemical Society mixes, burns, explodes, and displays chemistry for anyone to enjoy and learn about. On Tuesday, February 4, ACS treated Mines students to a BBQ dinner and chemistry demo to attract students who want to know what ACS does on campus.

“The purpose of ACS here on campus is to bring chemistry and science to as many people as we can and really just get people interested in looking at the world in a scientific perspective,” said Trevor Stanley, who is a senior in Chemistry. “I would say my favorite thing about being a part of ACS is all of the interesting things I’ve learned about. There are so many eclectic topics that I just never would have considered before. It’s a lot of fun. You get to learn a lot, you get to blow things up…”. Dr. Mark Seger, the faculty advisor of ACS cut in, “I can confirm…some of these things he knows more about than I do.”

ACS is one of the smaller clubs on campus, and though its members are passionate, they will not be around forever. All of the officers are graduating this May. “We are looking for younger members to take over next semester,” said Carly Paige, the ACS secretary. This opportunity is not only open to Chemistry majors, but to anyone with a deep passion of chemistry. The openings in leadership positions for the upcoming year present opportunities for members to really make the club their own.

That is not to say that ACS has not fared well under the current leadership, but rather it has thrived. ACS is not only a society that meets for the benefit of its members, but also seeks to serve the campus and community. Said Stanley, “We have done some volunteer work at a local elementary school judging their science fair. It is a lot of fun and it is really great to involve the younger generation. On campus, we also offer free tutoring for the underclassmen, for the intro level chemistry courses. We really try to help out the students and bring the knowledge base that we have gained and try to distribute that out to everyone because we believe that everyone should understand chemistry, because it is a subject that a lot of people have trouble with and struggle with. And because it is something we love, we want to kind of package it in a way that says it is not a scary subject, this is not something that you should be like, ‘Aw, man, I have to do chemistry.’ It should be something that is fun and relevant to your life.”

Those holding an interest in chemistry or wanting to explore more about the subject should check out CSM ACS. Their next event will be Tuesday, February 18, as ACS will host Dr. Paul Ogg’s talk about fermentation in Coolbaugh 219. ACS will likely have more demos this semester, hopefully with more delicious ice cream made from liquid nitrogen. The club encourages students to get in touch with the officers if they are interested in becoming a key part of ACS in the future.