Ballou High School event to kick off National Chemistry Week

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2010 -- The Ballou Senior High School in southeast Washington, D.C., will host a day-long event of hands-on chemistry activities for 350 students as part of this year's National Chemistry Week (NCW) celebration. NCW runs from Oct. 17-23, and this year's theme, "Behind the Scenes with Chemistry," will help students learn how chemistry is used to make special effects in movies and television shows. In one activity, students will use household chemicals to make four different types of snow like that used in movies. The Ballou High School event is sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Details include:

What: National Chemistry Week kick-off includes day-long, hands-on chemistry activities for 350 Ballou High School students with local chemists. It also prepares students for a year-long celebration of 201, the International Year of Chemistry. For more on the IYC, please visit http://www.chemistry2011.org/.

Where: Ballou Senior High School, 3401 4th St, SE, Washington, DC

When: Friday, Oct. 15, from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Who: Ballou students, teachers and administrators. ACS representatives and local chemists

Each year, National Chemistry Week reaches millions of people and celebrates the many contributions of chemistry to everyday life. For more information and activities on the chemistry behind special effects, visit www.acs.org/ncw.

Provided by American Chemical Society