Chemistry on the Road is a classroom visitation program. The presentations are designed to be age appropriate. For early elementary, the program focuses on states of matter and emphasizes naming the states, describing their properties and illustrating the transitions between states. For upper elementary and middle school the general topic of states of matter is the same, but the property of density is emphasized and a chemical test for carbon dioxide is introduced. For high school, the topic is chemical energy transformations. Four paired demonstrations are performed showing chemical energy converted to light energy, electrical energy, mechanical energy and heat energy and vice versa. The presenter will discuss designing a custom presentation for teachers who have specific needs and is happy to make arrangements for a visit.
The optimum maximum group size is about 60 students; i. e. two combined classes or three classes if they are small classes. The presenter will work with whatever venue required, but the presentation does not adapt well to large groups in an auditorium. The presenter can often repeat the presentation multiple times during a day, but the groups must move to the presentation rather than have the presentation move to the group. The optimum duration is about 1 hour for younger students but about 1 1/2 hours for upper elementary and older students. Parents are welcome and often add to the presentation. Students will find the presentations entertaining and motivational, but parents and teachers will carry away an understanding of topics beyond what the student will get. Hopefully parents and teacher can reinforce what is said after the presentation.
There is no charge for any of the presentations, but donations to the Chemistry Department at NC State University help offset some of the costs.