NIU Chemistry Club hosts reactive presentation

DeKALB Nicholas Brand was front and center for the Chem Demo on Friday night at Northern Illinois University.

I love science, the Huntley Middle School sixth-grader said. I love how stuff reacts. Just the way science is. Its so cool.

Brand got to see plenty of reactions Friday exothermic, endothermic, reduction and oxidation reactions and supersaturated solutions. The NIU Chemistry Club performed several reactions for about 300 people in Faraday Hall.

Biochemistry freshman Devon Boland, the event coordinator and co-emcee, said he was overwhelmed by the attendance of the event, which is run entirely by the Chemistry Club.

It was such a joy working with everyone here, Boland said. I couldnt have asked for a better team.

All 230 seats were taken, and there was standing room only at the top of the stairs. A line stretched out of the classroom door with people waiting to get inside.

This was the best-attended Demo in at least 20 years, according to Lee Sunderlin, associate professor of chemistry at NIU. That was because of STEM outreach, which gave the event more publicity.

It used to be mostly students in classes [attending], now theyre actually getting announcements more to the community and bring more people in. Sunderlin said.

The event was a back-and-forth between two different teams made of Chemistry Club members, Team Hot and Team Cool. They took turns performing different reactions such as turning a fire into a series of rainbow colors, creating light with different materials, or setting money on fire without it burning. They were awarded points based on audience applause.

Boland represented Team Cool, while fellow freshman biochemistry major Marina Galluzzo represented Team Hot. She said the event was fabulous.

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NIU Chemistry Club hosts reactive presentation