Community Outreach

...a committment to students, teachers, and the community   

Student groups can visit the Chemistry Department for hands on chemistry activites, demonstrations, or activites associated with the Science Alliance program where students spend most of the day visiting the RU Planetarium, Geology Museum, and Greenhouse and also participated in Chemistry and Physics demonstration activites. In Chemistry, we have recently have expanded our efforts to included workshops for high school students on chemistry's role in sustainability.

The Magic of Chemistry "road show" started in 2003 and almost 150 invited presentations have been given for area schools and community organizations.

The student affiliate group of the American Chemical Society at RU (better known as the ChemClub!) recently started a new outreach program at the Radford Public Library to provide hands-on Chemistry activites for K-12 students in the community. The workshops are held the second Thursday of each month and each have a unique theme allowing children to experience the excitment of the chemistry around us.

The Department of Chemistry and the Artis College of Science and Technology host the annual Blue Ridge Highlands Regional Science Fair.  Each year, 6th to 12th grade students in the surrounding sixteen counties of Virginia compete to win monetary awards, trophies and ribbons.  Finalists in the senior division compete in the International Science and Engineering fair.