Join us for our annual holiday demonstration show on December 6th at Boise State University!

When: Friday, December 6, 2024

Time: 6:00-8:30PM

Where: Interactive Learning Center, Room 118 at Boise State University.

This year our annual holiday show will feature Dr. Picklestein, the Institute for Microelectronics Education and Research and the Boise State Chemistry Club. There will be fun demonstrations and hands on activities for all ages!

Free parking the Brady Street Garage - just follow the instructions posted by the payment kiosks on the 1st level.

You are invited to the “Chemistry of Color in Art” event that Don Warner (Chemistry), Dan Scott (chair of Art Department), and I (Lisa Warner, Chemistry) will be holding November 7th from 6-8pm in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 439.

The aim of the workshop is to provide situational and tactile exposure to chemistry and science through the lens of art. This event is intended to bring together members of the community at large, high school art and science teachers, chemists affiliated with the American Chemical Society, and university students, faculty, and staff. Participants will prepare pigments in teams of 4 and use their synthesized pigments to create their own works of art. Volunteers include undergraduate and graduate students from Art, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Biomolecular Science Program. We hope that this format will encourage conversation and shared experiences that can cross disciplines and perceived boundaries, and bring people together in an inclusive and fun environment.

The official event will be held Thursday, November 7th from 6-8 pm. A preview event on Sunday, October 27th from 3-5pm, is also available for attendance.
Please share this information with anyone you think would be interested. And feel free to contact me with any questions.
We really hope you are able to attend!

Here are the two registration links:

October 27: https://aceware.boisestate.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp2?&course=FA19ARTCHEM    

November 7: https://aceware.boisestate.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp2?&course=FA19ARTCHEM2

On the night of October 29, the Chemistry Club at Boise State University will be hosting a Halloween event filled with family fun! There will be demos performed by mad scientists and hands-on activities for the kids. It will run from 4 to 7 pm, and will be on the third floor of the Science Building at BSU. Parking will be provided in the Brady Garage for this event, and costumes are welcome!

• Friday, April 20, 2018
• 5:30 PM 8:30 PM
• JUMP (map)

The Snake River Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) will be hosting a social gathering/dinner at JUMP in the Inspire Room on Friday April 20 at 5:30 PM.

Come enjoy some food and drink, pleasant conversation and a presentation titled “From Aspirin to Zelboraf: Exploring the Past, Present and Future of Drug Discovery” given by Dr. Matthew D. Shortridge from the University of Washington.

Abstract: The history of medicine and pharmacology is intimately interwoven with the development of human civilization.Many of the very first “medicines” were accidently identified largely through a process of trial and error; “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”. In fact, the discovery of the pain reliever Aspirin is an excellent example of this slow, winding and arduous process we call “drug discovery”. The Aspirin story originates around 1500BC but the active molecule was not fully identified or synthesized as a pure drug compound until 1853AD. Luckily, today, the drug discovery effort is much more robust and precise. With new technologies and our deeper understanding of the biological causes of disease; we are able to rapidly develop new and effective anti-cancer therapeutics. One of the fastest drugs ever approved by the FDA was for the new anti-cancer drug Zelboraf; the time from discovery to treating cancer patients was only 5years. This much faster than discovery of Asprin! In this presentation I will briefly discuss the history of drug discovery efforts, highlight some exacting new technologies which have dramatically reduced the time it takes to discover new medicines and take a look to the future.

Charles Atwood from the University of Utah will give a presentation Friday, Oct. 14 at Boise State University in Education Building #112 at 1:30 PM. The title of his presentation is "Improving the Bottom Quartile's Performance: The Key to Higher Success Rates".

Abstract: Six-year graduation rates at the University of Utah (~60%) are among the lowest in the PAC 12 Conference.  The University has decided that our success rates must improve. Unsurprisingly, CHEM 1210 and 1220 (general chemistry) were identified as major areas of concern.  Clearly, one method to improve success rates is to make the course easier.  We decided on a different route, make the course more challenging while improving the success rate.  Over the last five years we made a concerted effort to identify what our problem areas were then to address each of them.  After three years of effort, it became apparent that the bottom quartile of students was the determining factor to our overall success rate.  Until those students improved we were doomed to fail.  In this presentation I will show statistical methods and classroom solutions we have employed to raise our success rate from 62% to 86% in four years.  Importantly, our bottom quartile of students now scores on average 50th percentile or slightly higher on nationally normed ACS exams.