DECATUR, Ill. (AP) - Emily Talbott has loved science since she was a young girl and wants to pass that passion on to children.
A Millikin University biology major who plans to become an optometrist, Talbott was among a group of student scientists who shared their knowledge through demonstrations of chemical reactions Saturday morning at Mount Zion District Library.
Talbott guided a steady stream of children through the paces of producing “slime” from glue, water, borax and food coloring.
In other words, she was “rearranging the chemical bonds of the glue to create a polymer,” said Talbott, president of Millikin’s student chapter of the American Chemical Society.
The Chemistry Live! event attracted about 30 children to the library.
“I love what they’re doing,” said Kassie Knoll, assistant children’s librarian. “They make it easy for the kids. They interact very well with them. This group has been amazing with the kids.”
Jessica Kerr, a biology major from St. John’s, Fla., was in charge of the station where children learned that sour candies can lose their sourness by rolling in a bit of baking soda.
“We’ve got a neutralizing reaction,” she said.
Kerr, an aspiring veterinarian who normally spends her Saturdays working at animal clinics, said she volunteered to help out with this project because she enjoys working with children.
“I love that we get to work with kids in the community,” Kerr said. “We’re like a takeout service for science.”
Patrick Hahn, who brought two young children to the session, said he appreciated that the students volunteered their time to promote science education.
He noticed that his son, 6-year-old Nate, is already interested in science.
“We hope Nate will be inspired to be a doctor, engineer, something in the sciences,” said Hahn, an engineer.
Hahn said his daughter, 5-year-old Alli, seems more interested in fashion than science.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t expose her to the sciences,” he said. “The more you know about the world around you, the better.”
Talbott said the concept of community events arose from an invitation her group received from the Decatur Public Library during the fall semester.
“They wanted us to do something,” she said. “I came up with experiments to do, that were easy for kids.”
In addition to the slime and sour-killing demonstrations, the students also showed children how to make lava lamps fizzle and clean pennies.
“The biggest seller was the slime,” Talbott said. “It’s like silly putty. The kids take it home. It’s nontoxic, won’t stain. They get to play with it on the way home in the car.”
Talbott, a Champaign native whose father is a chemist, said she became interested in science while attending a science fair in the fifth grade at her school.
“Some people think it’s just sitting in a lab doing research,” she said. “We need to show them we can have fun, too. It’s not boring. This is a cool thing, it’s not weird. I think it’s important to spark interest early, if it’s going to spark.”
Talbott said she would like to bring more presentations to children, and would welcome invitations from schools, as well as other libraries. The students are planning to hold their next event April 25 at the Decatur Public Library.
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Source, The (Decatur) Herald & Review, https://bit.ly/1C9YOhO .
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Information from: Herald & Review, https://www.herald-review.com
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