By Kaitlyn Kohlenberg, Chinook Observer
Oregon State chemistry department throws a Chemistry is Awesome party Wednesday.
Oregon State University. (Photo by Oregon State University/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
Free food, good music, prizes, activities, explosions and a dunk tank all played a role in helping the Oregon State University chemistry department relax and take a step back from stressful labs and exams.
In a first for the department, the department of chemistry hosted a Chemistry Is Awesome, or CIA, party Wednesday, in the courtyard at Gilbert Hall.
The idea came from Department Chair Rich Carter, who worked with Luanne Johnson, the media and event coordinator for the chemistry department, to make his idea a reality.
“Most people’s first impression of chemistry is that it’s really hard and really boring,” Johnson said. “Their impression of chemists is even worse than that and we wanted to change that impression. So we thought, what better way than to throw a giant party?”
The department worked for a little more than a month to pull together as many sponsors and activities as it could. The hope was to create a mellow, fun environment for students, staff, faculty and administrators to interact on a more casual basis.
“They’ll get a chance to hopefully wander around and talk to some of the faculty in a more relaxed environment, so it’s no longer the teacher-student environment,” Johnson said.
Students enjoyed the opportunity to snatch up some free food and show off some of their favorite chemical reactions at the activity tables throughout the courtyard.
“It’s really fun right now and it’s exciting,” said Dang Nguyen, a third-year chemistry student.
Read the full article by Kaitlyn Kohlenberg from Chinook Observer.
