Community Outreach: Sharing Chemistry with the Community

Dr. Kenneth Lyle has developed a program of community chemistry education that fires the scientific imagination in students of all ages. His educational demonstrations and hands-on activities are visually exciting and informative, explaining complex chemical concepts in terms anyone can grasp, from an excited primary watching the Elephant Toothpaste demo create fantastic shapes out of seemingly nothing to students at Meredith College cheering as they light hydrogen bubbles on fire. Dr. Lyle's program has become increasingly popular over the last 8 years, resulting in requests from numerous schools ranging from elementary to tertiary institution, as well as public venues including the NC Museum of Life & Science. Chemistry 180 Outreach Service Learning Course, created in 2008, is designed to prepare students to share their interest and enthusiasm for doing chemistry with Duke’s neighboring communities.

The Department of Service Learning, overseen by Dr. David Malone, has been an ardent supporter of CHM 180 since the idea for the course first came into being in 2007.  Funds provided by the Department of Service Learning have been used in support of the initial startup of the course, to purchase consumable materials used in preparing Duke students for presenting at Duke Chemistry Outreach events, and support to attend conferences to present CHM 180 and the chemistry outreach program.  For the past three years, the Department of Service Learning has provided a Service Learning Graduate Assistant to assist with the course records and evaluation of student reflections.  These SLGAs have proven to be invaluable. Our gratitude is extended to David Malone and his staff.  We look forward to our continued collaboration enabling us to share our interest and enthusiasm for doing chemistry with the community.  

Contributors for academic year 2013-2014:

Biogen has contributed $1500 through the Duke-Durham Partnership to the outreach program.

Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership has contributed $500.

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences donated $5000 per academic year, for 3 years, starting Fall 2012 semester

Thank you all for your generous support.

Demo Photos

Elephant Toothpaste              Carbon dioxide bubbles    Dr. Lyle is a colorful character

For more exciting demonstrations, click here!

Outreach Events for Academic Year 2013-2014:

Saturday, September 21 – “Bubble-Blitz”

Tuesday, September 24 – “9th Annual Science under the Stars”

  • Lower level hallway of French Family Science Center and outside on lawn between FFSC and the greenhouses
  • 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    • 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM hands-on interactive stations
    • 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM chemistry demonstration show outside weather permitting (stations will run until 8:00 if weather does not cooperate)

Friday, September 27 – “Polymers”

  • Endeavor Charter School, 9400 Forum Dr., Raleigh, NC
  • 12:15 PM – 2:50 PM
    • Three 45-minute sessions with 10 minute break in between
      • 12:15 PM– 1:00 PM
      • 1:10 PM – 1:55 PM
      • 2:05 PM – 2:50 PM

Saturday, October 12 – “National Chemistry Week Energy: Now and Tomorrow”

Saturday, October 19 – “Evidence of Chemical Change”

  • French Family Science Center, Duke West Campus, Room 1238
  • 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
    • Two 2 hour demos
      • 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
      • 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Friday, October 25 – “States of Matter”

  • Mangum Elementary School, Bahama, NC
  • 12:30 PM– 2:25 PM
    • Three 35-minute presentations
      • 12:30 PM – 1:05 PM
      • 1:10 PM – 1:45 PM
      • 1:50 PM – 2:25 PM

Friday, November 15 – “Wonders of Chemistry”

  • Kinston High School, Kinston, NC
  • 1:15 PM– 2:40 PM
  • Advanced chemistry demonstration presentation

Tuesday, December 3 – “Holly Ridge Family Science Fair Night”

Ongoing Outreach Programs

Hillandale Elemantary After School Science Club, Durham,NC
3:30-5pm every Monday
This program brings chemistry demonstrations and hands-on activities to a group of 20 upper-elementary aged children on a weekly basis. Each week the activities emphasize a particular chemical concept. In the past topics have included density, combustion, pressure, acid-base theory, and polymers.

NC Museum of Life & Science, Durham, NC
Saturdays at the Museum, 1:30-3:30pm
This program involves the staging of chemistry demonstrations and hands-on activities for elementary aged children and their parents int he science lab of the museum,. Density, combustion, pulymets, acid-base chemistry, and CSI have served as themes for previous presentations.