First annual open house for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Drs. Teprovich and Eller hosted the 2023 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Open House. The event featured 15 hands-on demonstrations to local junior and high school students performed by our chemistry and biochemistry CSUN students. It also included seven large scale chemistry of energy demonstrations including: combustion of hydrogen and oxygen balloons, a thermite reaction, a self-carving melon, electrolysis of water, a hydrogen fuel cell, production of acid rain, gas forming reactions, use of a catalyst to accelerate reactions, and light emission from excited atoms. Visitors also enjoyed some home-made liquid nitrogen ice cream and a raffle for Amazon gift cards.  Overall, over 100 people attended the event including 76 students from 7 local junior high and senior high schools.  We hope to see you all again at next year’s Open House! A special thank you to all our CSUN chemistry and biochemistry students who volunteered and participated in the event: Israel Ayala Manzo, Connor Blair, Jander Cruz, Francis Godfrey Nikita Opel, Floyd Padilla, Christopher Pakhanyan, Casey Swafford, and Christi Thomas.  Your contributions made the event successful!