Cal ACS Celebrates Earth Day At The John Muir National Historic Site – April 20, 2024

Cal ACS returned to the John Muir National Historical Site in Martinez, CA for another community celebration of John Muir’s Birthday (April 22nd, known as Earth Day since 1970). The John Muir Association hosted close to 100 civic and professional organizations, providing booths as well as live music and dance performances in honor of the occasion. Cal ACS has participated for almost 20 years, bringing hands-on science and the message that “Chemistry is Fun!” to thousands of visitors. This year was no different, as chemists of all ages had the chance to build their own batteries, learning about Alessandro Volta’s 1799 invention that revolutionized chemistry and the world. The theme for this year’s Earth Week celebration was “Get a Charge out of Chemistry,” and free copies of Celebrating Chemistry included instructions for several hands on activities that our visitors could try out at home. Another way to connect zinc and copper electrodes (in the form of flat metal plates) is for someone to put one hand on each plate; disinfecting gel improves the contact, and the electric current is easily detected by a microampmeter connected to the plates!

Veteran Cal ACS volunteers Michael Cheng and Margareta Séquin organized several additional activities: UV-color-changing beads were as popular as ever, solar photovoltaic panels powered the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, and visitors learned about the composition of essential plant oils, first by identifying the aromas of some common plant extracts  and then by building molecular models of some typical components..

Earth Week Coordinator Sushila Kanodia wants to thank our entire volunteer team; in addition to Michael and Greti, we were ably assisted by Mariana Alves, Lucinda Jackson, Aparna Muhkerjee, Linda Wraxall, and a wonderful group of UC Berkeley students from the Sigma Chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma, led by Madison Waite (Go Bears!).

Lucinda Jackson assists young sicentists with UV-detecting beads.
UC Berkeley student volunteers from Alpha Chi SIgma
UC Berkeley student volunteers from Alpha Chi SIgma
Aparna Muhkerjee demonstrates red cabbage acid-base indicator
UC Berkeley student volunteers from Alpha Chi SIgma
UC Berkeley student volunteers from Alpha Chi SIgma
Women Chemists
Scent compounds from plants
UC Berkeley student volunteers from Alpha Chi SIgma
John Muir and Michael Cheng build a battery.
Learning to build Alessandro Volta’s battery.
UC Berkeley student volunteers from Alpha Chi SIgma
Human conductors – zinc and copper electrodes
Human conductors – zinc and copper electrodes