Robert M. Hammond, Ph.D.

Department of Chemistry

East Carolina University

413 Science and Technology Bldg.

Greenville, NC 27858-4353

office: 252.328.9728

fax:     252.328.6210

hammondr@ecu.edu

http://www.ecu.edu/learnchem/hammond

January 9, 2009

 

Dear Educator:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Eastern North Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society and the Chemistry Department of East Carolina University.  I wish to announce two upcoming events and to encourage your school’s participation:  The 2009 CHEMATHON and the 2009 UNITED STATES NATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD (USNCO), both of which will be held in the Science and Technology building at East Carolina University.  The primary goals of these programs are to stimulate interest and achievement in chemistry among high school students throughout the Eastern North Carolina Region, and to provide recognition of outstanding young chemistry students, teachers, and schools.

The Chemathon will be held TUESDAY, March 24, 2009, in the Science and Technology Building.  Selected students who participate in the Chemathon will be invited to take the national exam for the 2008 United States National Chemistry Olympiad, which will be given on Saturday, April 25, 2009.

The Chemathon will consist of an individual USNCO examination in the morning followed by a quiz bowl (teams of four students) in the afternoon.  But that’s not all.  The day will also include chemical demonstrations, a tour of our building, certificates, awards, and more!  There are also two PRE-EVENT competitions this year, a crystal growing competition and a poster competition.  (More about that below.)

The 2009 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad is a national chemistry competition for high school students sponsored by the American Chemical Society and its local sections.  This year 20 students nation wide will be selected from those taking the national exam to attend a study camp at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, June 7-21, 2009.  A team will be selected from among those 20 students to represent the U.S. at the 41st International Chemistry Olympiad competition in Cambridge, England, July 18-27, 2009. Additional information is available at the American Chemical Society (ACS) website:  www.acs.org under the menu choice “education”, then under the category “students” and the menu choice “Chemistry Olympiad”.

Each school is invited to send one or two teams (additional teams could be allowed if space is available) of students to the Chemathon.  Each team should include four team members and can include one alternate.  Registration is required since space is limited.  Each team (or each school) that attends is also invited to prepare a poster and grow a crystal prior to attending Chemathon and to enter these in our pre-event competitions.  The poster competition this year is “Chemistry and Forensics”.  The crystal growing involves growing an alum crystal.  Information on both of these competitions and additional information about the Chemathon and USNCO are available on our web page.  This information can also be mailed upon request.  The Chemathon web page is http://www.ecu.edu/learnchem/hammond/index-chemathon.html.

We would like to emphasize that there is no fee charged to your students or to your school for participation in these non-profit events.  All students who participate will be recognized and presented with a certificate; some students receive awards for outstanding performance in certain categories.  We hope this recognition will serve to stimulate interest in chemistry and to promote a positive attitude toward chemistry.

Since space is limited we encourage all interested schools to register as early as possible.  The registration can be by email or by return mail.  If email, send to hammondr@ecu.edu, with “CHEMATHON” in the subject line. If by return mail, please use the address given at the top of the page.  In your registration be sure to indicate the name of the school, the name, address, and email address of the sponsor/contact person, and the number of teams you expect to send.  The names of participating students will not be needed with the registration information.  Those names will not be required until early in March.  If you send in a registration and do not receive confirmation of your reservation from me within three days, please contact me to confirm receipt of your registration.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to e-mail or call me.  Thank you for helping us to promote chemical education in our state.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Hammond

Chemathon Coordinator

If accommodations will be required for persons with dissabilities under the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) this should be indicate as a part of your registration. If the need develops after registration please provide notification as soon as possible, and in any case well before the event. 


 

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