'Wizards @ Western' lecture series continues May 11 with 'Metal Mayhem'

Western Washington University’s College of Sciences and Technology will continue its Wizards @ Western youth lecture series with “Metal Mayhem” at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11 in Science and Math Lecture Hall 150 on WWU’s campus.

The event is free and open to the public, and is geared toward children in grades 4-8.

Exciting chemical reactions involving metals will be explored in this Wizards @ Western hosted by Western Washington University Associate Professor of Chemistry John Gilbertson. Gilbertson will perform hydrogen balloon flame tests, illustrate the absorption properties of coordination compounds, and explore the redox properties of metals. The audience will see explosions and dramatic color changes, and will learn about the underlying chemistry of these reactions.

Gilbertson is a professor of Inorganic Chemistry and is a member of Western’s Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center. He directs an active student research group that focuses on the conversion of carbon dioxide into useful chemical feedstocks and fuels utilizing inorganic coordination compounds.

For more information on the Wizards @ Western youth lecture series, contact Jennifer Mott, program coordinator of Western’s College of Sciences and Technology, at (360) 650-2454 or Jennifer.Mott@wwu.edu.