'Wizards at Western' Lecture Series Continues Oct. 29 with 'Fire and Ice'

Contact: Jennifer Mott, program coordinator, WWU College of Sciences and Technology, (360) 650-2454; Jennifer.Mott@wwu.edu

BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University’s College of Sciences and Technology will continue its Wizards @ Western youth lecture series with “Fire & Ice” at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Science Lecture Hall 110 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 fire, ice, and water will be explored in this Wizards @ Western hosted by Western Washington University Associate Professor of Chemistry Steven Emory.  Wizard Emory will ignite hydrogen bubbles, illustrate internal combustion using a “whoosh” bottle, and explore the acid-base properties of water.  The audience will see explosions and dramatic color changes, and will learn about the underlying chemistry of these reactions.

Emory is a member of Western's Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) and co-advisor to Western’s award-winning student chapter of the American Chemical Society.  He directs an active student research group that focuses on the characterization and use of novel metal and semiconductor nanomaterials in the development of laser-based optical methods of detection and identification.

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.