May 21, 2011: Pat Commins was part of a group that represented the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Alumni Day

This is a day when UCLA alumni can visit UCLA and explore our campus.  It is a nice opportunity to reminisce and to get a glimpse of the many interesting activities going on at UCLA.  

Prof. Neil Garg, Evan Styduhar, Noah Nathel and Pat hosted the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry booth and spent the day teaching ongoers about the polymerization of glue using Borax and the sublimation of carbon dioxide.  The participants also tested their chemistry knowledge by playing a “Guess the Element” game. 

The day was a great learning experience for all, and one young boy said, “This is the most fun booth here; I want to become a scientist.” 

July 16, 2010: Cortnie tells a group of high school students how cool it is to be a scientist

A group of high school students enrolled in the summer Science Technology Academy at Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) were treated to a very nice presentation by Cortnie Vogelsberg. One of the objectives of the Science Technology Academy is to develop a pipeline of Hispanic high school students interested in careers related to Science, Tecnology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Cortnie's presentation included brief examples of research associated with the ‘main&rsquo chemistry disciplines, potential careers for Ph.D. chemists, and what it is like to be a graduate student in chemistry at UCLA.

As a result of the presentation, many students realized that chemistry is not only an exiting career that involves creative problem solving, but that chemists are cool, friendly people!