Chemistry Club
By ADRIAN CHAN, ALLEGRA LAI, and AARAYAN PATEL
On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Room 214 in the Phelps Science Center hums with anticipation as budding and seasoned chemists gathered for a golden spectacle. Amid bubbling beakers and the faint scent of chemicals, the students watch as lead iodide dissolves into a dense, swirling amber cloud. Moments later, when the solution is heated, shimmering golden droplets appear—tiny flecks of “golden rain” that float, suspended in the flask.
Over the past few years, the Chemistry Club has become an energizing environment. The club has weekly meetings on Saturdays, where they do a range of activities: experiments in the lab, lessons on unique chemistry topics, U.S National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) preparation, guest lectures, and more. This year, the Chemistry Club’s main goal is to restructure how the club is held and the activities it does to ensure all students, with varying experience and knowledge, can be included.
One way the club heads and advisors are looking to make the club more inclusive is by splitting the members of the club into two sections, based on prior knowledge. The club leaders have attributed the loss of some club members to the fact that the content of the club is too advanced for some to grasp, and they have set out a new structure to combat this problem.
Club advisor Caitlyn Sarno explained, “ One co-head is going to try to make it accessible to students who have had or are currently in CHE300 or below. And then we have a few co-heads who have had either the CHE400 experience or the CHE500 who can go a little more in-depth with it for students who are advanced.”
The club normally schedules at least two experiments per month. These experiments are just one smaller activity the club will be changing to the format of to achieve their goal. Sarno continued, “We can provide a procedure that’s a little more detailed and a little more in depth for students who are new, and a procedure that leaves a challenge for students who already have some experience.”
“This year, we have set out to open the club up to a much wider scope of membership. Not only is no knowledge required, we specifically cater to all levels of scientific understanding,” senior Anders Toresjo explained. “We want this to be a learning experience for everyone, and for no one to feel like they don’t belong due to not understanding--- not knowing something is just a temporary state until someone teaches you. Our more intermediate and advanced members are not forgotten, however; we actively work towards incorporating concepts that directly connect to their current courses,” he continued.
Many Exonains find Chemistry Clubs to be a great place to deepen their knowledge and prepare for USNCO. The test covers many different fields of chemistry, from general chemistry to more advanced sections like organic chemistry and thermodynamics. Although Exeter provides many electives on these more advanced topics, many Exonians will struggle to take all of these electives at the right time, with all of their other course requirements. Sarno reiterated the challenge Exonians taking CHE500 may face: “You may not experience [advanced topics] until the very end of the year. But the first round for the chemistry Olympiad last year was in January, which is really early. So trying to help get a headstart on some of those more difficult topics earlier is the goal.” Due to this struggle, these topics will be covered by the “advanced” group.
Furthermore, co-head and upper Jonny Civitarese has encouraged even those who don’t plan on pursuing science to take a shot at the club. “It was really fun last week and a couple of weeks ago. We made ice cream and we learned about freezing point depression and even if you’re not learning about science, there’s always going to be a fun aspect with it. There’s always something for everyone no matter how much chemistry you know and it’s overall a really good time.”
The co-heads also shared some fond memories from their experiences in the Chem club. “Last year, we did an experiment I really enjoyed called the iodine clock. It was a kinetics-based lab where we each ran an experiment. You could see how concentration affected the reaction and the speed of the reaction and I thought that was really cool,” Civitarese said.
“My favorite part of being a co-head is writing humorous emails. As not everyone on the mailing list can make it to each meeting, I try to make sure everyone is somehow involved. Sandwiched between awful chemistry puns, and Shakespearian jabs at biology, I like to include bits of knowledge and history: whether that be the origins of our glorious Mole day, to info on Nobel Prize recipients,” Toresjo added.
Even if you don’t carry any Chemistry knowledge, the co-heads will ensure that you will have a memorable time at Chemistry Club, especially with this week’s Halloween-themed experiments. Sarno concluded, “I think we have some really great co-heads this year who have shared visions and goals and I think we’re working together to make it an inclusive environment for students of all backgrounds, so I’m hoping that the club will grow.”