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Chemistry Club to host ‘Star Wars’ theme demo night

March 14, 2017

On March 31 – at a University not so far away… Chem Wars!

NIU’s Chemistry Club invites the public to its annual Spring Chemistry Demo Night on Friday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m. in Cole Hall room 100.

This year, the Chemistry Club will put on Chem Wars, a show which will feature a number of thrilling experiments that could have been used by the big film studios in Hollywood to create the special effects in the science fiction franchises we all love and cherish.

“We certainly hope that the Star Wars theme draws lots of people to come to the show. However, I am confident that when they leave they will not only better understand the chemical concepts behind these experiments but also appreciate the love of chemistry that all volunteers participating in the show share,” Chemistry Club President Marina Galluzzo says.

Faculty members helping with this year’s demo include Tim Hagen, Lee Sunderlin, Chong Zheng, Tim Perkins and the Chemistry Club’s faculty advisor, Oliver Hofstetter.

“The annual Chem Demo really is the highlight of the year when it comes to presenting ourselves and reaching out to the community. It is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate that science is fun and that scientists are just people like you and me,” Hofstetter explains.

While the night will include some crowd favorites from previous years, such as the liquid nitrogen bomb and ping-pong madness, the Chem Club will also serve freshly prepared ice cream at the end of the performance.

The force will be strong with this one. Just ask Chemistry Club Demo co-coordinator, Devon Boland. “After having participated in several chemistry demos over the last couple of years, I can assure you that this year’s show will be one for the ages: We have Star Wars, rivalries and — most importantly — lightsabers! This is an event you don’t want to miss! I bet that all ages will leave laughing, cheering and being excited. So, make sure you come, feel free to put on your favorite costume — be it from Star Wars, Star Trek or whatever. Join us for one spectacular show!”

Expect bright flashes of light and intermittent periods of low light and/or darkness during the event. 

Free parking will be available in the NIU Parking Deck starting at 5 p.m., except for reserved and handicapped spaces.

For more information about the Chemistry Demo, please, contact Marina Galluzzo at mgalluzzo@niu.edu.

For more information about the Chemistry Club, contact Dr. Hofstetter at ohofst@niu.edu.