Chemical scientists are increasingly concerned with public perception of chemistry and its role in decision-making. The impact of investments in education may be weakened in a constituency that does not appreciate scientific methods. The Annual Carnival of Chemistry has provided a visible vector for chemical science appreciation in our community for 20 years. Held at the University of Kansas’s Chemistry Department building, the Carnival of Chemistry features over two dozen parallel, interactive family learning activities. Qualitative feedback from local youth leaders indicates that this outreach program engenders interest in chemistry, enhancing parent/child, child/teacher, and child/child scientific discussions. Results from a newly implemented quantitative assessment of the Carnival of Chemistry’s impact will be presented. The potential for family learning events in promoting appreciation for chemistry’s conceptual/physical tools and accompanying quality of life contributions will be discussed.

Carnival of chemistry: A public celebration at the University of Kansas

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.