Previous studies have demonstrated that 8<sup>th</sup> grade is the best stage to start the preparation for a successful college experience. For these students, science courses are more interesting and meaningful when based on personal laboratory experiences. With these experiences, students will better appreciate and understand Chemistry, Biology, and Physics concepts and will gain a broader perspective of real world applications of high school science courses.<br/><br/>In the last fours years, we have organized Chemistry Science Saturday, an event that take place in October to start the celebration of the National Chemistry Week (NCW). Each year, we develop a laboratory activity, for pre-college students, which is related to that year’s NCW theme. The goals of these events are to build awareness of chemistry and to promote the value of chemistry in everyday life by participating in a real laboratory experience. These experiences are great opportunities for students to learn more about chemistry and to interact with undergraduate students that are pursuing a career in chemistry. The interaction with undergraduate students, currently enrolled in chemistry courses, has also helped them to understand firsthand the importance of their pre-college preparation in math and science. We strongly believe that these types of events will encourage more young students to pursue undergraduate studies and careers in the STEM fields. In this presentation, we will show some of the Science Saturday activities that we have organized, students laboratory experiences, and how we have overcome some of the challenges in the organization of these activities.

Chemistry Science Saturday: Engaging pre-college students through a real laboratory experience

251st National Meeting (2016)

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