03/2018

The Biocom Institute Festival of Science and Engineering kicked off with its largest event on EXPO Day (March 3, 2018) at PETCO Park. The Festival brought in businesses, corporations, and organizations which provided interactive, hands-on science, technology, engineering and math exhibits and activities to K-12 enthusiasts. This year the festival brought in more than 22,000 attendees. There were four National Science Foundation Centers for Chemical Innovation at the science festivals including the Center Directors of Education, Outreach, and Diversity; Center for Chemistryat the Space-Time Limit (Danielle Watt), CCI Solar (Michelle DeBoever), Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry ofthe Environment (Olivia Ryder) and the Center for Selective C-H Functionalization (Lloyd Munjanja) at the festival.

One of our main goals is to effectively communicate the research results and potential impact of our work to the general public. Our primary objective with science communication efforts is to promote mutual learning experiences for both our Center scientists and the public. In that respect, theBiocom Institute Festival of Science and Engineering creates an avenue for the Center sites in the California areaand beyondto engage the public and share their C-H Functionalization research. Lloyd Munjanja, the CCHF Director of Education, Outreach, and Diversity coordinated with 3 Center research groups(Houk, Yu and Blackmond Research group) from the Scripps Research Institute and University of California Los Angeles(UCLA). The Center graduate students from these three research groups were creative in making chemistry accessible to a broader group. David Hill, The Chirality Demo guru from Donna Blackmond Lab, wooed the adult festival goers, with his well thought imaginative method of making chirality concepts understandable to non-scientists. The Chirality demo explores concepts of mirror images and their significance in chemical synthesis, especially pharmaceutical drug development. High school science teachers appreciated learning how to teach chirality in the high school classes. Other fan favorite demos on the CCHF table, included the “Marshmallows Molecules," “Color Chromatography," and the “Synthesis Maze demos." Synthesis Maze was a hit with the young festival goers who competed to complete the maze in the least number of steps possible. The SynthesisMaze teaches the sustainability of C-H functionalization chemistry. The participants learn that C-H functionalization chemistry reduces the synthesis steps of materials and in the process create minimal waste to the environment.

Author: Lloyd Munjanja