As part of the Chemists Celebrate Earth Day activities, the American Chemical Society is sponsoring an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12 grades. Students are asked to write and illustrate a poem using the Chemists Celebrate Earth Week 2018 theme, “Dive into Marine Chemistry.” This year’s theme looks at the impact of chemistry on the oceans. Life on our planet began in the oceans, and today the oceans are full of tiny organisms that, together, weigh more than everything that lives on land! The oceans also absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen in a cycle that is essential for all life on earth. Marine chemists study the oceans to understand these cycles. They also find food and useful chemicals in the oceans, in everything from fish to seaweed. Unfortunately, these chemists also find waste products from our daily lives. Plastic bags and nets injure birds, fish, and marine mammals. Tiny plastic particles fill the water thousands of miles from land. These particles harm marine life, not only because they are dangerous if swallowed, but also because they attract oily chemicals that are poisonous to birds and fish. Chemicals that escape from factories and even our homes flow into the ocean. The illustrated poems should relate to how chemistry can impact the oceans. Detailed rules and guidelines are available on the Chemists Celebrate Earth Day website; www.acs.org/ccew. All Entries must provide the information that the ACS request via the entry form which is available via the ACS or CSW websites. The entry from is available from the CSW website (input link here). Teachers at schools in the Chemical Society of Washington area are encouraged to have a contest at their school and then submit the winning entries from the school to:
Chemist Celebrate Earth Week Coordinator
Chemical Society of Washington
1155 16th Street, NW, Stop O-218
Washington, DC 20036
Electronic submissions should be sent to: [email protected]
All entries must be received by Monday, April 23, 2018 so winners at the local section level can be submitted to the ACS by Friday May 4, 2018.
