Mark your calendars: Cool Chem 2025 will take place on Saturday, May 17 from 10-1!

Cool Chemistry is our annual outreach event for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls to explore chemistry with hands on demos!

The event will take place at Smith Hall, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (UMN East Bank Campus)

The cost for registration is $10, but scholarships are available. Please contact chemwise@umn.edu for more info.

At this time, we are not able to accommodate large group registration.

To register, please visit this link.

See photos from our past Cool Chem events here!

Cool chemistry attendees holding glow sticks.

Have you ever wondered what makes a glow stick glow? Or why bath bubblers fizz? Learn about these reactions and how temperature and pH can make these reactions go. We'll make bath bubblers and play with glow sticks while learning about organic chemistry.

Cool chemistry attendees making polymer foam in a lab using food dye.

What is a polymer? A polymer is simply a bunch of molecules that are chemically attached to each other, like a chain of beads on a string that repeats over and over. Just like there are different sizes/colors/types of beads, there are different kinds of molecules that can be attached to each other to give different properties. Learn how nylon is made, how to make a hard polymer foam, how much water a diaper can hold, and how to change the properties of glue!

Cool chemistry attendees learning about energy in a lab using juice and soda with steam coming out of a soda bottle.

What is energy? How do we use energy? Where does it come from? Energy is all around us! Join us for Cool Chemistry and we’ll learn how to convert chemicals into energy. Experiments will include making and breaking apart water, seeing how well your sunscreen works and using your own solar cell to convert light into energy.

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