More than 80 middle school students from across Berks County participated in the “You Be the Chemist” Challenge on Saturday, March 7. The event, part of a nationwide contest, was held at Penn State-Berks with 13 schools participating. Sponsors included the Chemical Educational Foundation, Brenntag North America, Inc., the Penn State Berks Chemical Society and Reading Public Museum.
Among those competing were six students from Hamburg Area Middle School: Alexandria Baum, Megan DeAngelo, Evan Grim, Ethan Long, Haley Savastano and Brody Wagner. The students, members of the HAMS Chem Club, prepared for the challenge with the help of teachers Mary Sweeney and Connie Kissinger.
This was the fourth year HAMS students competed in “You Be the Chemist.” The group begins preparing for the event in the fall.
“We read through the study guide and take notes, then practice studying together using our notes,” Sweeney explained. “Even though most of the students have participated in this before and have notes from previous years, we write new notes every year as a form of practice to help rehearse the material. After the competition, we continue to meet to conduct chemistry experiments based on what we have learned.”
In fact, students in 36 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico gather for regional and state-wide competitions in “You Be the Chemist.” Two years ago, a HAMS student placed fourth in the competition and went to the state-wide competition at the main Penn State campus.
Regardless of the final results, Sweeney said, the middle schoolers enjoy the process. “The students who join the club are interested in Chemistry,” she noted. “It gives them the opportunity to go more in depth about a favorite topic. The competition is a worthwhile experience for them as they are surrounded by peers who share their interest in chemistry.”
“Brenntag does a great job as sponsors by including speakers and former winners, who are great examples for the students,” Sweeney added. “There is an air of excitement at the contest that is akin to that of a sporting event. It is refreshing to see this kind of enthusiasm for an academic subject!”
This year, the opening featured the return of Marc Chmielewski, who won the Berks competition last year and went on to become the 2014 Pennsylvania champion. “Before I prepared for this competition,” he shared, “I didn’t realize how much chemistry plays a part in everyday life.”
He noted he gained important skills, such as the ability to study independently and the opportunity to build new relationships, as a result. “No matter where you place in this competition,” Chmielewski concluded, “you gain something. Knowledge is something no one can ever take away.”
Greglynn Gibbs, chemistry research technologist at Penn State Berks, also welcomed the group. “You are the future rock stars of science,” she said. “I applaud you for taking on this challenge.”
At the 2014 Berks event, none of the HAMS students prevailed. The ultimate winner was Sashank Sridhar from Wilson Southern Middle School. Yashica Kagithapu and Siddharth Mupparaju, both from Exeter Junior High, placed second and third while Krishna Nayak of Wilson West Middle School, placed fourth overall. These students will go on to represent the county in the Pennsylvania level this spring.
Other schools participating in the event included Wilson South Middle School, CE Cole Intermediate School, Muhlenburg Middle School, Schuylkill Valley Middle School, St. Catharine of Siena School, Wyomissing Area Junior High School, and Daniel Boone Middle School. New to the competition in 2015 were Antidem Middle School, Berks Christian School and Northwest Middle School.
