Pittcon-sponsored event to provide science education to students, teachers

Science Week, a Pittcon sponsored annual 7-day event offering science education to students and teachers, will take place Oct. 20-26, 2018 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

This event is usually held in conjunction with Pittcon in March at the conference and exposition’s host city. However, after much success in Pittsburgh in 2016, organizers have decided to return.
The 2016 event awarded $56,200 in science equipment grants to the 186 teachers who attended a total of 425 workshops. Additionally, approximately 500 students participated in the free elementary and intermediate school STEM-focused activities.

“After the success of 2016, we’re excited to bring this event back to Pittsburgh,” commented Science Week Chairman Kerry Holzworth. “Student workshops hit capacity within days and teacher workshops are filling fast! We’re excited to show teachers and students alike new experiments and methods they can bring into their classrooms.”

The week begins with Teacher Workshops Oct. 20-21. Participating teachers will learn how to implement new experiments into their classrooms. Additionally, each school will be eligible for up to $2,000 in grant money for science equipment.

Primary student workshops are Oct. 22-23 and intermediate students Oct. 24-26. Participants will learn the art of experimentation and scientific discovery in several hands-on workshops.

Pittcon, together with its co-sponsoring technical societies The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, donate more than one million dollars each year to provide financial and administrative support for various science outreach activities, including science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science center, libraries and museums. Science Week is one of these initiatives.