By Katie Curley
NEWBURYPORT — High school chemistry was made easier yesterday when chemists from Strem Chemicals in the industrial park ran chemistry labs.
"It is nice to see the guys from Strem are regular guys who do something hard," chemistry teacher Sheila King said. "To bring them into the schools and show the kids how they apply science to daily life in creating chemicals used for chemotherapy etc., is something the kids can relate to."
Dr. Mike Strem, founder of Strem Chemicals, visited high school chemistry students yesterday along with two of his company's longtime chemists, Dr. Al Barney and David Geissler, as part of the Newburyport Education Business Coalition partnership grant program.
Barney gave students a lesson in electrolytes, cathodes and anodes before students went to a lab.
Students also learned about the daily workings of the company, electrochemistry and safety before going into the lab room.
"This is our first time in the high school with the partnership grant," Strem said. "We want to see if this has an effect on them. We have visited the middle school before, but this is taking it to the next level."
Yesterday, nearly 20 students crowded around three work stations while Geissler instructed students on how to take the copper off a penny and put it on a nickel.
The lesson aimed to demonstrate the chemistry of copper plating, a commercial method used to purify copper.
During the experiment, a thin layer of metal from the penny was deposited on an electrically charged surface, a nickel. A penny was used in a solution of copper sulfate that was then played onto a nickel.
"This is all about learning," Strem said. "We want to show students how to get involved and the premises of our world as chemists."
Junior chemistry students Katherine Dier and Ashley Noies, studied their lab manuals before beginning the experiment.
"We are taking the copper off a penny and putting it on a nickel basically," Dier said. "This is a lot better than reading it out of a textbook. The labs are better than sitting in the classroom."
For more than 15 years, NEBC has found a range of ways to fulfill its mission of building bridges between Newburyport schools and the local business community.
The coalition's flagship programs are its partnership grants, which fund collaborations between teachers and businesses to create novel educational experiences that will complement students' learning with real-world experience. This year, King along with fellow chemistry science teacher Ken Seigel entered into the partnership grant with Strem.
Strem yesterday donated all the equipment used for the lab, such as large power supplies, which the chemistry teachers said would have cost the school a lot of money.
"This is the most extensive program we have had in the chemistry rooms," King said. "Strem came two years ago, but not part of this grant. This time they are going to be with all chemistry classes."
