STEM Pipeline Blog / February 23, 2023

Help us celebrate Earth Day and learn how to do what’s best for Mother Nature!

The Midland Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and its partners Midland Recyclers, Dow High Go Green and the Midland Center for the Arts are hosting a FREE Earth Action Expo on Apr 22, 2023  from 11 am to 3 pm at Dow High School (3901 Saginaw Rd) in Midland.  This event will feature many booths and stations with earth-friendly activities, information and products. Last year’s expo included over 40 organizations–it showcased electric cars and the SVSU STEM bus, a waste water treatment plant truck, arts, crafts, and hands-on STEM activities, as well as a “passport” program with PRIZES–and food trucks, too!  Right now we are working hard to make the 2023 event even more fun and educational. 

The National American Chemical Society Earth Week theme is “The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae”—did you know algae products are found in sunscreen and yogurt (and many other places)?  Algae is also being grown and processed to provide biofuels! Exhibitors do not need to offer station content that relates to the theme.

If you know someone with an artistic bent, be sure to tell them that Midland ACS is sponsoring an Earth Day-related Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12 students, with cash prizes locally, and a chance for our top submissions to win again at the National level.  Poems should be digital, related to the theme and have a 40-word limit.  All the rules are at the end of this article (or you can visit the related ACS website.  Our preferred deadline is Apr 20 because we plan to print out and display entries at the Earth Expo.  Michelle Rivard can be contacted by email if you have questions, or once you have a poem to submit.

…And our Earth Day celebration doesn’t end there.  We are currently planning other activities that may include a “science café” with a chef that discusses the chemistry of algae (large and small) and the use of algae-based products or the plants themselves in foods—with samples and demonstrations! 

Please monitor our website and or Facebook page for updates.  If you would like to join us as an exhibitor or volunteer, please contact Gina Malczewski by email.

RULES for the ACS K-12 Illustrated Poem Contest:

• All poems must be no more than 40 words, and in one of the following styles to be considered: Haiku, Limerick, Ode, ABC poem, Free verse, End rhyme, and Blank verse.
• Entries are judged based upon relevance to and incorporation of the yearly theme (The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae), word choice and imagery, colorful artwork, adherence to poem style, originality and creativity, and overall presentation.
•  All entries must be original works without aid from others. Physical drawings may be scanned or captured via camera and submitted to the online form. Illustrations may be created using crayons, watercolors, other types of paint, colored pencils, or markers.
• The illustration may also be electronically created by using a digital painting and drawing app on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. If the illustration is created using a digital painting or drawing app, the name of the program must be included on the entry form.
• The text of the poem should be easy to read and may be typed before the hand-drawn or digital illustration is added, or the poem may be written on lined paper, which is cut out and pasted onto the unlined paper with the illustration.
• No clipart or unoriginal images can be used.
• Only one entry per student will be accepted.

Students must be sponsored by a school or another sponsoring group (e.g. Homeschool Association, Boys and Girls Club, Scout Troop, 4-H, etc.).