Outreach and Experience
The UND Department of Chemistry offers a number of undergraduate research opportunities for our students. We also work with area elementary, middle, high and tribal schools, teaching young students about chemistry.
Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (IREC)
IREC Program in Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering, and Atmospheric Science offers annually a 10-week Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate students.
The focus of this experience is on the development of innovative solutions to the sustainable and renewable chemicals and energy sources problems currently faced by our society. Each undergraduate student will gain professional research experience working with world-class UND researchers. A variety of social activities are planned to enrich your summer in Grand Forks.
International Research experience at Czech Republic (IRES)
NSF-funded IRES program at UND titled Interdisciplinary Environmental and Green Applications in Chemistry (IEGAC) will provide each year an 8-week research experience for 4 undergraduate students and 1 graduate student annually. Students study at several premiere research institutions in Prague, Czech Republic, including the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Charles University (CUNI), the Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemical Technology (UCT), and Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Outreach to High Schools
Since 2005 we annually organize a high school workshops on various themes such as air pollution workshop “Chemistry Against Dust” and "Beyond Crude Oil: Biobased Chemicals and Fuels”. Workshops are offered based on interest. Please contact us and let us know your needs and preferences. Find us on Facebook!
Outreach to K-8
Our department is continuously involved in outreach to K-8, providing "KIDs for science" experiences. We have organized chemistry/biology afternoons presenting on “Chemistry of Gases” and “Biology of Butterflies” for various groups of children K-4.
The targeted audiences for hands-on demonstrations are "Young Scientist and Engineer Academy" with 15-40 kids in each year (UND summer camps), students in Ben Franklin elementary school, as well as STEM kids in Grand Forks public library each February. In summer, we organize a summer camp for middle school students.
CERAIS Outreach to Tribal Schools
We have ongoing research-teaching collaboration with the Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) at Belcourt, N.D. (one of the tribal community colleges at ND).
This collaboration started in 2012 by receiving funding for ACS Innovative Project Awards “Combined Education and Research for American Indian Scientists (CERAIS).” Within this program our graduate student annually visits TMCC (1-2 weeks) and provides technical support for the advanced instrumentation at TMCC and helps to develop environmental chemistry research projects to gain interest of local students.
Chemistry Fun Day with the Chem Club
The free event is hosted by UND Undergraduate Chemistry Club for fun and learning. The event is intended for children in grades 2-5, and includes a number of hands-on activities designed to engage and educate young budding scientists.
Support for the event is provided in part by the Red River Valley Section of the American Chemical Society and by the UND Chemistry Department.
