December 8-9, 2001

On Saturday December 8 and Sunday December 9 the Charlotte chapter of Sigma Xi participated in sponsoring Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri, a fun and educational chemical demonstration event at Discovery Place.

Dr. Bassam Z Shakhashiri, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is renowned nationwide for his chemical demonstration shows. For 30 years his science-oriented entertainment has played to packed houses at universities, museums, and has been televised by stations across the country.

The Science Is Fun events were well attended and very entertaining, as well as effective at teaching some basic science principles to all ages. This is the type of event that Sigma Xi and the Charlotte chapter brings to the public to educate and increase the awareness of the importance of science to our lives. We’ve all heard that introducing children early to financial concepts, getting them acclimated to exercise and physical activity, and reinforcing character values at an early age can produce great benefits down the road in their lives. Likewise, creating an enthusiasm for learning and science is a gift that will stay with them forever.

I had the pleasure of bringing not only my own children, but several of their friends from our neighborhood, and was able to attend shows both days. They loved the event. One of them wrote me a thank you letter for inviting him along! But what really surprised me occurred two months later. My 5 year old, who I thought might be too young to appreciate the Shakhashiri show, pointed out that a trick of a magician we were watching was really a science demonstration “just like that guy we saw at Discovery Place!”

The Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi, took a leadership role in planning this event, and in facilitating collaboration among the other event sponsors noted below:

* The Charlotte Chapter of Sigma Xi Arts & Science Council
* The Duke Energy Foundation
* Discovery Place, Inc.
* American Chemical Society—Carolina Piedmont Section
* University of North Carolina at Charlotte - Knight Professorship, Chemistry Department, University Honors Program, and Center for Math, Science & Technology Education

The collaboration itself was an important part of this event. No single organization in Charlotte could have managed it as well as the entire network of interested groups. Coordinating this event helped catalyze a number of Charlotte area science-interested organizations to form an on-going, action-oriented partnership called the Charlotte Area Science Network.

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