Mindy Levine, chemistry research professor at 溏心vlog免费B站, demonstrates how to extinguish a flaming cotton ball in her mouth. Photo by Michael Salerno Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLevine has also wowed guests by making \u201celephant toothpaste\u201d (a combination of yeast, hair bleach, dish soap and food coloring), and extinguishing flaming cotton balls in her mouth, a feat she has mastered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worst burn I\u2019ve gotten is the feeling you get when you burn your tongue with hot soup,\u201d says Levine. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program leaves youngsters mesmerized. \u201cKids say it\u2019s the coolest thing ever,\u201d says Levine. \u201cAnd, honestly, it is. Science is cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group is expanding into adult parties and has recently started offering cocktails that change color as they are poured into glasses (a lesson in acid-base chemistry), as well as drinks that form a perfect rainbow (a lesson in density).<\/p>\n
Eventually, the group would like to go national. Levine has already been in touch with graduate students studying chemistry from other colleges who want to host parties in their towns.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the potential is really high,\u201d says Levine. \u201cWe want this to grow into a major business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trio has a five-year business plan, thanks to DiScenza, of Pomona, N.Y<\/strong>., who will receive her master of business administration in December and her doctorate in chemistry in 2018. The plan includes a marketing strategy, financial projections and goals for expansion.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m learning so much,\u201d says DiScenza, who came up with the company\u2019s name, a play off the periodic table of chemical elements. \u201cI\u2019m applying pretty much everything I learned in my classes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cromwell\u2019s expertise is planning the experiments, which require weeks of practice before unveiling them at fests. A Stoughton, Mass<\/strong>., resident, Cromwell will get his doctorate in chemistry in 2021.<\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s great to see kids get excited about science,\u201d he says. \u201cThe more people who can get interested in science, especially at a young age, the more scientists we\u2019ll have in the world, and that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Levine agrees: People need to know about science to be responsible citizens, she says, and make decisions about timely issues, from climate change to responsible vaccinations.<\/p>\n
Party Elements grew out of Levine\u2019s success with two female-specific and popular outreach programs she offers\u2014Sugar Science Day, where students use sugar in experiments, and Chemistry Camp, a weeklong program where middle school girls study the chemistry of bubbles, lipstick chromatography and cornstarch relays.<\/p>\n
Levine is a rising star in the world of chemistry\u2014literally.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, she won a Rising Star Award from the American Chemical Society for her contributions to chemistry. The Sharon, Mass<\/strong>., resident is an expert on synthetic organic chemistry, with a focus on how molecules communicate with each other when they are not attached. Her work can be used to develop tools for medical diagnostics and sensors for detecting toxins in the environment. She has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Cancer Institute, among others.<\/p>\nParty Elements is her latest passion. Word about the new business has spread around campus, and already professors, deans and staff are reserving dates. Winifred Brownell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, inquired whether the team would put on a show for her 2-year-old twin grandchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d says Levine. \u201cKids are naturally curious, and that\u2019s what makes someone a good scientist. It\u2019s never too early.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I., July 3, 2017 \u2013 Move over, Bozo. A chemistry professor and her students at the 溏心vlog免费B站 have launched a business to entertain youngsters during birthday parties\u2014and show them how much fun science can be. Mindy Levine, a chemistry research professor, and graduate students Dana DiScenza and Benjamin Cromwell started Party […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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