MIT’s Annual Campus Preview Weekend Entertains Prospective Students with ‘Marvelous Molecules in Play’ Chemistry Demonstrations
Dr. John Dolhun (PhD '73), Director of the Undergraduate Teaching Lab, treated an audience to a magical series of experiments.
MIT’s Department of Chemistry recently showcased an array of chemistry demonstrations as part of the annual Campus Preview Weekend (CPW), an event dedicated to giving newly admitted freshmen and their parents a glimpse of the Institute. The chemistry demonstration program, titled “Marvelous Molecules in Play,” was held at Building 56, room 114, attracting an audience of approximately forty.
The event was overseen by John Dolhun, Director of the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory, who warmly welcomed the Class of 2028. “Today is about exploration, inspiration, and maybe a little bit of magic.”
The team included – Amanda Traitor, UGTL Lab Manager; members of the MIT Chemistry Club: Andy Fong, Zheming Zhang, Kevin Liu, Anna Liu, and Michaela Olimene; and Madavin Vong and Jennifer Weisman from the chemistry education office. The chemistry department joined the campus wide events and orchestrated a series of experiments.
Highlights of the event included:
- Liquifying Air—Rainbow Connection
- What’s Inside a Lightbulb?
- Bernoulli’s Principle and The Diaper Connection
- Superconductors and The Briggs-Rauscher Reaction
- Combustion of Isopropyl Alcohol and Chemiluminescence
- The Big Gun
The event culminated in a grand finale featuring a humorous skit by the MIT Chemistry Club. The skit humorously depicted the life of a student committed to wearing a beaver costume day and night if they chose Caltech. This lighthearted performance reminded all prospective students of the vibrant and innovative spirit that defines the MIT community.
The Campus Preview Weekend continues to be an essential part of MIT’s outreach to prospective students, providing them with a firsthand experience of the vibrant academic and community life at MIT.
