Instills the excitement of science Gedanken Society sparks an interest in children Under the motivational leadership of senior Kevin Stewart, what had been known as the chemistry club developed into an active and growing part of the Science Department this year. Representative of the many changes made to the club was the name change to "Gedanken Society," taken from the German word "Gedanken experiment," meaning thought experiment or an experiment that is performed only theoretically in the scientist's mind. At the monthly meetings, the Gedanken Society either invited speakers or planned future activities. "Our meetings and activities focused mainly on the history and important breakthroughs of chemistry," Stewart said. "But we also had plenty of entertainment." The 'Elements,' a quartet made up of four chemistrymajors, performed regularly according tojunior Scott Hansford. "Usually they included their own creation, the 'chemistry anthem,' called 'Oh, Chemis Tree, ' and caused a lot oflaughs," he said. "It just showed that science majors are not weird and can really have a lot of fun together." Several times during the year, members ofthe Gedanken Societyhad the opportunity to attend meetings of the American Chemistry Society (ACS), their mother organization. In October , a delegation traveled to Houston for the ACS Southwest Region meeting. They were able to tour several of NASA's research labs, a privilege granted to very few student groups each year. Jennifer Strader and Kelli Cole, who were involved in NASA-sponsored research, presented a poster at their meeting on their discoveries. The society participated in National Chemistry Week in November by putting up a display in McCain Mall. In February, they hosted a regional "Chemistry Bowl" for local colleges. According to Stewart, one of the most important new activities this year involved an outreach into the community. During the spring semester, science majors visited several local schools doing demonstrations on various scientific concepts in order to get students in elementary and high schools excited about science. "Science education is so important, but a lot of students are intimidated by it," Cole said. "That's obvious in the decrease of science majors, so we try to help teachers make science seem more fun and accessible. " While the children aren't yet ready to jump into the equations and complex concepts that science demands, their interest is still sparked by the demonstrations that Harding students are sharing. "What they really go after is flames and explosions, so that's what we give them," Stewart said. "It's all a part ofour field. If we instilled just half the love we have for science in one child, we succeeded." - Karin Springer Campus Players. First row: Emilie Shepherd, Ben Jones . Second row: Paul Huebner, Ellen Jones, Ashley Lynn. Third row: Robin Miller (faculty sponsor), Jenny Moses, Eve Clevenger. Fourth row: Marcus Neely. Photo by Aaron Gillihan. The Gedanken Society. First row: Mitch Seim, Lisa Massey, Lynda Leavelle, Jamey Brumley, Autumn Sutherlin, Paula Waggoner, Eric Magnusson, Ben Johnson. Second row: Jeremy Morman, Marc Childress, Kevin Stewart, Scott Hansford, Aaron Roland, Jay Hurt, Ed Wilson (faculty adviser), Mike Wagner. Third row: Mark Levi, David Cole (faculty adviser), Bert Johnson, Mark Young, Spencer Otto, Wheeler Howard, Don England (faculty adviser). Photo by Brian Hendricks. Campus Players and The Gedanken Society 181
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