Mount Students Team Up With Chemistry Majors

Fifth-grade IG students and sixth-grade classes at Mount Elementary recently got a lesson in chemistry from students at Stony Brook University, as part of a partnership between Stony Brook and the Three Village Central School District.

College students worked with the elementary students in small group settings to explore concepts in polymers, reactions with catalysts, and luminescence and density.

An example of an experiment the college students demonstrated included the way in which Mentos candy reacts when exposed to soda. Another example taught the elementary students about water lock technology – understanding, for instance, why a baby's diaper doesn't work properly when submerged in the ocean.

Mount principal Nathalie Lilavois called the experience invaluable.

“Our students were highly engaged and really asked critical questions," she said. "The Stony Brook students were great at having our students think aboutthe experiments and try to answer their own questions. We hope to continue building this strong partnership with the university.”