Beyond exploding balloons — bringing the science of chemistry to the public

Abstract

This paper is a personal account of the inception and work of the award-winning McGill Chemistry Outreach Group by two of its founding members. This team of graduate students, staff and faculty helps promote science literacy, curiosity and critical thinking, while making chemistry accessible to the public. The McGill Chemistry Outreach Group also serves as a good example of how to prepare students and staff in communicating chemistry to the public through formal training. In doing so, outreach is beginning to be defined not only in terms of its obvious impact on members of the public, but also as an explicit part of a student’s professional training.