The Chemistry Club provides opportunities for UF students to interact with middle and elementary school children through its outreach program, by performing hands-on labs and demonstrations in local schools, and helping foster an interest in science at an early age. Learn more.
 
   
information for teachers
information for students
 
 

Information for Volunteers

 

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The Do's and Don'ts of Volunteering
"A Day in the Life of an Outreach Volunteer"

All volunteers (including returning participants from previous semesters) are required to complete an SBAC background check form prior to any classroom visit. Contact a coordinator to obtain one.

Scheduling has been completed. Assignments will be e-mailed shortly.

Volunteers can purchase a Chemistry Club shirt (available in blue, gray, and white) for $10. Request yours.

 

New and returning volunteers: To participate in the Science Outreach Program, please send the following information to outreach@chem.ufl.edu by the Fall 2007 deadline: no later than Tuesday, September 11, 2007:

  • Your first and last name and classification (year + whether or not you have participated in this program before)
  • Your e-mail address
  • Your telephone number (this is to faciliate faster communication between you, your partner, and the volunteer coordinators if/when necessary)
  • Your semester schedule, along with a note indicating the times at which you are available to volunteer (please factor in at least 50mins for the class + 80mins which includes total transportation to-and-from campus/your assigned school, setup, cleanup, and materials kit gathering).
  • Whether or not you are available to drive (providing you have a car; all outreach-related recorded mileage is expected to be reimbursed through our grant)
  • Your tier preference (see note below)

The UF Chemistry Club Outreach Program is an exciting opportunity for anyone interested in sharing their appreciation for science with elementary and middle school students at local public schools. Participating members are paired up with a partner and assigned to a school for the semester. Depending on the teacher's needs, you and your partner will visit a classroom either once a week, twice a month (biweekly), or once a month to perform labs and demonstrations that pertain to the topics being studied by the students. Detailed instructions for the labs and demos you may be asked to do are available for download on the Outreach Lab Library page. You will be provided with all necessary supplies and reimbursed for transportation mileage, where applicable.

A detailed orientation for all new volunteers who have signed up and submitted their schedules will be given at one of our bimonthly Chemistry Club meetings. The listserv will provide updates on this.

Contact: The volunteer coordinators for the 2007-08 year are Lubomir Sokol and Abdul Chowdhury. You can get in touch with either, or both of them simultaneously (preferred) by e-mailing outreach@chem.ufl.edu.

Regarding "tier preference:" This policy, new for the year, reflects an attempt to make outreach scheduling more flexible for both volunteers and participating teachers. The vast majority of our volunteering occurs weekly (i.e. you and your partner will go out to a classroom once a week). A much smaller percentage of volunteers will be expected to go only once a month. Veteran volunteers (one semester of experience or more) are allowed to opt for "on demand" volunteering schedule, in which one is expected to occasionally cover for the weekly or monthly volunteers who request time off due to upcoming tests, illness, etc (48 hours notice will still be given when possible). When signing up for outreach, although we ask that you specify a tier preference, we cannot guarantee your choice (there are a number of factors involved which cause this, among them: your partner's tier preference, your assigned teacher's frequency preference, your experience as a volunteer, and you/your partner's driving availability).