Development, Use, and Evaluation of Chemistry Outreach Activities Related to the Periodic Table and Sustainability

The International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements in 2019 provided a perfect opportunity to implement community engagement activities that repositioned the public image of chemistry, from one detrimentally linked to the long-term impacts of its previous achievements such as plastic waste and polluting industrial plants to one that embraced the principles of sustainability. This project took the Periodic Table as an organizing principle and collated and developed activities to increase the understanding of the Table itself and the importance of chemistry in regard to sustainability and a circular economy. The activities focused on "endangered elements", which are overutilized in industry and in danger of disappearing within the 21st century. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, students were challenged to develop an appreciation of how a "circular economy" keeps products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value. The activities were designed to be led and facilitated by high school students. Visits to seven schools in disadvantaged and remote areas allowed a maximum impact on over 1000 students. At each school, 8-12 students were mentored to take leadership roles guiding other students through the activities, increasing their participation and engagement with STEM. In this article, we present the set of activities developed along with the student evaluation of the outreach visits.