The Challenge
From Competition to Careers: Celebrating 20 Years!
Out of over 17,000 students, the top five teams will compete on June 10 in a Q&A session on stage with a panel of judges. The questions encompass the research the students performed in the making of their 5-7 minute videos on sustainability.
On June 11, Kate the Chemist will present thrilling experiments and a great talk about STEM careers, followed by the award of almost $50,000 in scholarships!
Dates
Monday, June 10th – National Challenge Student Competition (2:00 – 5:00 PM CST) (Free to attend)
Tuesday, June 11th – National Challenge Dinner & Awards Ceremony (6:00 – 9:00 PM CST) (Ticketed Event)
Tickets
Tickets available for the Dinner & Awards Ceremony as individuals ($250) or couples ($475). All sponsors receive a table of 10. Sponsorships begin at $3,000, so all sponsors receive 10 tickets. Tickets are available here: https://www.chemed.org/get-involved/
Location
Westin Houston Memorial City
945 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77024
What is the Challenge?
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2024, The Challenge is a team-based competition for 5th- through 8th-grade students that builds interest and excitement among students to continue science and STEM-related education throughout high school, skilled trades, college, and into the workforce.
Student teams compete at Regional Challenge events organized by CEF’s industry volunteers and produce videos focused on sustainability questions and community-based solutions.
The five top teams will compete at the National Challenge in Houston, Texas, held on June 10-11 for $50K in scholarships that can used for skilled training, career certifications, and college.
The Challenge incorporates essential skills such as critical thinking, effective communication, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving— the very skills required to thrive in their academic careers and as they enter the workforce.
Activity Guides
Presented by Brenntag North America, LLC, the You Be The Chemist Activity Guides use common, inexpensive items so educators can provide hands-on learning for K-8 students to explore foundational science concepts.
Hands-on learning engages young children in exploring science. These activities make real-world connections for students to see the value of science and chemistry in everyday learning and life.
Since no formal lab space is needed, these experiments, lesson sheets, and supplemental resources are ready-to-use in schools, afterschool programs, camps, museums – anywhere!
The content is compatible with the Next Generation Science Standards.
Essential Elements
Confidence. It’s what educators have after participating in You Be The Chemist Essential Elements professional development workshops, so they are equipped to lead hands-on science activities with students.
This confidence is critical, and comes with providing K–8 educators—our “essential elements” in education—with methods for teaching chemistry concepts.