Announcing the winner of our Photo Contest!
We asked our green chemistry education community to submit photos of the amazing things they’re doing in their classrooms, labs, and communities – and they delivered! We’re thrilled to have received submissions from educators and community members throughout the world.
It wasn’t an easy task to narrow down these submissions to a selection of finalists, but we know you’ll agree the photos we selected are fantastic. And, after a period of open voting by our community, a winner has been announced!
Scroll down to see the contest winner and submissions from our incredible finalists.
Our winner!
Submitted by Queli Almeida:
Photo credit: Kamyla Benica e Marcelle Paiva
What our winner says about this image:
The students with low vision and blind were able to learn and perform the green chemistry in the manufacture of bioplastic from lemon, tapioca and glycerin with heating in 10 minutes. In addition to the introduction of the principles of green chemistry to these students with adapted material, it was possible to have a broad discussion of the sustainability of the experiment through the green star, a graphic form of presentation of the principles of green chemistry.
The adapted material was printed in braille and was also made of paper materials with different textures. The students performed the practice by touching all the reagents, since they were not harmful to human health and were very satisfied with the final product that they manufactured in a more sustainable way.
Our photo finalists
Submitted by Yiben Wang:
Photo credit: Yiben Wang
What our finalist says about these images:
The photo is a collage of the students enrolled in my Intro to Green Chemistry course. For one of their projects, the students were asked to redesign an existing lab to make it greener.
The top row of the collage are action shots of the students working on their redesigned labs to ensure that their proposed green modifications would not affect the lab’s objectives, i.e. if their redesign involved a solvent substitution, then they need to perform the reaction to verify product generation.
The bottom row of the collage are photos of the students presenting their redesigned labs at the annual HU Symposium. Their poster presentations were very well-received by other students, faculty, staff, and administrators and raised green chemistry awareness in the broader HU community. In fact, two of the students tied for 1st place in the poster category!
Submitted by Vanessa Restrepo Burgos:
Photo credit: Tatiana Daza
What our finalist says about these images:
In the elective course “Green Chemistry Applied to Nanomaterials,” which is part of the Chemistry program at the University of Quindio, the photo depicts the process of synthesis of silver nanoparticles utilizing aqueous burdock extract as a reducing agent.
Submitted by Tsvetanka Filipova:
Photo credit: Tsvetanka Filipova
What our finalist says about this image:
ACS student chapter participated at the STREAM DAY at St. Elizabeth Seton Elementary on April 5, 2024. Total of 50 kindergartens to 5th graders separated in 5 groups were coming for 30 minutes hands on activity.
Students performed the experiment titled: Make Your Own Biodegradable Polymer. The objective of the experiment was to conduct an experiment in producing a biodegradable polymer from cornstarch. By the end of the experiment, students learned about green chemistry, biodegradable and compostable polymers, distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources, and recognize properties of crops to make sustainable industrial products. The Green Chemistry Principles addressed in this experiment were pollution prevention, use of renewable feedstocks, and design for degradation.
Each student performed the experiment. Then students redo the experiment to optimize their design. Students were excited to learn how to make a biopolymer that is both biodegradable and compostable with exposure to water and/or UV light and it can be perform with household items.
Submitted by Tenille Wright:
Photo credit: Leo Students
What our finalist says about this image:
Students collected roses after Valentines day and made rose water and essential oils with the rose petals.
Submitted by Tainia Taylor:
Photo credit: Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf, Science Department
What our finalist says about these images:
Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, Department of Chemistry, American Chemical Society. We hosted our STEM Day 2023 under the theme “Green Chemistry” where the students were excitedly engaged in a number of green chemistry experiments. One such was the edible plastic experiment using various types of flour, such as breadfruit flour. Another experiment performed was using everyday household products and a homemade indicator to determine the pH of these substances. Observing the various colour changes. It was very exciting to see the students actively participating, asking questions and explaining their findings. We look forward to our next STEM Day.
Submitted by Nina Moser:
Photo credit: St. Pius X School- Nina Moser
What our finalist says about this image:
These are 8th graders completing a lab, Product Test, from the middle school unit Chemistry with a Conscience. They have spent the last several weeks learning about cosmetics and the chemistry behind them!
Submitted by Khay Fong:
Photo credit: Khay Fong
What our finalist says about these images:
These images are from a field trip to Samoa, where we (scientists and students from the University of Newcastle) worked with the local scientists and students to sample microplastics in the marine environment – surface waters, beaches and mangroves. We hope that the data we get from this study will help our Samoan collaborators to inform their local government policy.
Submitted by Karmin Brunner:
Photo credit: Karmin Brunner
What our finalist says about these images:
ACS student chapter joined three classes of kindergarten students at Grandview elementary school to show them the basics of green chemistry and how science can be fun AND good for the environment. Starch and polystyrene packing peanuts were used to demonstrate the cradle-to-cradle cycle of products. The green chemistry concepts addressed were pollution prevention vis real-time analysis, use of renewable feedstocks, and design for degradation. Red cabbage was used to demonstrate the pHs of varying household products including lemon juice, shampoo, vinegar, and Coca-Cola. At the end of the presentation of green chemistry concepts, we used dry ice bubbles to demonstrate to them how science can be fun.
Submitted by Connor Ullrich:
Photo credit: Connor Ullrich
What our finalist says about these images:
The ACS student chapter hosted a booth at the Women in Science fair for local middle schools in the Black Hills as part of an initiative to inspire young women toward STEAM careers and get them interested in Green Chemistry practices.
Starch and packing peanuts were used to demonstrate the principles of pollution prevention, use of renewable feedstocks, and designing for degradation. Each student was able to participate with the volunteer help of the amazing women in our organization. Green chemistry and uplifting women in science is among our chapter’s top priorities.
Submitted by Andrea Goldson Barnaby:
Photo credit: Indicator pic (Ricaldo Pryce), Photo WA0012 (Daina Barrett)
What our finalist says about these images:
These photos are from our Green Chemistry Initiatives. Photo 034 is showing students from Buff Bay High doing the cabbage indicator experiment. Photo WA0012 is showing students from Lister Mair School for the Deaf making Biodegradable Plastics from starch. These outreach activities are connected to a grant from Beyond Benign. The indicator picture is showing the different range of colors from the cabbage indicator experiment.
Submitted by Gray Calaway:
Photo credit: Gray Calaway
What our finalist says about these images:
Freezing Compost Microbe Samples – This is a fellow undergraduate research assistant Parker Bolton working on another research project from the same compost facility samples. We both put our samples in this freezer to store the microbial DNA to analyze.
CLSM 3D Image of Compost Exposed Sample – This is an image of the software for a Keyence Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM). This renders a three dimensional scan of the surface roughness profile of a polymer sample after being exposed to the 15 day compost cycle at the NC State Compost Facility. The evidence of degradation through surface cracking is very apparent.
