NACD Honors winners of Virginia chemistry competition.
Press Release Summary:
On March 16, five students will be honored for their performances in a National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD)-sponsored competition that quizzed them on chemistry concepts, important discoveries, and chemical safety awareness tips. The question-and-answer You Be The Chemist (YBTC) Challenge, created by the Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF), partners members of chemical industry with schools and organizations in their communities.
Original Press Release:
NACD Sponsors Chemistry Competition in Virginia
On March 16, five students from Harper Park Middle School (HPMS), located in Leesburg, VA, will be honored for their outstanding performances in an NACD-sponsored competition that quizzed them on chemistry concepts, important discoveries, and chemical safety awareness tips, the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) announced today.
More than 30 students at HPMS competed in the You Be The Chemist (YBTC) Challenge, an academic question-and-answer competition created by the Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF). The YBTC Challenge competition aims to engage grades 5-8 students in chemistry through a dynamic event that partners members of the chemical industry with schools and organizations in the communities in which they operate.
Mike Lang, NACD's Director of the Responsible Distribution ProcessSM (RDP), organized the competition at his daughter's school. RDP is a chemical distributor management practice which requires NACD members to continuously strive to improve their performance in environment, health, safety and security. Lang and other NACD and CEF employees will attend the ceremony to present the awards to the students.
"CEF is a primary public outreach vehicle for NACD members. In fact, CEF helps distributors comply with the product stewardship and community outreach requirements of RDP," stated NACD President Chris Jahn. "We strongly encourage all our member and Affiliate companies to get involved in CEF programs, particularly as the You Be The Chemist Challenge continues to showcase such bright students who are our future scientists, engineers, and chemists," he added.
The top five winners will receive Barnes & Noble gift certificates with the top three also receiving monetary prizes. All participants will receive Challenge T-shirts, note pads, and pencils. The winner of the HPMS Challenge will advance to the National YBTC Challenge, to be held on June 19 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. There, the HPMS Challenge winner will compete against winners from across the country for the title of national champion.
At the national competition, each participant will receive fun prizes, such as chemistry kits, T-shirts, and gift certificates to the Discovery Channel Store. The first-, second-, and third-place winners will also win savings bonds for future educational use. And, in addition to the Challenge and prizes, participants and their chaperones will be treated to various activities in historic Philadelphia, including a fun-filled afternoon of discovery at the Franklin Institute of Science.
Harper Park Middle School is part of the highly competitive Loudon County School District located about 40 minutes southwest of Washington, DC. In 2009, the school received the Governor's Award for Educational Excellence.
NACD and its nearly 250 members have established themselves as leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of the Responsible Distribution Process (RDP), established in 1991 as a condition of membership in NACD. Incorporated as a condition of membership in January 1999, NACD members undergo third-party on-site RDPV - RDP Verification. For additional information, visit NACD's Web site - www.nacd.com.
