SatSTEAM: How Scientists See the Unseeable

The 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three chemists that advanced our capabilities for imaging molecules with scanning electron microscopy. With today’s technology, we can actually see atoms and molecules in action, yet chemists have known about atoms and molecules since the early 1800s. How did chemists get it right for 200 years without ever seeing an atom? In this workshop, we will explore a number of high tech and low tech phenomena through which atoms have shown themselves to us, while remaining invisible. Participants will build molecules with their hands, see light radiation signatures using spectroscopy, and uncover the clues that helped chemists understand the building blocks of matter. Join Chemistry teacher, Dr. Brent Harris and students of the Christ School, on Saturday between 2:00pm and 4:00pm.