When the first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, as a way to demonstrate for a healthy environment, raise awareness about environment issues, and remind people that everyone needs to contribute to a sustainable planet, most people would not have thought that the event would still be celebrated 36 years later.##M:[more]##
Chemists Schuyler and Maddy Antane of West Windsor bring the event to life on Saturday, April 22, at West Windsor Library from 10 to 11 a.m. and then at MarketFair from 1 to 3 p.m. They will present interactive activities based on the theme, “Dig It,” while educating the public on the positive role chemistry plays in the world.
The Antanes are members of the Princeton chapter of American Chemical Society and are working with members of Princeton Geosciences, a consulting firm specializing in remediating impaired sites.
Schuyler, raised in Michigan, graduated from University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He attended graduate school at the University of Rochester. About 16 years ago when he moved to West Windsor to work in the pharmaceutical industry he met his future wife Maddy.
She was raised in Hawaii, graduated from Cornell University with a degree in chemistry, and received her doctorate in chemistry from Stonybrook University. She has lived in West Windsor for close to 18 years. Both she and her husband work at Wyeth Research Labs.
They began their outreach efforts to West Windsor-Plainsboro schools when their daughter Jennifer was a student at Maurice Hawk School.
Activities on earth day include a tic-tac-toe style quiz game and sand art to represent layers of the soil and the core of the earth.
“There will be no hardcore chemistry demos at the library or MarketFair,” says Schuyler. “We save them for the lab.”
Earth Day, American Chemical Society, Princeton, West Windsor Library, North Post Road, 10 to 11 a.m.; MarketFair, 1 to 3 p.m. Free. www.chemistry.org/earthday. 732-274-4448. To schedule an Earth Day chemistry demonstration for a class contact antanes@wyeth.com.
