Outreach
The skills and know-how present at DiSC, articulated in a wide variety of interests, translate into an intense and diversified dissemination and orientation activity, unique at the national level, which has been carried out continuously for over ten years.
Traditionally, issues of great interest and social impact are presented to the public, for example chemistry pertaining to health and everyday life, forensic chemistry, nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology, chemistry and energy, chemistry in the kitchen, chemistry and well-being.
Many thousands of children, students, teachers and citizens have taken part in the dissemination initiatives held at the Department in recent years (2007-2019). Further activities have been organised as part of cultural events held in other contexts, and many are continuously carried out in schools or associations requesting the collaboration of the Department and its members.
There are different types of activities developed for specific interest and age groups (from 4-year-olds upwards), as well as events aimed at a wide and heterogeneous public.
To request DiSC collaboration for scientific-themed scientific dissemination activities, an email may be sent to
In the following we showcase some examples of dissemination events and formats developed at DiSC to promote awareness of the potential chemistry features in human social promotion.
NEMEC 150°
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| It's not magic, it's chemistry, 150 years of periodic table |
The, now traditional, DiSC autumn chemical dissemination appointment, entitled IT'S NOT MAGIC, IT'S CHEMISTRY, this year (2019) takes on a special role: celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of the PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS, which took place 150 years ago. It thus becomes NEMEC150°.
Dmitrij Ivanovič Mendelejev first published the Periodic Table, a masterpiece of science, in 1869 to classify the chemical elements. At the time, the Table was still in its completion stage, as the number of known elements continues to increase (the last 4 elements were inserted in November 2016). Paduan academic chemists make their enthusiasm, awareness of the value of this discovery and professionalism available to communicate, in particular to young people, the importance and significance of this masterpiece.
Between January 2019 and January 2020, over 70 schools will be hosted at the Department of Chemical Sciences, which will be able to attend mini-conferences on various wonders associated with the Periodic Table, in front of the original artefact, which was constructed at the Department to lead everyone in a journey to discover the beauty and importance of the Periodic Table of the elements.
In total, by the end of the manifestation (January 2020) around 2,200 children will have taken part in the initiative.
Journey to discover the PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
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| Smile for the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS |
On the occasion of the INTERNATIONAL YEAR of the periodic table established for 2019 by the United Nations, a concrete, interactive and modular representation was constructed at the Department of Chemical Sciences to celebrate this important anniversary.
It is a large wooden artefact (192 cm wide and 112 cm tall), which makes the Table tangible and three-dimensional, in which real samples of the elements are housed, embedded in inert and transparent material (epoxy resin) to make them safe to handle by anyone. The elemental boxes are individually backlit by coloured LEDs, where lighting is controlled by a special software, in order to highlight the periodicity of the properties that characterise the elements of the Periodic Table. A series of presentation canvases, calibrated to specific audience levels (children, young adults, adults, the broader public) have been developed and proposed on various scientific dissemination occasions, both by teachers and students of the Department of Chemical Sciences.
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Inauguration of the Journey of the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS
On February 14, 2019, the Journey of the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS was officially inaugurated, in the presence of the Rector of the University of Padua, Prof. Rosario Rizzuto, the Director of the Department of Chemical Sciences, Prof. Michele Maggini, the main promoters, among the Department teaching staff, of the Journey, Professors Silvia Gross and Lorenzo Franco as well as a large audience, filling up the majestic Nasini hall of the Department to its maximum capacity.
For this occasion, a special intervention by the Merck company was hosted. The company contributed to the realization of the Journey with a substantial financing, used for the purchase of elemental materials samples, which were subsequently incorporated in transparent inclusion polymeric resin cubes in the laboratories of the Department.
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Professor Mauro Sambi made an interesting intervention on “A gradual disclosure. The construction site of the Periodic Table."
The inauguration began with a display of "pyrotechnical magic" developed and carried out by one of the technicians of the Department who most contributed to the realization of the trip: Nicola Tiso.
Birthday party for the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS
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2200 children and teenagers from 80 schools in the province of Padua will have participated, between January 2019 and January 2020, to the birthday party of the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS held at DiSC. This is a protracted festival lasting for the whole of 2019, in which the students of Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry and Material Sciences, the students of the PhD courses of the Department of Chemical Sciences, as well as the students of the Master in Communication of Sciences also cooperated to disseminating the significance of the Table for chemistry, for science, for the pursuit of knowledge in general and its evocative power and ability to change the world. In particular, the presentation of the Table to the younger students was an opportunity for the undergraduates of the "Didactics in Chemistry" course to apply the theories learned to the real world, under the supervision of university professors.
The Department of Chemical Sciences, the Veneto Section of the Italian Chemical Society, the Merck company, the Master of Science Communication of the University of Padua supported the birthday party of the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS.
the Journey of the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELMENTS hosted at Focus Live!
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The Journey of the PERIODIC TABLE of the ELEMENTS was presented at the Leonardo Da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan from the 8th to the 11th of November 2018, coinciding with the Science Festival organised by the monthly magazine Focus ( www.focus.it/focus-live ).
This first Focus festival reaped a huge success with the general public, with over 15,000 visitors, including 1800 Milanese students. Focus invited the DiSC, set up a dedicated exhibition space at the Cavallerizza Museum pavilion and highlighted the Journey by promoting it on its social channels though a video interview carried out before the Table itself.
Meny enthusiastic children and adults visited the DiSC booth at FOCUS.
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It's not magic, it's Science - NEMES
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On Thursday 27th and Friday 28th of September 2018 the Department the 1st edition of "Non è magia, è Scienza" (NEMES), a scientific dissemination initiative organized by several departments and museums of the University of Padua, CNR, INAF, INFN took place.
The Departments and Museums involved in the organization of "It is not magic, it is Science" are Chemical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Geosciences, Industrial Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, Construction, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Techniques and Management of Industrial Systems, Mathematics, Museum of Zoology, Museum of the History of Physics, Museum of Geology and Palaeontology.
The organising institutions have opened their premises (laboratories, halls, classrooms and museums) to schools of all levels, offering guided tours by appointment, for activities such as workshops, shows, show conferences, seminars, games, guided tours to museums.
The event's organisation has included dedicated University locations at the Specola Observatory, Palazzo Cavalli, via Marzolo, via Loredan, via Gradenigo, and others.
The main purpose of NEMES 2018 was to allow as many students as possible to get in touch with science and applied science, to help understand everyday life, the world that surrounds us every day, what we see, do, use and experience, as well as how the World that we will live in, in the not too distant future, might be.
For more information: http://www.chimica.unipd.it/nemes/
It's not magic, it's Chemistry - NEMEC
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| It's not magic, it's Chemistry - "NEMEC" |
Starting in 2008, the event was held annually. From 2014 the morning half of the event was dedicated to schools, whereas the afternoon was dedicated to all comers.
In 2017 the X and final edition of NEMEC took place, letting NEMES step into its shoes.
"Chemistry is a discipline which, in general, the man in the street knows little or nothing about and, for this reason, cannot appreciate how much this Science represents one of the indispensable cornerstones of high quality of life. We must not let ourselves be influenced by the fact that newspapers, as well as television and radio shows, tend to cover nothing but the problems and dangers that arise from chemistry: newspapers, television programs and radio shows also have a tendency to only cover nothing but wars, crimes, thefts and acts of violence, but we still all know that there are not only bad people in the world, because we meet good ones every day. In the same way, if we could recognise the contribution Chemistry makes to our daily existence, we would discover its good aspects, which far outweigh the negative side.” The meaning of the event "It is not magic, it is Chemistry" is essentially just that: to create a bridge between those who know, cultivate and practice Chemistry, contributing to its development through their own scientific research activities, and the man in the street, who is generally completely unaware (or nearly so) of the benefits coming from Chemistry which they experience every day. Obviously, a half-day visit to an exhibition is not enough to acquire sufficient knowledge of Chemistry.
"It is not magic, it is Chemistry" is only a first step, which aims to at least arouse the interest of those who lack knowledge about this fascinating Science. It seems like a modest goal, but breaking the wall of public diffidence towards Chemistry is actually a great current ambition in Italy. We therefore invite you to take this step towards the world of chemistry, where we address above all children and young people, in whom curiosity and the ability to receive new stimuli and messages are particularly alive. It's a small step, but we think it's important, because we assume that, for many of you, it might be the first. Where it may lead, we do not know: our main aim is not to transform all our guests into chemistry "fans" at all costs. Some, many hopefully, will become passionate about the subject, but what matters is that those who have gone through this experience will wish to get an idea of chemistry based not solely on hearsay, or worse, on prejudices, but rather on direct knowledge. Then, with this knowledge, they will discover that there is also good in chemistry, which improves life, just like how, by getting to know them, we know that there are good men and women who make the world a better place."
from: Presentation of the first edition of "It's not magic, it's Chemistry" by prof. Marino Basato
Magichimici show (I Magichimici)
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Magical chemistry show, conceived and realised by the Department of Chemical Sciences of the University of Padua, aimed at adults and children from 8 years upwards.
Experienced, albeit apparently a bit bungling, chemists perform "magic tricks" to explain rigorous scientific concepts in a playful way. The "Magichimici" showmen involve the spectators in a swirling sequence of fun experiments carried out with everyday materials or linked to commonly observable phenomena.
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Visit the Magichimici website to discover the next dates of the tour.
Take a look to the video from the Magichimici Promotion
The Department of Chemical Sciences takes part in the following events:
Chemistry games (Giochi della Chimica)
The Chemistry Games are organized by the Italian Chemical Society on an annual basis, they are open to the students of all types of high schools. The Department of Chemical Sciences cooperates with the Italian Chemical Society, Veneto Section, in the organization of regional-level try-outs.
All information can be found on the website http://www.chimica.unipd.it/gdc/
Sperimentando
"Sperimentando" (experimenting) is an interactive exhibition of physics, chemistry and science designed by the Padua Section of the Association for the Teaching of Physics (AIF), in cooperation with the teachers of a group of high schools in Padua (ISI Duca degli Abruzzi, ITIS Marconi, ITIS Severi, LS Fermi, ITAS Scalcerle, LA Modigliani), aimed at teachers and students of secondary schools throughout Veneto but also at the entire population of Padua. It was established in 2002 and developed thanks to the scientific, organisational and financial support of Local Authorities and of prestigious scientific institutions in the area.
The objective is to draw both the young and not-so-young closer to science in a pleasant and entertaining, but still rigorous, way. Despite the simplicity of the equipment on display, it follows in the wake of the interactive scientific museums that are spreading all over the world and covers for a shortage in Padua and Veneto, that concerning the enhancement of the Scientific Culture, which in a university city like Padova is particularly serious.
European Researchers' Night
The European Researchers' Night is an initiative promoted by the European Commission which, since 2005, has brought researchers together with the general public in many different European cities on the same date in late summer: the fourth Friday of September. The Department of Chemical Sciences participated in this event since 2011.
ViviPadova
ViviPadova is an initiative promoted by the municipality of Padua.
"Vivipadova - A classroom as big as my city" is a program of educational itineraries for compulsory education students (active since the 1984/85 school year), which connects, through numerous proposed activities, the scholastic and extra-scholastic world, enhancing and improving the relationship between schools and the territory.
On Thursday, 16th February, class 2B of the Pascoli school, as part of the Vivipadova project, visited the University of Chemical Sciences for a morning lecture on chemistry with Prof. Marco Zecca and for a special session in the teaching laboratory, which concerned acids and bases.
Books and stories for youth about chemistry
THE CHEMISTS' BAND
Fosca Conti Elger, Barbara Fresch
Illustrations by Maria Giovanna Lanfranchi
Ed. CLEUP
A narrative and scientific dissemination book with explanatory cards for amusing chemical experiments and posters with the Periodic Table of the Elements. Dedicated to children under 13.
