LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Six Rider University science students recently helped bring the wonders of chemistry into the classroom for more than 500 Mercer County youths.

As part of the annual National Chemistry Week, held November 2nd through the 8th and sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Trenton Section of the ACS organized presentations for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at five Mercer County schools: Lore Elementary in Ewing Township; Tollgate Elementary in Hopewell Township; Lawrenceville Intermediate in Lawrence Township; and Alexander Elementary and Mercerville Elementary in Hamilton Township.

The participating Rider volunteers, who are all student affiliates of the ACS, are as follows (with hometown, class year, and major):

Each child was given a booklet which explained this year's theme of National Chemistry Week -- water hardness -- and was shown by the Rider students how to properly test local ground water. After they test the water, they will e-mail the results to the ACS who will publish a national map of water hardness rates based on the data obtained by the school children.

The project is intended to promote an interest in chemistry and give the children a sense of scientific accomplishment while simultaneously giving Rider students an opportunity to conduct meaningful educational community outreach by working with the children.