Lesson 1 - Production of a gas

Students meet volcanologist Victor Helguson, who is studying the gases released by volcanoes in Iceland. Students conduct a chemical reaction to produce one of the primary volcanic gases—carbon dioxide.
Lesson plan
Student activity sheet

Lesson 2 - Color change

Students meet marine chemist Sera Tuikabe, who is studying ocean acidification in the water surrounding the Fiji Islands. Students interpret the color changes of universal indicator as they explore how different amounts of an acid and a base affect the color of an indicator solution.
Lesson plan
Student activity sheet

Lesson 3 - Forming a precipitate

Students meet Adriana Garcia, who is a chemist at a wastewater treatment plant in Lima, Peru. She explains that one of the challenges with cleaning water is removing particles that are so small they do not settle or get caught in the filters. Students combine two clear colorless solutions and get a white precipitate which they filter and test.
Lesson plan
Student activity sheet

Lesson 4 - Temperature change

Students meet Jason Williams in Antarctica. He is an industrial chemist who designs the materials and processes for making solar cells which are used to convert sunlight into electrical energy. He’s in Antarctica because solar energy is plentiful in the summer. In the activity, students will conduct two chemical reactions that convert chemical energy to thermal energy.
Lesson plan
Student activity sheet