R.O.C.K. Program
Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids
/SOC_ROCK/New%20ROCK%20Van%20Pics.jpg)
Mr. Mark Thomas of the Thomas Automotive Family delivered a red 2007 Chrysler Town & Country minivan on Thursday, August 26, 2010 to the Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids (ROCK) program. The new minivan replaces the one that has been used for the last eleven years. A dependable minivan is critical to the continued success of the ROCK program that has averaged over 105 events each of the last four years. The ROCK program thanks Mr. Thomas for his continued support through the current and past donation of the minivans. The ROCK student leaders, Jessie Minor, Kaitlin Hensal, and Ben Schultz, and the chemistry faculty look forward to utilizing the new van for the many trips they will be making to the local schools this year. The SFU Chemistry Club and ROCK programs will host a design contest to determine the look for the new minivan.
Pictured above from left to right: Dr. Wayne Powel, SFU Provost; Mr. Mark Thomas, Thomas Automotive Family; Fr. Gabriel Zeis, SFU President; Eddie Zovinka, Elementary Student; Dr. Edward P. Zovinka, Chemistry Professor and Director of the ROCK program; and Jessie Minor, Student Leader of the ROCK program.
Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids (R.O.C.K) is a volunteer organization founded in 1995 by Dr. Edward P. Zovinka, Professor of Chemistry at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA and the American Chemical Society-Student Affiliates (Chemistry Club).
The R.O.C.K. program provides local schools and youth organizations with the opportunity to experience chemistry in real life situations. The purpose is to demonstrate to the local K-12 students that science (especially chemistry) is important in everyone's life and can be exciting and interesting. R.O.C.K. also provides students with the chance to experience and participate with the available equipment provided by the R.O.C.K. program, all free of charge.
R.O.C.K. performs hands-on chemistry experiments and activities using mainly household products to show the importance of chemistry in day to day living. We focus on classroom visits (not stage presentations) in the 5 county area around SFU (Bedford, Blair, Cambira, Clearfield, and Somerset). R.O.C.K. also looks at the role that chemistry will have in the future as well as how it will benefit our society.