Traditions – ChemEd 2023

Mole Day Breakfast at 6:02 am

a group of attendees sitting around a table with breakfast food all smiling — Mole Day Breakfast starts at 6:02 am with a pledge of allegiance to the MOLE.
(ChemEd 2017)

For years, the Mole Day Foundation (NMF) has been waking the ChemEd delegates up for the traditional 6:02 am breakfast. Delegates celebrate with a hardy breakfast, lots of Mole Day prizes, the announcement of The Mole of the Year, the pledging of allegiance to the Mole, and some fun music as the Mole Day song is heard.

Mole stroll for the active early birds

three runners under the mole fun run sign with their running bid — Winners of the ChemEd 2013 Mole Run

Whether you do a Mole Run or a Mole Stroll, it will be 6.02 km and will start at 6:02 am!

Reg Friesen lecture

Reg Friesen and Leonard Sibley holding two large pitchers of beer at Oktoberfest — Pictured in Reg Friesen and Leonard Sibley who initiated ChemEd conferences.
ChemEd 1975

The honorary lecture was inaugurated at ChemEd 87 to recognize Reg Friesen’s outstanding contributions to the chemical education community. Reg was the founding editor of Chem 13 News in 1968 and was actively involved in the ChemEd conference series from its inception in 1973.

Ice cream social

Outside picnic with someone pouring a dewar of liquid nitrogen into a stainless steel bowl to make ice cream — No one does Ice Cream Socials like chemistry teachers (ChemEd 2009)

Every ChemEd has an Ice Cream Social! Ours will be ice cream made on campus by the Department of Food Science, University of Guelph.

Kid’s Camp is a ChemEd highlight!

a boy standing on a picnic table surrounded by kids watching him drop a white paper pie plate — Kid’s Camp – testing prototypes!
(ChemEd 2013)

Kid’s Chem is a program designed to accommodate families at the conference. The program is targeted toward school-age children and will provide fun and engaging science activities while you engage in high school chemistry.