Marking UP Chemical Society’s 91st Founding Anniversary, the organization’s week-long celebration known as ChemSoc Week will be held on September 13-19, 2020.
In response to the challenges brought by this pandemic, UP ChemSoc will be holding the ChemSoc Week events purely online for the first time, mainly through its social media accounts (@upchemsoc on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). They will also be done in September instead of August since opening of classes in University of the Philippines Diliman is on September 10.
With the tagline “PRISMATIC: New Normal, New Aspirations, New Ways”, this year’s celebration and publicity materials are inspired by the video game The Sims™.
On September 13, a Thanksgiving Program of the members via Zoom will kick off the week. The org’s online exhibit (a 360 photo) presenting its brief history, members, and events will be posted on social media by September 14.
After a few years of hiatus, the org’s photography contest Luminescence is back. Guided by the competition theme “New Normal: Finding structure in the midst of instability”, amateur photographers may submit up to two photos taken with mobile phone or tablet cameras. Deadline of entries is on September 8 and announcement of winners is on September 15.
For the org’s singing contest Chem Idol, students of the institute may join by sending videos of themselves while singing any 2000s song on or before September 6. Winners will be announced on September 16.
The top three winners in Luminescence and in Chem Idol will win the following prizes: Php 1000 for 1st place, Php 750 for 2nd, and Php 500 for 3rd. Luminescence’s winner of People’s Choice Award (entry with highest number of Facebook likes) will get P100 load.
The org’s Chemistry career talk Exergonic will be done via a Zoom webinar on September 19. Invited professionals with degrees in Chemistry will talk to an audience composed of Chemistry undergraduates regarding the possible career paths they may take.
In replacement of the org’s annual Grand Pakain that aims to give back to the institute’s staff, an all-new event Loadi ng IC will be launched. From September 13 to 18, photos featuring the institute employees will be uploaded. This is to appreciate their duties and to introduce them to the incoming freshmen. UP students who will like and share the photos on Facebook will get a chance to win up to P250 worth of load via a raffle draw on September 19.
To cap the week, a members’ and alumni’s night called Zoom Out: Seeing the Bigger UP ChemSoc Picture will be held via Zoom on September 19. Present and past members will interact via games, conversations, updates, and performances.
“For the longest time, our events and projects have largely been on-ground & face-to-face, so the sudden shift to a 100% digital platform was jarring, to say the least. However, two traits that we instill in the members of our organization from the get-go are adaptability and flexibility. Knowing that these are foundational characteristics in the members of UP ChemSoc, we will surely give it our all to produce an excellent, immersive online anniversary week for ChemSoc 91,” says UP ChemSoc President Carla Mae Tan.
UP ChemSoc’s services and events continue this academic year even with the ongoing pandemic, starting with the said anniversary celebration.
About UP Chemical Society: University of the Philippines Chemical Society (UP ChemSoc) is founded on August 29, 1929. It is the premier academic organization in the Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines Diliman. For nine decades now, it continues to promote general welfare, encourage interest in science in general and Chemistry in particular, and recognize outstanding achievements in and in service to Chemistry.
