Eastman sponsors several education programs to encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), but one new program is targeting young women by showing them the chemistry of cosmetics.
The Cosmetic Science Workshop is part of the Females Advancing STEM program. Stephanie Clendennen, Amanda Beckler, Christy Burke and Vivian Thacker were part of a team that organized and performed the demonstrations for the girls. Clendennen, a technical service associate in the Service, Food and Cosmetic Division, showed the group of sixth grade girls what it's is like to be a cosmetics chemist. The group shared a presentation and hands-on demonstrations that revealed the secrets behind some of their favorite cosmetic products.
“We separated the pigments in different lipstick colors using chromatography, made our own hand lotion from oil and water to demonstrate how emulsifiers work, and made soap by neutralizing an acid with a base,” Clendennen says. “The girls were able to see, smell and touch some of the common ingredients in cosmetics, like beeswax and stearyl alcohol. They asked a lot of questions about the ingredients and the experiments, including how they could perform them again at home.”
“They really loved getting involved and seeing what goes into hand cream,” Thacker says. “We got lots of cool reactions as they felt the lotion we created on their skin.”
“I think the event was a huge success,” Thacker says. “It gave us the opportunity to share a little bit of what we do every day in our jobs and encourages the young ladies to continue working hard in their math and science courses. All of the girls that attended could relate to cosmetics, so it was a fun and exciting way to show them how chemistry provides products all around us.”
“Without the right exposure, students may not be aware of all the options out there for making the most of your talents in your lifetime,” says Clendennen. “Careers in the STEM areas can be very rewarding, and I think all young men and women should be encouraged to explore them. The sixth grade is really not too early to start thinking about what you might want to do later in life. In middle and high school I remember enjoying my science classes, and it was these years and the teachers I had, that influenced my decision to go to college and study science."
“Working with young women in STEM is a rewarding way to communicate the enjoyment of science to students who may someday have a successful and rewarding career in science," Clendennen says. "They may also subsequently find fulfillment in teaching others or have significant contributions to make themselves.”
