Chemistry ShortsTM communicating the breadth & depth of chemistry’s impact on humankind

The Chemistry ShortsTM series shows the vital role the chemical sciences play in the biggest issues facing the world. Each film is accompanied by a lesson plan to integrate the science behind these innovations into the classroom.

See Our Newest Film:

Driving Reactions
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Driving Reactions

with Hal Alper, University of Texas at Austin, and Frances Arnold, the California Institute of Technology

Our world faces climate, economic, and sustainability challenges that we don’t yet have the tools to fix. The nine-minute film “Driving Reactions” explores how directed evolution and the chemical sciences are creating some of these new tools.

Other Films in the Series:

Untapped Potential
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Untapped Potential

with Meagan Mauter, Stanford University; David Sedlak, UC Berkeley; and William Tarpeh, Stanford University

Ensuring a safe water supply is one of the most compelling challenges humanity faces in the 21st century. The nine-minute film “Untapped Potential” highlights the game-changing solutions being developed in the chemical sciences.

Direct Air Capture
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Direct Air Capture & The Future of Climate Change

with Christopher Jones, Georgia Institute of Technology

Global climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time, and chemists and chemical engineers are at the forefront of this effort. One especially promising technology is Direct Air Capture.​

Rewriting Life – Vimeo
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Rewriting Life

with David Liu, Harvard University
The CRISPR-Cas9 technology, and the subsequent research-based innovations stemming from its discovery, integrate chemistry and evolution to program and re-program biology. David Liu’s lab has taken the basics of CRISPR and innovated the technology from cutting DNA to actually chemically swapping its component base pairs.
under the skin – vimeo test
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Under The Skin

with Zhenan Bao, Stanford University
Stanford chemical engineers have created a synthetic skin that can stretch like rubber, carry electricity, and self-heal. Working with chemical bonds, Zhenan Bao’s lab has chemically developed an entirely new class of synthetic polymers in order to create a highly functional replication of human skin.
Chemistry ShortsTM is created and sponsored by the
Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation
Funded in part by the
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Supported by the
Research Corporation for Science Advancement
Endorsed by
The organizations listed above encourage teachers to use these films in their classrooms to inspire future generations of chemical scientists.
Other Points of Interest
Forgotten Genius (the story of pioneering chemist Percy Julian)

Jonte Lee (kitchen chemistry lessons)

Dreyfus Foundation on YouTube (Teacher-Scholar profiles & Dreyfus symposia)

The Poison Squad (chemistry’s role in food safety)

A Crash Course in Organic Chemistry (by Jakob Magolan)

CRISPR-Cas9 Mechanism & Applications (interactive lesson & videos)

Human Nature (CRISPR-Cas9 documentary)

The Artificial Leaf (artificial photosynthesis)