Girl Scouts make slime "blood" in Sheryl Tucker's Magic of Chemistry program

Ever wonder how scary movies make fake blood? On October 18, 2003, 200 mid-Missouri Girl Scouts discovered the science behind it. The Junior Girl Scouts were fictitious product consultants for Polymer Fun, Inc., making and evaluating new polymer products, such as fake blood and slime found in films as part of the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Magic of Chemistry program.

Participants were approximately 200 Girl Scouts grades 4-6; program developer and coordinator Sheryl A. Tucker, professor of Chemistry; program co-coordinators Janet Stoops with the MU Research Reactor Center and Karen Flint of Gates Rubber Company; volunteers from Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity; and MU student volunteers.

"This program is designed to ignite and retain girls' interest in science at an age when national studies indicate they begin to lose this curiosity," Tucker said. "I'd like to help remove the obstacles that might prevent young women from going into the physical sciences, particularly chemistry."

In 2002 the program received national awards from the American Chemical Society and Girl Scouts USA. The Society’s Women Chemists Committee presented the MU Local Section with the award for "Best Single Event in a Local Section Promoting Women in Chemistry." The Girl Scouts presented the Heart of Missouri Council with the National Quality Award for the program.

2003

Additional links:

Magic of Chemistry program
Tucker Group
Chemistry Department

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