Not many teens have the chance to attend a lecture given by a Nobel prize winner, but Bristol High School AP chemistry students had the opportunity to do just that. Students attended the Ullyot Public Affairs Lecture “The Same and Not the Same: The Many Faces of Diversity in Science and Society” at the Science History Institute in center city Philadelphia. Dr. William Smith, chemistry teacher and science department chairperson at Bristol High School has taken AP students to this lecture
series for fifteen years, with the expectation that it will inform students of how chemistry, biology, and the general sciences are necessary components in the general well-being of society. The presenters, distinguished experts in their fields, are tasked to devise a speech for a non-scientific audience, meaning that all in attendance are able to interpret the concepts in the lecture without having in-depth experience in the scientific fields.
Following the lecture, students met and spoke with Professor Roald Hoffmann, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, National of Medal of Science award, Priestley Medal recipient, Arthur C. Cope award of Organic Chemistry, and many additional awards from the American Chemical Society. Dr. Smith notes that providing students with this experience is a way to open doors and provide students with a chance to network with a vast array of chemists and chemical engineers from local colleges, 
universities, and pharmaceutical industries. Often these small interactions with scientists are what light the spark and motivate students to join the scientific community.
More information about the Science History Institute and the annual Ullyott Affairs Lecture Series can be found at www.sciencehistory.org