Christmas chemistry lecture: Still explosive at 37

What do Bucky Badger, glowing liquids and vibrant chemical explosions have in common? They’re all a big part of the 37th annual holiday lecture “Once upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri,” to be held on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2-3, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Called by Encyclopedia Britannica the “reigning dean of lecture demonstrators in America,” UW–Madison professor of chemistry Bassam Shakhashiri has delighted audiences from all over the country with his exciting live experiments for almost four decades. The lecture has been televised all over the country and has played at venues like the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

The event will be held in room 1351 in the Chemistry Building, 1101 University Ave, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day on Dec. 2-3.

As in years past, admission is by ticket only. Free tickets are still available for the event. To obtain tickets to one of the programs on either Dec. 2 or 3, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope, and indicate a first and second preference for date and time of show, and the number of tickets needed. Requests will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Requests should be mailed to: Christmas Lecture Tickets, UW–Madison Chemistry Department, 1101 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706-1392.