International University and High School Essay and Video Competition -A World Without Polymers

Opens: 31 November 2010 Closes: 31 May 2010 The Polymer Division of the IUPAC is launching an International contest on “A World Without Polymers?”. The call is addressed to university and high-school students in each of the 60 countries of the national adhering and associate adhering organizations of the IUPAC. Participation in the contest is invited by submission of either a video or an essay on the theme of “A World Without Polymers?”, that is on how the world might be like if, as absurd as it may sound, there were no polymers in the contemporary or in the future world. Therefore, the objective of this action is to increase an educated appreciation and to encourage an improved understanding of the significance of polymers and polymeric materials to everybody’s quality of life. This is achieved in the contest by envisioning in a reversed prospective the disgrace of a world without polymers and their tremendous impact. The target audience would be the general public, where instead such appreciation is lacking and the widespread use of polymers is unconsciously taken for granted. Essays will be posted on the IUPAC Polymer Education website. The videos will be uploaded on the Internet, e.g. YouTube, which also ensures worldwide dissemination of the take-home message to a larger body of users. The three best videos and essays will be awarded a prize by the IUPAC Polymer Division, and the authors will be invited to present their work at the IUPAC 46th General Assembly in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2011.

Details and Planned Schedule:

The contest for both videos (max 10 minutes in English) and essays (max 5 pages in English) on the theme  “A World Without Polymers?” will be announced broadly by October 2011. The competition is open to university and high-school students who will be asked to upload their work to YouTube or submit their essay to IUPAC from 1 November 2010 through 31 May 2011. The winners will be notified by June 30, 2011, and will invited to the IUPAC 46th General Assembly in San Juan (Puerto Rico), 30 July 30-7 August, 2011. For more information, please contact Giancarlo Galli, University of Pisa, gallig@dcci.unipi.it