Club Focus: Q&A with the President of the Natural Science Association

 

Saint Rose’s Natural Science Association (NSA) was established in the 1980s and is still active today. The club heightens the presence of natural sciences at Saint Rose as well as in the Albany area. NSA is a way for natural science majors (as well as non-science majors) to feel a sense of community within the science department.  The Natural Science Association provides a strong balance between volunteer work and recreational activities.

Natural Science Association President Cassie Owens ’20, a chemistry major, describes her role as being more collaborative with the other E-Board members. She helps plan events and makes sure everyone is involved in the planning process.

Q: Why is it important for the campus community to participate in the association?

A: It is important for the campus community to participate because, without them, we wouldn’t be able to do some of our events that require a lot of volunteers. It is beneficial for science majors to get involved because it gets them more aware of the scientific community outside of Saint Rose and gets them more involved in the science community at Saint Rose. In general, for any individual, it is always good to expand your horizons and learn new things.

Q: What have you learned from joining NSA here at Saint Rose?

A: I have been a member of the NSA for four years and this is my second year being a board member. NSA has gotten me even more passionate about science because I was able to see the science community outside of Saint Rose, and help advocate for and educate young people about science. It has also given me a stronger connection to my science major peers and faculty. It has also strengthened my leadership and organization skills.

Q: What do you want people to know about NSA that they might not already know?

A: I would like people to know that we are open to all students no matter what they major in. I know when people hear “science club,” it is not very intriguing. However, we do not just do academic and volunteer events. We have fun/recreational ones, too, as I mentioned earlier!

 

Q: What’s in store for this year (events, activities, fundraisers)?

A: So far this year we have done our  Mr. Wizard show, participated in National Chemistry Week at the New York State Museum, and had a Mole Day celebration. Mr. Wizard is something we do every year at Saint Rose’s HOME.COMING and Family Weekend. It is a series of exciting science demos with some dialogue to make it more “show” like. We always have a lot of fun doing it and people seem to enjoy it, especially the children at the show. National Chemistry Week is also an annual thing for us. The New York State museum hosts an event for children to come and learn about science. There is a different theme every year and this year’s theme was metals. We had a booth there with an interactive experiment for the kids.

Mole Day is the celebration of a mathematical constant used in chemistry. We celebrated with food (such as Guaca”mole”…yes we are nerds!). Additionally, every year, we sell candy grams for Halloween and Valentine’s Day. It’s an easy and fun way to fundraise and get our club more known on campus. People can buy a candy gram (which consists of a message and some candy) for $1 and send it to a friend/admirer anonymously.

Another thing we do every year is host a science competition for high school students from different high schools in the area. We take the time to prep experimental materials, set up the rooms, and proctor the experiments/competition for them.

We also do a trip at the end of the Spring semester, usually in April. We have been to various places, mostly in Boston or New York Cotu. We also come up with things to do throughout the year. Last year we did a family feud event which was a lot of fun. We have done a periodic table of elements bingo and organized events where we have a speaker come and talk about grad school and careers. There also have been tours of a pharmaceutical company called Regeneron organized through our association as well.

Q: How can students get involved with NSA?

A: Students can get involved by coming to our meetings, which are on  Wednesdays at 2:40 p.m. in Albertus 410. We are not sure when our next meeting will be, but if anyone wants to get involved, email me at owensc595@strose.edu and I will be sure to put you on our email list.