The International Year of Chemistry, 2011

The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) is a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind. Its unifying theme is "Chemistry--our life, our future." It will offer a range of interactive, entertaining, and educational activities for all ages. It will include public participation at the local, regional, and national level.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize awarded to Madame Marie Curie. Hence it is an opportunity not only to celebrate science but also the contributions of women to science.
The year is also the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies. This provides a chance to highlight the benefits of international scientific collaboration.
The goals of IYC2011 are therefore 
- to increase the public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs,
- to encourage interest in chemistry among young people, 
- to generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry.
The IYC 2011 is an initiative of IUPAC, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It involves chemical societies, academies, and institutions worldwide, and relies on individual initiatives to organize local and regional activities.
Activity:
IYC 2011 events are designed to emphasize that chemistry is a creative science essential for sustainability and improvements to our way of life.  Activities, such as lectures, exhibits, and hands-on experiments, will explore how chemical research is critical for solving our most vexing global problems involving food, water, health, energy, transportation, and more.
You can participate, too. Find a friend or a teacher who is fond of chemistry. Organise a Science Day, with talks or science experiments. 
Look up the internet to know what others are doing around the world. For instance, there is already a long list of proposed activity all over India during the entire year.
Some examples are
Lectures:
. Ribosome and its tiny enemies
. Water chemistry purity etc
. climate change
. energy consumption 
. management of our water resources. 
. Chemistry of life:  how to capture biomolecules in action
Demonstrations/Exhibitions
. Identification of Blood Stains
. Chemi luminescence
. Lechatelier Principle 
. Dry Cleaning Process
. Environmental Chemistry related to air pollution by gases like COx, NOx and SOx 
. Chromatographic techniques
. Chemical experiments, which establish the logic behind some magical activities and help remove superstition.
Apart from organising your own activities under the umbrella of IYC, IYC also offers some global events and activities.
Water - A Chemical Solution
School students around the world will be invited to explore one of Earth's most critical resources, water. The results of their investigations will contribute to a Global Experiment, which will possibly become the biggest chemistry experiment ever. Students will focus on modules that examine the properties of their local water and the technological solutions that chemistry makes available to humanity in supplying clean drinking water.
The activities will include:
. Acidity - pH of the Planet: Students measure the pH of a local water source and explore the acidity of the water sample.
. Salinity - Salty Waters: The salinity of a salty water sample is measured by evaporation.
. Water Treatment - Water: No Dirt, No Germs - A dirty water sample is first clarified with a homemade filter and then disinfected.
. Distillation - Solar Still Challenge - Students construct and test a solar still, exploring how it works, and then construct a still to their own design.
Experiment modules can be carried out by children of all ages in schools across all continents because they are adaptable to the skills and interests of students, and use equipment that is widely available at little or no cost. Results will be electronically showcased as an interactive global data map at the end of 2011, demonstrating the value of international cooperation in science. It will also enthuse students to do science.
Schools are invited to register for the global experiment so that their classes can submit the results for the four activities to the Global Experiment Database.
In addition, there will be journal publications on inspiring issues such as the life of Marie Curie. Also, a series of films (less than 10 minutes long) will be released by the Nobel Prize archive, designed for students aspiring to a career in chemistry.
What is most wonderful about this initiative is that everyone can contribute ideas and share their information. So, get connected to the rest of the world. Look up the web-site, http://www.chemistry2011.org for more details and to sign up to flobal activities. Enjoy doing your project, and then write to Jantar Mantar and tell us what you did!

Source: http://www.chemistry2011.org