Club Spotlight: NDSU Chemistry & Biochemistry Club

Next week, from April 20-24, NDSU’s chemistry and biochemistry club will be holding soap sales in the Memorial Union. In preparation for the upcoming tabling event, I reached out to club members in order to learn more about what their organization does, what impact it has on STEM students and to learn about the soapmaking process.

According to the STEM-oriented club’s president, Adam Bendewald, “The NDSU Chemistry and Biochemistry Club is a student chapter for the greater American Chemical Society (ACS). We, as a local ACS undergraduate chapter, support NDSU’s students in navigating the fields of chemistry, biochemistry and other related STEM disciplines.” The support that Bendewald mentions includes weekly officer and club meetings for members, monthly game nights and other activities that foster and build community among the students.

Soapmaking has become one of the club’s many routine activities. According to Bendewald, “Soapmaking started as a collaborative summer project.” As the soapmaking recipe and process was developed and refined, Bendewald and the club’s former treasurer and NDSU graduate, Garrett Honzay, introduced soapmaking into the club’s activity rotation. Soapmaking, which has been held since the 2024 academic year, has been a way for “students to learn how to make handmade soap.” Any surplus from these activities could then be sold to other students.

Soapmaking, being a process that incorporates chemical reactions, is the perfect activity for the chemistry and biochemistry students. Bendewald laid out the process of how the soap bars are created, a method called saponification. “This involves reacting lye (sodium hydroxide) with a mixture of plant-derived oils. Near the end of the reaction, we scent our soap with plant-derived essential oils and color it with natural clays.” Bendewald mentioned that coffee grounds and salt may also be incorporated for extra exfoliant (dead skin removing agents). “The soap mixture then cures for three to five weeks before it is sale ready.” The process of making soap only takes a few hours to prep and make, making it an easy-to-do evening activity for participants.

Once it is cured, cut and prepared for sales, the soap is promoted on the club’s Instagram account and taken to the Memorial Union for sales. The funds raised by these sales are used in a number of ways. “Fundraisers support our student organization’s efforts in fostering professional development and a science-centric community on campus.” Additionally, funds have been directed to ACS Symposia and networking events, where attendees “present research, meet faculty in academia and industry and become familiar with the process of scientific communication.”

If interested in learning more about the NDSU Chemistry and Biochemistry, soap sales and club tabling will be held April 20-24 in the Memorial Union. Additional information on club activities can also be found at the club’s social media (@ndsu_chem_and_biochem_club) and on myNDSU. Furthermore, club meetings are held every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Sugihara Hall, room 252.