Calcium sulfate an unusual property: when mixed with water at normal (ambient) temperatures, it quickly reverts chemically to the preferred dihydrate form, while physically "setting" to form a rigid and relatively strong gypsum crystal lattice: This reaction is exothermic and is responsible for the ease with which gypsum can be cast into various shapes including sheets (for drywall), sticks (for blackboard chalk), and molds (to immobilize broken bones, or for metal casting). Mixed with polymers, it has been used as a bone repair cement. Small amounts of calcined gypsum are added to earth to create strong structures directly from cast earth, an
You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project The You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project was an annual US-wide initiative that combated hateful rhetoric aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community through the use of positive, uplifting chalk messages. The project's mission was to send messages of hope to members of the LGBTQ community who were struggling with depression or feelings of isolation. It served as a suicide prevention awareness campaign for LGBTQ college students. The You-Are-Loved Chalk Message Project was founded at Drew University (Madison, New Jersey) in 2005 in response to personal tragedy. It went nationwide in 2009 as a