Upcoming CHeMneT Events

2012

May

16 May: Salters' Festival of Chemistry 2012 Festival 2

The second day of the annual Salters' chemistry competitions Schools may enter teams of 4 (Y7 and/or Y8) students.

As before entry is only via the web site: here and not directly to Bristol ChemLabS. The Salters' Festivals of Chemistry are an initiative of the Salters' Institute. Their objective is to help promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among the young.

24 May: Chemistry Workshop, Bristol Children's Hospital, Bristol

A Bristol ChemLabS outreach team, led by Elle Wadsworth will be working with children in the local hospital as part of an event sponsored by the Bristol and District RSC.

25 May: Polymer Chemistry Day, Worle Community School, Weston-Super-Mare

50 Year 9 students will investigate the physical properties and chemical reactions of monomers and polymers before enjoying an afternoon of lectures.

June

15 June: Chipping Sodbury Festival, South Gloucs

Bristol ChemLabS will once again be presenting two morning lecture demonstrations to all 105 Year 7 students from Chipping Sodbury School This annual event will be held in the Charter Suite, Chipping Sodbury Town Hall.

19 June: Lecture Demonstrations, St. Katherine's School, Ham Green, North Somerset

Tim Harrison will give two performances of the lecture demonstration 'A Pollutant's Tale' to students in the school's 200 seater lecture theatre. Local primary pupils will also be invited to one of the performances.

25-29 June: Bristol-Trinity College Dublin Chemistry Summer School

The Bristol ChemLabS at the University of Bristol and the School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin will hold the eighth residential chemistry summer school for Year 12 and Year 11 chemistry students who intend to study Post 16 chemistry. The summer school will start in the School of Chemistry at Bristol and then move to Trinity College Dublin during the week. There will be a mixture of practical work, lectures, talks, tours and social events.
There will be approximately 60 students attending from the UK, Ireland and from Saint Aloysius College in Malta.

Please fill in our online application form to secure your place which can be found here.

Reports and publications on previous years' Summer School

• UNIVERSITY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS: ON THE IMPACT ON STUDENTS OF SUMMER SCHOOLS
• Bristol - TCD Summer School 2008
• Times of Malta Article about the Summer School
• University of Bristol Article about Bristol ChemLabS Summer Schools
• Bristol - TCD Summer School 2007
• Bristol - TCD Summer School 2006

25-26 June: RSC Analytical Competition National Finals

Bristol ChemLabS will host the national finals of the Royal Society of Chemistry analytical competition. Up to 60 year 12 students winners of the regional heats, together with their teachers, will be engaged in the competition and social events from Monday evening until Tuesday afternoon.

28 June: University of Bristol Open Day

Please note, booking is essential for open days. For further information please see: Here

29 June: Pre-A Level day, Ribston Hall High School, Gloucestershire

50 Year 11 students intending to continue onto Post 16 courses at the Gloucester school will spend the day at the School of Chemistry synthesising the solid anaesthetic benzocaine. The students will enjoy a series of talks and the lecture demonstration 'A Chemical Delight' in the afternoon.

July

02, 03, 05 July: Open Laboratories Programme

The Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories are available for a wide range of morning workshops and afternoons of talks, tours and lecture demonstrations on these dates. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk for further information.

03 July: 'Gases in the Air', Widening Participation Unit, University of Bristol

Tim Harrison will be presenting a shortened version of the popular lecture demonstration 'Gases in the Air' at a lunchtime performance for between 20 and 40 Year 8 and Year 9 looked after children from Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

04 July: Caffeine Extraction Workshop, Malvern St James School for Girls, Malvern, Worcs

A group of 21 Post 16 students will visit Bristol ChemLabS to extract caffeine from tea in the morning and to attend a series of talks and tours in the afternoon.

A report from the school's visit in the previous year can be found here.

There are 40 spaces available. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk.

06 July: Schools Laboratory Day

The laboratory is available for schools. Typically at this time of year schools may want a pre-A level day. the laboratory can cope with 60 students. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk for further information.

09 July: Sutton Trust Summer School Chemistry Morning

Around 25 Year 12 students from the Sutton Trust Summer School will spend the morning working in the undergraduate teaching laboratories where they
will extract caffeine from tea. This event is organised annually by the University of Bristol's Widening Participation Office.

09 July: Aimhigher Unitaster Summer School

The Bristol University organised Aimhigher Unitaster Summer School will see a performance of 'A Pollutant's Tale'. All 50 participating students will be in Year 11 and from the south-west region with the ability to progress to Higher Education. The event is organised annually by the University of Bristol's Widening Participation Office.

11 July: Caffeine Extraction, Ribston Hall High School, Gloucester

A maximum of 56 Year 10 Triple Science students from the girls school will spend the morning at Bristol ChemLabS extracting caffeine from tea leaves before an afternoon of talks including the lecture demonstration 'A Chemical Delight'.

There are an additional 15 spaces available for this workshop. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk

10 July: Open Laboratories Programme

The Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories are available for a wide range of morning workshops and afternoons of talks, tours and lecture demonstrations on this date. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk for further information.

12-13 July: Y12 University Chemistry Experience Camp 2012

This residential course is intended for students who are considering reading a chemical sciences degree somewhere in the UK. The course will have a full programme of practical sessions, talks, lectures, tours and some social activity. This event is to promote chemical sciences degree courses in the UK and not specifically at Bristol. This is the sort of programme that can be listed on UCAS applications and should be mentioned in personal statements for anyone who is thinking of applying for a degree in the chemical sciences.

A provisional programme is posted here.

A previous course participant wrote, "It really helped to see and hear about the work that is going on at university. The research work sounded really interesting and made me want to continue doing chemistry at a higher level and to be a part of the work."

The cost will be £145.00 and will include one night's accommodation, breakfast, two packed lunches, an evening meal and lab costs. Lab coats and safety glasses will be available.

Please fill in our online application form to secure your place which can be found here.

For a reports on a recent chemistry camps please click here and here

16-20 July: School Groups Residential Chemistry Courses

This week is reserved for mainly international schools residential chemistry courses at the School of Chemistry. UK schools may also apply. The residential courses will be a mixture of chemistry labs and cultural visits. Weekends either side of these dates may be added and some schools will be of shorter duration.

A draft proposal of the course can be found here.

For more information please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk

September

17-27 September: Spectroscopy Tours, Bristol ChemLabS

The provisional dates for the annual spectroscopy tours are 17, 19, 21 [Mon Wed, Fri] and 24, 25, 27 [Mon, Tues and Thurs] September. The tours will comprise 4 or 5 twenty minute talks will involve infra red, NMR, mass spectrometry, electron microscopy to which may be added one from; uv-visible, GCMS and x-ray crystallography.

Groups will be limited to 50 per morning or afternoon. Timings are 10:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 16:15. There will be a charge for this.
Bookings will open in the summer term when the dates are confirmed. At this time contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk.

18 September: Caffeine Extraction Workshop, Radley College, Oxon

28 Year 13 Chemists will spend the day in the School of Chemistry carrying out practical work in the undergraduate teaching laboratories and enjoying a series of lectures, talks and demonstrations in the afternoon.

22 September: University of Bristol Open Day

This is a provisional date and is a Saturday. Please note, booking is essential for open days. For further information please see: Here

October

02 October: Schools Conference, Cheltenham, Gloucs

Bristol ChemLabS will again be working with Cheltenham Ladies College to present a conference for senior students from schools in the area. The conference will have 3 speakers including at least one lecture demonstration and will run from 9:30 to 12:30pm.

'The Chemistry of Fragrances', Tim Harrison, Bristol
'The Pharmaceutical Industry,' (TBC) by a Bristol Postgraduate
'Chemistry for the Terrified, ' Dr John Kilcoyne (Sunderland)

This is a free event.The conference is being sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

For further information please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk .

03 October: Chemistry for the Terrified, Ribston Hall, Gloucester

John Kilcoyne (Sunderland), assisted by Tim Harrison, will give two lecture demonstrations in the afternoon highlighting the importance of chemistry in an amusing way.

04 October: Chemistry Lectures. Wycliffe College, Stroud, Gloucs

Tim Harrison and John Kilcoyne (Sunderland) will present a series of chemistry lecture demonstrations for students from Wycliffe and other local schools throughout the day.

05 October: Climate Science Day, Leweston School, Dorset

Tim Harrison and Dudley Shallcross, among other Bristol Chemists, will be presenting a conference on climate chemistry as part of a Royal Society sponsored event to senior students from local schools. The afternoon will see a lecture demonstration by John Kilcoyne who will present the talk 'Chemistry for the Terrified'.

05 October: Spectroscopy in a Suitcase Visit, Red Maids School Bristol

A team from Bristol ChemLabS will be visiitng the Year 13 chemistry students at this local school to deliver a lesson on spectroscopy using the region's Spectroscopy in A Suitcase (SIAS) portable infra-red and UV-Visible spectrophotometers. The event is sponsored by the RSC.

For more information about such visits please contact: chem-net@bristol.ac.uk.

10 October: Benzocaine Synthesis Workshop, Schools Laboratory Programme.

Marlborough College will again be bringing their post 16 students for a Benzocaine Synthesis Workshop in to the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories in the morning and for an afternoon of talks and lecture demonstrations.

There are 25 available spaces at this workshop for Post 16 students.

11-12 October: Mid Cornwall Schools Chemistry Conferences, Cornwall.

Bristol ChemLabS, sponsored by the RSC's Analytical Division Western Region and assisted by the Cornwall Education Authority will be visiting four 11-16 secondary schools to hold conferences with Key Stage 4 students. The conferences will comprise a talk given by a postgraduate chemist and the lecture demonstration 'A Pollutant's Tale' given by Tim Harrison. Four local primary schools will also be visited by a member of the Outreach team at the same time.

The Schools taking part will be: Penair School (Truro), The Roseland School (Tregony), Brannel School (St.Stephen) and Poltair School (St.Austell) will be visited.

17 October: Schools Laboratory Programme

The labs have been made available for schools use. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk for further information or see here.

31 October: Schools Laboratory Programme

The labs have been made available for schools use. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk for further information or see here.

November

3-6 November: Science is Culture Conference, Malta

Tim Harrison will be presenting a series of workshops and lecture demonstrations to students, science educators and artists as part of this international conference. Tim Harrison will also be presenting lecture demonstrations in local schools.

14 November: Synthesis Day for Invited Schools

70 Post 16 students from a range of invited schools will spend the day at the School of Chemistry synthesising the solid anaesthetic benzocaine and enjoying series of talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon.
This annual event is being sponsored by Bristol Chemical Synthesis Doctoral Training Centre (DTC).

21 November: Caffeine Extraction Morning

Students will spend the morning in the laboratories before going on to the afternoon Schools' Conference. There is a charge for this activity. For more information please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk or see here.

21 November: Christmas Schools Conference Afternoon 1

This conference is aimed at senior Key Stage 4 and Post 16 students and will run from 14:00-16:45 . A confirmed programme will appear here in due course.
13:50 - 14:00-Welcome Tim Harrison (Bristol)
14:00 - 14:50 Title TBC Zoe Schnepp (National Institute for Materials Science, Japan/Birmingham)
14:50 - 15:30 A talk from a Postgraduate chemist TBA
15:30 - 15:45 'Break
15:45 - 16:45 'A Chemical Delight' Tim Harrison (Bristol). This is a lecture demonstration on aspects of chemical kinetics.

This conference is sponsored by the local branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry. There will be a small charge per student. Please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk to book places.

28 November: Caffeine Extraction Morning

Students will spend the morning in the laboratories before going on to the afternoon Schools’ Conference. There is a charge for this activity. For more information please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk or see here.

28 November: Christmas Schools Conference Afternoon 2

The conference is aimed at Key Stage 4 and Post 16 students and will run from 2:00 – 4:30 pm. A full programme will appear here in due course.
This conference is sponsored by the local branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry. There will be a small charge per student. Please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk to book places.

December

10-14 December: Winter Chemistry School, National University of Singapore

A Bristol ChemLabS team will again be working with the School of Chemistry at NUS to deliver a week of activities for students in Singapore. This visit follows a year's break due to new laboratories being built.

19 December: Anaesthetic Synthesis Day, Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

Up to 40 Post 16 students from St John's School, Marlborough (Wilts) will spend the morning synthesising the anaesthetic benzocaine on their annual visit to the School of Chemistry. In the afternoon the students will have a tour of the department, a talk on Aspirin Synthesis and the Pharmaceutical industry and the lecture demonstration 'A Chemical Delight', the latter expected to be given by Tim Harrison.

There are another 20 spaces available at this workshop. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk for further information.

2013

January

07 January: Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

The content of this session is not yet set so colleagues can liaise with Tim Harrison as to the details of the programme. Depending on workshops the maximum numbers of spaces is 80 and ages of students can be from Y7 to Y13. The morning sessions will be spent in the undergraduate laboratories with talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon. The charges for sessions depend on content. Suggestions as to possible workshops can be found here.

08 January: RSC 'Top of the Bench' Competition Bristol and District Heats

Top of the Bench is a national competition run by the RSC for 14-16 year old students to select a team to represent the section in the UK final the following year. The teams should consist of two students from Year 9, one from Year 10 and one from Year 11.

This event is normally run in an evening between 6:30 and 9:30 pm.

For entry to the competition schools should please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk.

09-10 Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

The content of these sessions is not yet set so colleagues can liaise with Tim Harrison as to the details of the programme. Depending on workshops the maximum numbers of spaces is 80 and ages of students can be from Y7 to Y13. The morning sessions will be spent in the undergraduate laboratories with talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon. The charges for sessions depend on content. Suggestions as to possible workshops can be found here.

17, 24 and 31 January: Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

The content of these sessions is not yet set so colleagues can liaise with Tim Harrison as to the details of the programme. Depending on workshops the maximum numbers of spaces is 80 and ages of students can be from Y7 to Y13. The morning sessions will be spent in the undergraduate laboratories with talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon. The charges for sessions depend on content. Suggestions as to possible workshops can be found here.

February

06 February: The RSC Analytical Competition Regional Heats

This competition for teams of three Year 12 students will take place in the School of Chemistry. The winning team will represent the Bristol and District Section of the RSC in the national finals. The Final of the Competition sees around 16 teams competing for a Challenge Shield. First, Second and Third placed teams in the National Final receive prizes of £750, £500 and £250 respectively with the other finalists receiving £100 each. There are also prizes for the individual team members of the first and runner-up teams.

For further information see here
For entry to the competition schools should please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk.

20 February: Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

The content of the sessions is not yet set so colleagues can liaise with Tim Harrison as to the details of the programme. Depending on workshops the maximum numbers of spaces is 80 and ages of students can be from Y7 to Y13. The morning sessions will be spent in the undergraduate laboratories with talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon. The charges for sessions depend on content. Suggestions as to possible workshops can be found here.

26th February: Lecture Demonstration, Swindon Academy, Wiltshire

Tim Harrison will deliver a performance of 'Gases in the Air' at the Swindon School. This event is sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry Bristol and District branch.

27 February: Edexcel's Practical Examination Components Session SPACES AVAILABLE

Around 20 Year 13 chemistry students from Wellington School, Somerset will spend the day in the School of Chemistry working on a two stage synthesis practical assessment for Edexcel in the morning and talks on various spectroscopies, including GCMS, NMR and UV-VIS, in the afternoon.

An additional 40 laboratory spaces are available either for examination coursework or for a benzocaine or caffeine extraction workshop. Please contact t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk.

March

06 March: Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

The content of the sessions is not yet set so colleagues can liaise with Tim Harrison as to the details of the programme. Depending on workshops the maximum numbers of spaces is 80 and ages of students can be from Y7 to Y13. The morning sessions will be spent in the undergraduate laboratories with talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon. The charges for sessions depend on content. Suggestions as to possible workshops can be found here.

12 March: Evening Chemistry Conference for Years 10-13

Each year Bristol ChemLabS puts on an evening conference for schools. This will run from 19:00 to 21:00 within the School of Chemistry and will include one lecture demonstration. Details o the speakers will be announced in the Autumn 2012.

13 March: Caffeine Extraction Workshop, Schools Laboratory Programme

Up to 25 students from Year 12 from Jersey College for Girls, (St Saviour, Jersey) will spend the morning in the Bristol ChemLabS Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories to extract caffeine from tea leaves ahead of an workshop on UV-Vis spectroscopy, talks, demonstration lecture and tours of the School of Chemistry.

There are 50 additional places available for this workshop.
There is a charge for this workshop. Please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk for further information or to book places.

20 March: Schools' Laboratory Programme SPACES AVAILABLE

The content of this session is not yet set so colleagues can liaise with Tim Harrison as to the details of the programme. Depending on workshops the maximum numbers of spaces is 80 and ages of students can be from Year 7 to Year 13. The morning sessions will be spent in the undergraduate laboratories with talks and lecture demonstrations in the afternoon. The charges for sessions depend on content. Suggestions as to possible workshops can be found here.

20 March: Caffeine Extraction Morning

Up to 80 students from Years 10-13 will spend the morning in the Bristol ChemLabS Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories to extract caffeine from tea leaves ahead of the Schools' Science and Engineering Week Conference in the afternoon.

There is a charge for this workshop. Please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk for further information or to book places.

20 March: Schools Science Conference for Key Stage 4 & 5 Students

An afternoon student conference for aged 15-18 schools will see a mixture of talks on aspects of chemistry with a lecture demonstration on some of Tim Harrison's favourite pieces of practical chemistry. Timings are expected to be 14:00 to 16:30. A full schedule will be published by October 2012.
This conference is sponsored by the local branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

There will be a small charge per student. Please contact chem-net@bristol.ac.uk to book places.

May

01 May: Polymer Chemistry Day, Sherborne School for Girls, Dorset

Around 75 Year 10 students will spend the day at the School of Chemistry doing practicals and engaging in lectures as part of their annual visit.

November

05-11 November: A Pollutant's Tale, Perth, Australia

Tim Harrison will be performing a number of lecture demonstrations and workshops in association with Edith Cowan University, Perth. back to top of CHeMneT activities | back to all Outreach upcoming events

Projects being developed for secondary schools outreach work include:

Practical Chemistry Opportunities for KS4 and Post 16 Students

A portfolio of work for practical-based day workshops has been developed that will allow GCSE and A/AS-level students to come to the undergraduate teaching laboratories to spend a day, a morning or an afternoon carrying out practical work (synthesis, extraction, analysis). These are available as the Bristol ChemLabS Schools' Laboratory Programme.

This programme is being further developed. If you are a chemistry teacher and would like to discuss the elaboration of a bespoke chemistry day, perhaps as part of a Royal Society Partnership Grant, please contact Tim Harrison (t.g.harrison@bristol.ac.uk).

STEM Ambassadors Training

Postgraduates at the School of Chemistry are undertaking Ambassador training to equip them with the information and skills required to go into schools to talk to students. It is proposed that such postgraduates may be used to assist in the delivery of elements of AS/A-Level General Studies 'science' modules.