Reactions Issue 1 - Royal Society of Chemistry

Reactions
Issue
1 | April 2007
Welcome to the first edition of Reactions, the newsletter that tells you all
about Chemistry for our Future. This two-year £3.6m pilot programme,
financed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England,
is designed to ensure a strong future for chemical science higher
education.
Chemistry for our Future began on 1st September 2006. This newsletter introduces you to our
programme activities, which cover the following areas:
• Outreach - demonstrates the excitement of chemical sciences and career opportunities available
to school and college students through the project Chemistry: The Next Generation
• e-mentoring – will overcome the challenges of traditional face-to-face mentoring through an
innovative scheme
• Teacher and academic fellowships – a scheme that enhances understanding between school
and university chemistry and smoothes the transition to higher education
• Higher education curriculum development – improving the diversity of provision, teaching
methods and content of degree courses
• Smarter use of higher education laboratories - exploring the use of university facilities with local
schools and colleges
• Careers – a review of careers advice for school and college students, incorporating new resources
In this issue
Universities open their
cutting edge labs to
schools 2
E-mentoring for future
scientists 3
Bridging the gap between
school and university 3
Inspiring the next
generation of chemists 4
Reactions will be published biannually and will keep you up-to-date with programme developments
and forthcoming events. Your input will be welcome and if there’s anything you’d like to see covered
in the newsletter, please contact Josephine Tunney at tunneyj@rsc.org.
Meet the team
The Chemistry for our Future project management team is based at the RSC in Burlington House, London.
Josephine Tunney, National Programme Manager
Jo has managed a wide range of projects that
support chemical science higher education
since she joined the RSC in April 2004 and is
now responsible for overall management of
Chemistry for our Future.
tunneyj@rsc.org | +44 (0)207 440 3348
Elizabeth O’Donnell, Project Officer
Elizabeth recently joined the RSC after
finishing her PhD at the University of
Strathclyde. She’s involved with all aspects
of the programme and manages the
e-mentoring and fellowship schemes.
odonnelle@rsc.org | +44 (0)207 440 3366
Kate Burrell, Chemistry: The Next Generation National Manager
Kate has been managing the outreach project
Chemistry: The Next Generation since it began
in November 2004 and continues to do so
now it’s an integral part of Chemistry for our
Future. She taught secondary school science
and has a background in biochemistry.
burrellk@rsc.org | +44 (0)207 440 3330
Nathalie Durili, Administration Assistant
Nathalie worked in the City as an administrator
before joining the RSC in 2005. Her many
responsibilities include managing promotional
materials, organising conferences and keeping
the website up to date. She’s also studying
part-time for a BA in French Studies.
durilin@rsc.org | +44 (0)207 440 3351

2 | Issue 1 | April 2007
Schools experiment in cutting edge style
School students in Yorkshire and the South
West will soon enjoy practical chemistry in
cutting-edge university laboratory facilities
instead of school. Thanks to projects
funded through Chemistry for our Future,
the Universities of Sheffield and Bristol are
exploring how they can widen access to their
teaching facilities. A purpose-built schools lab
will be available year-round at Sheffield, while
at Bristol facilities will be offered during the
traditional university downtime of Wednesday
afternoons and exam periods.
Chemistry for our Future funding is being
used to build the lab at Sheffield which will
be used solely by schools and teachers. Due
to be launched in September, about 1,500
students are expected to use it annually. It
will be available to schools as an open-access,
free resource which can be used in a normal
teaching capacity. Teachers can alternatively
take advantage of a series of pre-packaged
experiments designed, checked and packaged
by the lab’s dedicated technician – all of which
will be relevant to the current A and AS Levels.
Installation of the lab begins this month and
local schools will trial the facilities in June and
July.
Simon Jones, Senior Lecturer in Organic
Chemistry at Sheffield, is leading the project.
He said: “The new lab will have a double
impact – students will be able to experience
the excitement and fun of practical chemistry,
whilst teachers will improve their confidence
of teaching experimental science.”
“We’re really hoping schools will come back a
School students enjoying practical chemistry at the University of Bristol
second or third time so the students get a chance to meet undergraduates and postgraduates,
and get a good idea of what studying chemistry at university is like.”
Meanwhile, at the University of Bristol, a coordinated programme of curriculum-based practical
activities will be offered to local schools at the £18m teaching laboratories, Bristol ChemLabS,
which opened in February. Funded by HEFCE, with a large capital investment from the
university, the facilities will be amongst the best in the country for teaching practical chemistry.
Activities designed in consultation with local teachers and science advisors will include:
• Two-day taster sessions for year 11 students who have just completed their GCSEs
• A suite of experiments for Key Stage 4, AS and A2 level students
• Revision workshops for GCSE students focussing on structure and bonding, energy and
organic chemistry
• Research opportunities for students performing extended A level projects
Trials of all the activities will take place with a small number of partner schools over the next few
months. The full programme of events will be launched in September.
Meeting the needs of learners
Chemistry for our Future provides a unique, timely opportunity to review higher education chemical
science courses as secondary level teaching undergoes widespread changes. A new range of
science GCSEs was introduced recently and revised A Level chemistry specifications will follow next
year. Universities need to take these changes into account to make sure that their courses appeal to
prospective students and meet their needs and expectations.
Four curriculum development themes are being explored through Chemistry for our Future:
1 Improving the school to university transition
2 Introduction and evaluation of context and problem based learning
3 Greater access through distance learning
4 Maximising the benefits of European reform
Read about one of the new school to university transition projects on page 3.

April 2007 | Issue 1 | 3
Boot-camps give a head start
An innovative scheme to improve the practical skills of new
undergraduates is being developed at the University of Manchester.
Chemical boot-camps will give students the opportunity to take
part in an intensive practical course before they begin their degree.
Academics Sarah Heath and Garry Procter came up with the idea
in response to concerns about the practical skills and confidence
of first year undergraduates. A decline in the amount of practical
chemistry taught in schools has resulted from poor facilities and
health and safety issues, inevitably leading to problems when
students arrive at university.
“Many students find undergraduate labs very daunting” says Heath.
“Not knowing what’s going on, not having the confidence to use
equipment, and not understanding what’s expected of you can be
very unsettling.”
The course will last up to a week and aims to equip students with
the essential skills needed for practical chemistry, such as an ability
to assemble glassware, record infra-red spectra, perform molar
calculations and assess hazards. Heath explains: “It’s all about the
basics – being able to read through a practical script, understand
what you’re being asked to do, perform the experiment and record
the results.”
“We’re really hoping to be able to boost the students’ confidence so
they can hit the ground running when they start their degree.”
Procter and Heath, funded by Chemistry for our Future, are
developing a full programme of experiments for the intensive
practical course, complete with detailed demonstrator and
technician notes. The experiments will be tested by undergraduates
and local school children before the prototype course is launched
later this year.
For more information, please visit www.rsc.org/cfof.
Blog an e-mentor!
This month sees the launch of Future Blogs, an innovative
e-mentoring scheme which will help guide secondary school
students through their educational and career choices. The scheme
has been developed with the Brightside Trust and builds upon
the success of a similar e-mentoring scheme available to students
interested in studying medicine and healthcare subjects.
Future Blogs allows mentors and students to keep in touch through
a web-based service, removing the constraints associated with
traditional face-to-face mentoring, and the need to travel.
Twelve universities across England, each linked to three schools, will
provide undergraduate and postgraduate mentors. Insight into a
wide range of employment areas will come from 50 professional
chemical science mentors.
Mentoring via the Future Blogs website will provide:
• Weblog-style journals for easy communication
• Tailored prompts and news articles to stimulate and focus
discussion
• An extensive resource library
• Online mentor training
• Discussion forums for mentors and project coordinators
• Support with project implementation, training and technical
issues
The website is available at www.futureblogs.org. For more
information on the scheme, or to suggest news articles for the
website, please contact Elizabeth O’Donnell at odonnelle@rsc.org.
Date for your diary
National Chemistry for our Future Conference 3 July 2007, Aston Business School

4 | Issue 1 | April 2007
Hands-on chemistry is the winning formula
per cent of the students who’ve attended our
outreach events say they’re now more likely to
consider studying chemistry at university.”
The collaboration which has made the events
possible has been another success story.
Chemistry: The Next Generation has brought
together expertise in universities and industry
to offer students an exciting menu of activities
including:
Cool chemistry inspiring students
Harry Potter style chemistry, liquid crystal production and solar cell design are some of the
hands-on activities offered through an outreach project which gives school students an
enthusiasm for chemistry.
Chemistry: The Next Generation has proved so successful in an initial pilot in the East Midlands,
North West and London that it’s now being rolled out to thousands more school students in the
South East, Yorkshire and Humber and the North East.
The outreach project showcases the excitement of chemical science and the advantages of
going to university. It targets school students who may not otherwise consider a degree course.
University and further education collaboration with industry gives students the chance to
experience hands-on chemistry.
In the pilot project involving more than 19,000 young people, school children visited universities
and industrial sites. They took part in activities involving state of the art equipment and learned
about careers in chemistry.
Kate Burrell, National Manager of the project, believes the opportunity to get involved with
hands-on activities is key to the success of the outreach events: “Practical chemistry is what
brings the subject to life and fires enthusiasm.
“Activities such as ‘Hands free and hands on’ where students get to learn about the chemistry
of mobile phones, make liquid crystals and design solar cells have been a real hit. Around 40
• Magical chemical energy – chemistry
Harry Potter style
• Food for thought – isolating DNA from
kiwi fruit
• Plastic milk – transforming milk protein
into fridge magnets
• Murder in the lab – whodunit?
• The Jelly Baby sacrifice – exploring the
energy of sugars
• Chemistry careers fair – showcasing the
opportunities available
Events are organised on a regional basis by
a team of six coordinators who are based in
universities. They act as a central point of
contact for schools, academics and industrial
partners and work with other organisations
seeking to raise the aspirations of young
people such as Aimhigher, Science Learning
Centres, Education Business Partnerships and
the Science, Engineering, Technology and
Mathematics Network.
Information on all our project partners and
forthcoming events can be found on our
website at www.rsc.org/cfof. We’re always
interested to hear from anyone who has
ideas for future activities or who’d like to
get involved with organising events. Please
contact Kate Burrell at burrellk@rsc.org.
Contact us
Royal Society of Chemistry
Burlington House
Piccadilly
London W1J 0BA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7440 3344
Fax: +44 (0)20 7287 9825
Registered Charity Number 207890
Regional Coordinators
East Midlands
Liz Blackshaw
University of Leicester
emb23@le.ac.uk
North West
Jenny Faulkner,
University of Manchester
jennifer.faulkner@manchester.ac.uk
Yorkshire and Humberside
Rukhsana Rahim,
University of Huddersfield
r.rahim@hud.ac.uk
London
Jayne Shaw,
University College London
aimhigherchemistrylondon@ucl.ac.uk
North East
Kevin Carr,
University of Sunderland
kevin.carr@sunderland.ac.uk
South East
Jennifer Hider,
University of Surrey
j.hider@surrey.ac.uk