Nottingham University Trip For College Chemists

Chemistry students at The Sixth Form College, Solihull have been making the most of a fruitful relationship between the College and Nottingham University’s Chemistry department, with a recent visit to the prestigious university to present their results of research projects set by the university.

The scheme began in January, when approximately 70 students attended a School Liaison Day at Nottingham University. As part of this they sat in on a number of enlightening lectures covering recent developments in areas such as atmospheric chemistry and nanotechnology and had a tour of the department. They were also treated to the world famous ‘Thunder and Lightning’ Chemistry lecture.

Whilst at Nottingham, students were introduced to three possible project areas by members of the Nottingham University Chemistry Department and from February onwards 11 College students attended weekly twilight sessions in order to carry out project work at the College. Work undertaken focussed on the preparation and stereochemistry of nickel complexes and the kinetics of the reaction between propanone and iodine.

These students returned to Nottingham in March for a day of experimental work, including the use of the sophisticated instrumentation available at the University. In June, the students returned to the university for a third time in order to present their findings to an audience of university staff.

Trevor Irving, Deputy Head of Faculty at the College and a Chemistry teacher, commented: "Statistics suggest that there is a general decline in students studying sciences at advanced level, but at the College we are bucking that trend. We have 398 students currently studying Chemistry alone and this scheme was very beneficial to many of those students.

"For those that undertook the projects, it was a chance to be stretched beyond the A Level syllabus with apparatus and procedures that are not a part of the present specifications. If the presentations at the end of last month are anything to go by, these students learnt a lot from the experience.

"We must thank the staff of Nottingham University Chemistry Department, particularly Dr. June McCombie, for their encouragement and the time they have spent with students either with small groups or a one-to-one basis."