Chemistry in Action!

Our A Level Chemistry students recently had the opportunity to be inspired by leading chemists in academia and industry. These sessions were designed to promote and raise awareness of the various Science careers present in the Chemistry sector. Furthermore, students were provided with guidance on how to approach and tackle A Level exam questions successfully.

Our students were able to learn from the following speakers:

1. Andrea Sella, Chemist and Broadcaster - University College London:

Lecture: Terra Rara – The Unknown Elemental Sea

Andrea discussed rare Earth metals and their importance in electronics.

2. Professor Saiful Islam - University of Oxford

Lecture: New materials for green energy – batteries included

In this session, Professor Saiful Islam discussed development of new materials which is crucial to advance low carbon energy applications. He highlighted (with 3D specs) the use of atomic-scale modelling and structural techniques to understand new crystalline materials for lithium batteries and solar cells.

3. Jess Wade, Materials Scientist - Imperial College London

Lecture: How chiral materials will change the world!

Jess revealed the most miraculous molecular structures of all exist as a pair of non-superimposable mirror images.

4. Kit Chapman - Author and Chemist

Lecture: Chemistry in Conflict

Kit allowed students to discover some of the strangest ways Chemistry has changed the course of Military History.

5. Dr Jamie Gallagher - University of Glasgow

Lecture: The Quantum Rainbow

Dr Jamie Gallagher helped us to understand why we see colours and how Chemists have developed ways to control colours.

Here are some thoughts from one of our Year 12 students:

"Attending Chemistry in Action held at the Emmanuel Centre was an enjoyable experience. The event was very lively as all speakers had various topics to dictate. Personally, I found the topic on Light and Chemistry very interesting and I additionally found the exam tips very helpful. I am very grateful to have gone and I would love to experience it again."

Written by Diya Shah, Year 12 student