Teenagers distill wonders of chemistry

Now in their eighth year at Cambridge, The Salters’ Chemistry Camps are two-day subject-taster residentials which enable students to experience the fun of chemistry and motivate them to develop a long-term interest in the subject.

 

The prestigious annual event is sponsored by The Salters’ Institute, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the Institute of Chemical Engineers, The Royal Society, The Royal Society of Chemistry and the University.

 

This year, students were invited to tackle several challenging experiments to unlock the mysteries of chemiluminescence, molecular bonds, melting points and oscillating reactions, the process that gives tigers their stripes. 

 

Participants got their hands on state-of-the-art equipment and were expected to work in much the same way as first-year chemistry undergraduates. 

 

After showing a group of students how an infrared spectrometer works, Joe Ciardello, a third-year PhD student at Cambridge, said

 

“I didn’t get an opportunity like this when I was at school - I wish I had. It’s great to see people getting so excited about chemistry. This is my third Salters’ Camp and I’m always impressed by how engaged the students are, their efficiency and how they grow in confidence.”

Raiyyan Ismail, a student from King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in Birmingham, said

 

“At school, we’re normally all doing the same experiment but there are lots of things going on here and you have to work things out for yourself. I was surprised by how quickly I got the hang of using the equipment. Earlier we made a clock using chemical reactions and later, we’re working on the chemistry of paint, which sounds really interesting.”

 

Kate Southam, a student at The Appleton School in Benfleet said

 

“The lab is much bigger than at school. It’s nice to work with people from other schools and we get to use more dangerous chemicals here, and really expensive equipment.”

 

At the end of an action-packed session in the lab, the Campers enjoy a varied social programme including opportunities to explore other parts of the University and town.

 

Salters’ Camps will be held at six universities throughout the UK this year. The first Camps were held in 1998, since when around 9,500 students have taken part. Each Camp hosts fifty or sixty 15-year-olds from a variety of schools across the country. 

 

The Salters’ Company is one of the Great Twelve City of London Livery Companies and was founded in 1394 to regulate and represent the medieval trade in salt. The Company’s activities today are centred on charitable and educational giving.

 

The Company's flagship charity, The Salters' Institute (est. 1918) promotes the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among young people and encourages careers in the teaching of chemistry and in the UK chemical and allied industries. 

 

Cambridge is committed to widening participation both at the University itself and in higher education more generally. In 2013-14, the collegiate University delivered 4,000 access events which led to almost 200,000 interactions with young people and their teachers. For more information, visit www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk