Salters’ Festival of Chemistry at Keele
Salters’ Festival of Chemistry
in partnership with
The Royal Society of Chemistry
at
Keele University Department of Chemistry
13th and 14th of May 2015
92 students from 21 schools in the Staffordshire region will enjoy an exciting day of chemistry at the Salters' Festivals of Chemistry to be held at Keele University on the 13th and 14th of May 2015. Each school will be represented by a team of four 11-13 year olds.
On the 13th of May, the Festival primarily for special schools will take the teams on a tour of the chemistry of plastics through a series of hands-on activities and challenges designed to test their powers of observation and problem solving.
During the morning of the 14th of May the teams will take part in a competitive, hands-on, practical activity, “The Salters’ Challenge” - “Trouble at the Salt Mine!” in which they will use their analytical chemistry skills. In the afternoon, they will compete in the “University Challenge”, a practical activity chosen by the University, in which they will be required to show off their problem solving skills and creativity. This will be followed by a fun lecture, by Dr David Thomson involving some flashes, some bangs and some unexpected colour changes.
The day will end with a Prizegiving at which all participants will be given individual fun prizes and participation certificates and the winning teams will be awarded prizes for their schools.
The Salters' Festivals of Chemistry are an initiative of The Salters' Institute, whose aim is to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences amongst the young, and to encourage careers in the teaching of chemistry and in the UK chemical and allied industries.
The Festivals at Keele University are two of a series of 49 Festivals which are taking place at Universities and Colleges throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland between March and June 2015.
The Institute is delighted to once again be working in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2015.
For more information please contact:
Dr Katherine Haxton
Keele University
Tel No: 01782 734209
E-mail: k.j.haxton@keele.ac.uk
OR
Mrs Stephanie Mearns
Institute Administrator
The Salters' Institute
Tel No: 020 7628 5962 ext 224
E-mail: festivals@salters.co.uk
Website: www.festivalsofchemistry.co.uk
Editors Notes
1. The Festivals are one-day events for schools held at Universities and Colleges throughout the UK and Ireland. The first series of Festivals was held in 1991. Festivals were then held in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. Since 2000 Festivals have been held every year. In 2015 there will be a series of 49 Festivals being hosted by 39 Universities and Colleges between March and June. The aim of the Festivals is to make chemistry more exciting, more relevant and fun to students aged 11 to 13 years and to encourage schools to set up their own chemistry clubs.
2. Competing schools are represented by a team of four students from years 7 or 8 (or equivalent in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). Prizes for the winning schools are awarded at each Festival and all participants receive fun prizes and certificates. During the last fifteen years, over 44,000 students have experienced the fun of practical chemistry through the Salters' Festivals of Chemistry.
3. Since 1991 sponsorship support of the Festivals has been raised from over one hundred companies. Many of the Festivals are also sponsored by local companies.
4. The Salters’ Company is one of the Great Twelve City of London Livery Companies and was founded in 1394 for the medieval trade in salt. The Company’s activities today are centred on charitable and educational giving. The Salters' Institute, established in 1918, is the Flagship Charity of the Salters' Company and aims to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences amongst the young and to encourage careers in the teaching of chemistry and in the UK chemical and allied industries.
5. The Institute’s three core activities are the Salters' Festivals of Chemistry, in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry, for 11 to 13 year olds; Salters' Chemistry Camps for 15 year olds, in partnership with other scientific institutions; and Curriculum Development, undertaken at The University of York, which includes the GCSE course Twenty First Century Science, Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology, Salters Advanced Chemistry, Salters Horners Advanced Physics and York Science for KS3.
6. Other Institute activities include: The Salters’ Graduate Prizes, Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology Prizes, Salters Advanced Chemistry Prizes, Salters Horners Advanced Physics Prizes, Salters’ City and Guilds Prizes, and annual events including a Seminar on a current hot topic in Science Education, and culminating with the Salters’ Awards Ceremony which is held towards the end of each year at Salters’ Hall.