Salters’ Festival of Chemistry at Keele
Salters’ Festival of Chemistry at Keele
in partnership with
The Royal Society of Chemistry
at Keele University
Department of Chemistry
Thursday 12 May and Friday 13 May
One hundred students from 24 schools in Cheshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire will enjoy an exciting day of chemistry at the Salters' Festival of Chemistry to be held at Keele University on Thursday 12 May and Friday 13 May. Each school will be represented by a team of four 11-13 year olds.
During the morning of the 12 of May the teams will take part in a competitive, hands-on, practical activity, “The Salters’ Challenge” – “Murder comes to Salterstown” 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 asked to investigate materials that protect us from the sun, part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Mission: Starlight Global Experiment. This will be followed by a fun lecture.
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.
On the 13 of May, the festival is for teams with Special Educational Needs. In the morning they will investigate dyes and different fabrics. In the afternoon, the teams will carry out part of Mission: Starlight and design a space suit to protect from ultra-violet light.
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 2016.
The Institute is delighted to once again be working in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2016.
For more information please contact:
Dr Katherine Haxton
Keele University
E-mail:k.j.haxton@keele.ac.uk
Miss Laura Seamons
Programme Co-ordinator
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 2016 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 sixteen years, over 46,000 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 main activities are the Salters' Festivals of Chemistry, in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry, for 11 to 13 year olds 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: Salters' Chemistry Camps in India for 15 year olds, also in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry; Salters’ Graduate Prizes, Salters' National Awards for Science Technicians in collaboration with CLEAPSS and SSERC; 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.
7. Mission Starlight is the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Global Experiment on UV protective materials and is carried out in collaboration with the UK Space Agency and The European Space Agency. The experiment was introduced by Major Tim Peake, British Astronaut currently onboard the International Space Station. Further details are available: https://principia.org.uk/activity/mission-starlight/
For more information please contact:
Miss Laura Seamons
Programme Co-ordinator
The Salters' Institute
Tel No: 020 7628 5962 ext 224
E-mail: festivals@salters.co.uk
Website: www.festivalsofchemistry.co.uk