Cool Discoveries in Cambridge

Last month, the Education Team descended upon Cambridge for two days of chemistry, careers, and plenty of cool discoveries. With almost 100 local secondary school students in attendance across the two Discovery Days which were held at the University of Cambridge, we are delighted to share the highlights of these days with you.

Our Discovery Days give 14-16 year olds the opportunity to picture their futures in the field of chemistry. With a hands-on experiment in the heart of a university teaching lab, as well as interactive guest talks and careers sessions, students come away from these days with greater confidence in the lab and an increased understanding of what a career in chemistry could look like to them.

The day started with University of Cambridge alumna, now Programmes Manager at the Salters’ Institute, Dr Holly Smith introducing the students to her PhD research subject. Her insightful talk guided the room on a journey to discover the many types of batteries currently used in technology, before arriving at solutions for future, more sustainable options. Students demonstrated their engagement with the topic through their thoughtful questions in the Q&A session – asking everything from “What type of batteries do you think will be most common in the future?” to “How long does it take to develop new battery technology?”.

Having had a taste of what research happens within the chemistry department at the University of Cambridge, we then headed up to the labs to begin synthesising aspirin. Whilst their students set to work at the fume hoods, teachers were invited to take part in an accredited CPD session on Microscale Chemistry, delivered by education coordinators from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). This session proved to be very well-received, with 80% of teachers finding it very or extremely useful and many mentioning it as the highlight of their day according to the end of day evaluation survey.

The Discovery Day concluded with a careers panel, which showcased a variety of pathways in academia, industry, and education. Representatives from the University of Cambridge, AstraZeneca, and the RSC answered an array of questions relating to their journeys to their current job, advice for GCSE students, and what a typical day might look like for them. Thanks to their willingness to talk candidly about their experiences, students’ awareness of careers in chemistry increased from the start to the end of day. 59% of students agreed or strongly agreed to being aware of career opportunities that use chemistry at the start of the day, compared to 92% at the end of the day.

The importance of our Discovery Days really shines when we look at the wider context of those attending. For 16% of students, this was their first visit to a university. Allowing them to see themselves in this “more professional” environment is key to broadening horizons and inspiring the chemists of tomorrow. According to the student evaluation surveys, 56% of students participate in practical science once per month at school. This highlights the importance of events like this in increasing students’ exposure to and confidence in practical science. This growth in confidence was apparent, with 61% feeling confident or extremely confident in completing the experiment at the start of the day compared to 88% at the end of the day.

We are delighted to be able to offer students and teachers at our Cambridge Discovery Days the opportunity to also attend a site visit at AstraZeneca’s DISC site in Cambridge in the coming weeks, allowing the day of discoveries to continue on.

If you are a teacher interested in getting involved with our Festivals of Chemistry programme, please sign up to our monthly newsletter, Salters’ Summary, to hear about opportunities near you.