Discovery Days 2024 Wrap Up

In June we wrapped up the 2024 season of Discovery Days, the second stage of the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry. Over two months, more than 700 students aged 14-16 from all four home nations got hands-on in university labs and learned about career pathways in chemistry and beyond. Our Outreach Ambassador, Harry, shares his experience at two Discovery Days this year:

I had the privilege of supporting over 200 students at two of the six sites where we hosted Chemistry Discovery Days: Queen Mary University of London and Swansea University.

During those four days, the Education Team and I welcomed students as they arrived on campus from their respective schools before we settled them into the lecture theatre. They were given an introduction by the Festivals Lead, Dr Janine Symonds, about the aim of the Discovery Days, followed by a safety briefing by a university staff member. Then the day really kicked off. Students were treated to a talk from a university researcher about current chemistry research before entering the laboratory.

The aim of the Discovery Days is to encourage students to pursue studies and career pathway into science and Chemistry, so students undertake an advanced practical in synthesising aspirin in a university laboratory setting. This practical is usually undertaken by post-16 A Level Chemistry students, and many students had never done hands-on work in a lab before.

Students pose in their lab coats and other PPE in the lab during a Discovery Day.

My favourite part of the Discovery Days is when the students are given their lab coats and safety glasses before entering the lab. They all have the same excited looks on their faces wearing their lab coats and walking into a real lab just as I did when I was given my lab coat in my first year of university. The laboratory session was an opportunity to engage the students in their scientific knowledge and passion, and an opportunity for the students to talk with us Ambassadors (who are all university students) and the university’s staff and students about what it’s like to study chemistry.

The day ends with a careers discussion panel featuring various senior academics, research alumni and industry experts. The panel allows the students to explore and ask questions about the diverse pathways into chemistry as well as showcase the chemistry field’s breadth and scope across academic research, industry, and healthcare.

Ultimately, there is no right answer for where the students’ passions lie in their academic and future professional decisions. I personally encouraged every student to be passionate about chemistry and pursue a degree or a career path into chemistry! While I can’t predict the future, one thing that I am certain of is that all the students enjoyed working in the lab and asking their questions of the people who live and breathe chemistry every day.

The Festivals of Chemistry is a flagship programme of the Salters’ Institute. The Festivals encourage learners aged 14-16 years old to ‘Discover Chemistry’, explore the subject and see how it can be a pathway to many careers over three stages of virtual and in-person learning.

Thank you to the seven universities who hosted our 13 Discovery Days this year: Queen Mary University of London, University of Leeds, University of East Anglia, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Glasgow, Swansea University and the University of Nottingham.

Learn more about the Salters’ Festivals of Chemistry here: https://saltersinstitute.org/programmes/festivals-of-chemistry/

If you have any queries about the Festivals of Chemistry, please email [email protected].

Photos: Noor Abedin