International Year of Chemistry Challenge Competition

www.rsc.org

The United Nations declared 2011 as the ‘International Year of Chemistry’ (IYC), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and its members used this opportunity to promote the global importance of chemistry.

When the year of extraordinary activities came to end, Immediate-Past-President David Phillips challenged RSC members to use this momentum and to create a lasting legacy to the IYC by using £1,000 grants to promote chemistry to the widest possible audience. The most original project with the highest impact was to receive continuation funds of £10,000.

By the end of 2012, more than 80 member groups took part in the competition, hosting numerous creative and impactful activities and events that inspired teachers, students, scientists and the public alike.

Choosing a single winner among so many fantastic activities proved almost impossible. So RSC President Lesley Yellowlees and Chief Executive Robert Parker awarded three £10,000 prizes.

We’ve captured these three projects as well some of the other remarkable activities that our members organised as part of the IYC challenge competition throughout 2012 in this special publication.

Thank you and congratulations to everyone who took part – together we have succeeded in championing the chemical sciences far beyond the IYC.

For more information on all projects, visit http://rsc.li/iyc-2012

250 school children were given the chance to visit the crazy changes show. The Liverpool Local Section worked with the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes to put on an interactive show that explained the states of matter. As part of the show, the participants also learnt how to make foam, slime and oversized candles.

Making the most of the Olympic fever gripping the UK in 2012, the Analytical Division South East Region sponsored Chemical Pentathlon, an outreach activity for year 9 students that was developed at the University of Reading. Thirteen teams from eleven local schools had the chance to compete in five fun chemistry-related events, including making a gold medal out of a copper coin by dipping it in sodium zincate solution and timing an iodine clock reaction to the 800m world record.

Approximately 30 teams from various schools showcased models, presentations and charts on ways to treat and conserve water at the Deccan Local Section’s science fair on water chemistry and management.

The Environmental Chemistry Group supported researchers from Leicester University to develop outreach materials that bring atmospheric chemistry to life in schools and at local science exhibits. With standalone information and instructions, the ‘Atmospheric pollution monitoring kit’ can be used by teachers and students to make meterological measurements, assess water quality and much more.

Visual demonstrations, colourful experiments and

a few explosions created enthusiasm for chemistry among 1,700 primary school children in the Bristol area. The Bristol and District Local Section awarded their £1,000 grant to Bristol ChemLabS

to inspire children with their ‘Gases in the air’ assembly.

Supported by the British Carbon Group, NanoteC is one of Europe’s longest running carbon nanoscience conferences. It brings together anyone with an interest in the world of carbon fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene and more, in a

friendly, informal setting since 1998, and its success continued in 2012.

The festival of chemistry, organised by the Chennai Local Section, consisted of a series of events that highlighted the importance of chemistry in everyday life. Higher secondary school chemistry students had the chance to learn more about career opportunities and to take part in chemistry demonstrations and quizzes.

The Central Yorkshire Local Section challenged local pupils to find out more about scientists – both past and present – from the region and to use their research to design a chemistry-themed Christmas card. Revealing what inspired her choice, competition winner Natasha Pickard said: “John Ernest Walker interests me because he is unknown to most people and in the science world he’s seen as a superstar.” The other winner, Alexandra Shipley, explained her choice by saying: “I have chosen to feature Joseph Priestley because of his involvement with two of the most essential things in my life…

oxygen […and…] the rubber eraser. To bring the discoveries together with Christmas I have taken a copy of his image to create a Santa rubbing out the H’s from ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ to leave ‘O O O!’”

As part of a joint initiative with the RSC Pan Africa Chemistry Network (PACN), Crawford Scientific Ltd. and Thermo Scientific Ltd., the Separation Science Group provided complete kit boxes for demonstrating simple column chromatography for school children in Africa as well as a web-based resource for teachers.

The University of Surrey Perovskite project combines solid state chemistry with crafts to generate a giant knit and crochet model of the common mineral perovskite. The Solid State Chemistry Group supported this project to bring together scientists and non-scientists to share experiences and knowledge to create a permanent model that is set for completion in September 2013.

Seven local schools took part in the annual Top of the Bench competition heats run by the Mid-Wales Local Section. Additionally, they were challenged to take part in a crystal competition, which involved preparing a set of crystals and a presentation to be judged on the day.

Migrant school children in Beijing received a rare chance to study science thanks to the Beijing Local Section. Together with the Migrant School’s Foundation (MCF), the Local Section set up a practical chemistry programme – with demonstrations and hands-on experiments for final-year primary students – that can be taken into migrant schools. The project has already made a great impact and was announced as one of the IYC challenge competition winners at the General Assembly 2012.

The Speciality Chemicals Sector created the third project to be awarded

an additional £10,000 funding. Their project, Zinc – Hunting for minerals, enables schools to visit and explore a line of mineralisation in limestone running through North Wales. Through a hand-on ‘zinc hunt’, children can find out more about minerals, metals and chemistry, and a booklet provides background information on things such as the history of North Wales lead-zinc mining, the chemistry of zinc and its uses.

The Historical Group and Chemical Information and Computer Applications Group joined forces to fund a project that could enthuse and excite and have long-term impact. Together with the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes they developed ORIGINS, one of the IYC challenge competition’s winning projects. New interactive computer simulations allow visitors to explore the birth of the lighter elements in stars, and workshops for schools during the week and for families at the weekends allow children and adults to learn more about atoms and elements.

Wishing to set up a project with lasting benefits for the chemical sciences, the Birmingham and West Midlands Local Section established a chemistry outreach centre at Winterbourne House and Garden near the University of Birmingham. This includes a basic laboratory that can be used for public workshops and demonstrations focused on food and gardening and a chemistry trail that shows that chemistry surrounds us.

The Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector (BMCS) organised

the first RSC-BMCS Agriscience Chemical Biology postgraduate symposium. Held at Imperial College London, the symposium provided postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers with an opportunity to learn more about the exciting research going on in this field and to network.

The RSC representative in Qatar organised a competition to promote green chemistry in five local schools. Following seminars and presentations on green chemistry, the students were able to test their new knowledge in a quiz.

The West India Local Section held a very successful two-day symposium in Nagpur that attracted eminent speakers and guests. Students had the chance to showcase their research at poster sessions and delegates could find out more about the RSC from event organiser Dr Gopalan.

Sri Lanka suffered from a civil war for over 25 years, which severely affected its population, environment and economy. In addition, the tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake caused destruction in the North and East of the country. This is why the Sri Lanka Local Section decided to use their IYC grant to help rebuild the education sector and to popularise chemistry as a core science at secondary school level.

All IYC challenge competition activities

Analytical Division East Anglia Region Chemistry Masterclass: Synthesis and spectroscopy

Analytical Division North East Region TLC for GCSE Chemistry: Comparing fresh versus frozen spinach

Analytical Division North West Region Streamwatch project: These kits have been developed to allow anyone to carry out simple scientific tests on bodies of water

Analytical Division Northern Ireland Region Purchasing 12 conductance meters and digital thermometers to extend the events available to local schools

Analytical Division Scotland Region Faces of Chemistry video (in collaboration with the RSC Education Team)

Analytical Division South East Region Chemical Pentathlon at the University of Reading

Analytical Division Western Region Mid-Cornwall Schools Chemistry Conferences

Applied Catalysis Group Careers Day: A celebration of catalysis and training day: Applied industrial catalysis

Applied Materials Chemistry Group Sponsoring teacher training for primary school children: Advances and frontiers in chemical spectroscopy with neutrons

Atomic Spectroscopy Group A series of short video tutorials covering aspects of atomic spectroscopy

Automation and Analytical Management Group (AAMG) Nanosensor technologies for monitoring: Materials and methods

Beijing Local Section A rare chance to study science: Practical chemistry for migrant children

Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector (BMCS) 1st RSC-BMCS Agriscience Chemical Biology postgraduate symposium

Biotechnology Group Chromatography demonstrations for primary schools

Birmingham and West Midlands Local Section Outreach laboratory project: Winterbourne Gardens

Bristol and District Local Section Primary schools’ mini tour of Bristol ChemLabS

British Carbon Group NanoteC conference

Carbohydrate Group Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2013: The complex life of sugars

Central Yorkshire Local Section Schools challenge: Yorkshire chemists; a challenge sent to all schools in West Yorkshire

Chemical Education Research Group Describing Practice in Chemistry Teaching (DePiCT): Researching excellent paedagogic practice in chemistry

Chemical Information and Computer Applications Group

ORIGINS; a permanent addition to the Catalyst programme, an exhibition looking at the birth of the elements

Chemical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Group Postgraduate symposium on nanotechnology

Chennai Local Section Festival of chemistry for local senior secondary school

Deccan Local Section Science fair on water chemistry and management for school children and ladies’ evening on science and health

Downland Local Section Charterhouse IYC day, Sussex chemistry conference and lecture on periodic table

East Anglia Local Section Chemistry with cabbage

East India Local Section A series of lectures at Jadavpur University and Sitananda College and a lecture for school students in the Calcutta area

East Midlands Local Section Younger Members symposium 2012

East Midlands Local Section Younger Members Younger Members symposium 2012

Education Division South East Region Chemistry photography competition

Electrochemistry Group Two competitions for pupils: Draw a cartoon to illustrate an electrochemistry and design a power source using household items

Energy Sector Early-career energy symposium

Environmental Chemistry Group Atmospheric field measurement outreach materials

Essex Local Section Primary school science practical DVD for Essex primary schools

Formulation Science & Technology Group Formulation resource pack: Making formulation fun!

Historical Chemistry Group ORIGINS; a permanent addition to the Catalyst programme, an exhibition looking at the birth of the chemical elements

Huddersfield Local Section Photography competition and transport for schools to the christmas lecture in Central Yorkshire

Industrial Physical Chemistry Group Chemistry for tomorrow’s world symposium

Inorganic Biochemistry Group Supporting young investigators and keynote speakers at two events

International Network of Environmental Forensics Environmental CSI

Lancaster and District Local Section RSC chemistry enhancement day

Law Group How chemistry assists law enforcement

Liverpool Local Section Flash, bangs and wallops: demonstration for primary school children

Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry Group MASC2012: Annual Interest Group meeting

Management Group Providing an FT-IR spectrometer for the outreach laboratory in the School of Chemistry, Newcastle University

Marketing Group Providing an FT-IR spectrometer for the outreach laboratory in the School of Chemistry, Newcastle University

Mid-Anglia Local Section Big Bang Eastern Chemistry Prize at Duxford & Cambridge Hands On Science (CHaOS) events

Mid-Scotland Local Section Primary school outreach: members who are retired teachers visit local primary schools to run practical chemistry sessions

Mid-Southern Counties Local Section Chemistry and industry evening event

Mid-Wales Local Section Top of the Bench competition

Molecular Spectroscopy Group The Island Chemist project: chemical sample analysis promoting synthesis and analytical science to pupils and teachers

Mossbauer Spectroscopy Group Travel grants for international conferences to represent the UK research community

Newcastle & North East Coast Local Section Regional roadshow

NMR Discussion Group Opportunities for early-career researchers: Symposium

North India Local Section Green chemistry networking in India

North Staffordshire Local Section Chemistry and green science teacher network

North Wales Local Section Forensics and fireworks: a schools event and a public event

Northern Ireland Local Section All Ireland symposium: celebrating chemistry and fostering new links and collaborations across the region

Nucleic Acids Group Riboregulation conference, Shanghai

Particle Characterisation Group Chemical origami: build your own crystal

Peninsula Local Section Chemistry-based outreach activities for local schools: Spectroscopy in a suitcase

Protein & Peptide Science Group PPSG early-career researcher meeting

Qatar Representative Popularising green chemistry

Republic of Ireland Local Section All Ireland symposium: celebrating chemistry and fostering new links and collaborations across the region

Separation Science Group Experimental chromatography for Africa: kits for ten schools

Shanghai Local Section Two chemistry presentation competitions, one for schools and one for undergraduates

Solid State Chemistry Group The Perovskite project

Solid Surfaces Group The impact of surface science

South Africa (North) Local Section Training district education officials in the new science curriculum

South Wales West Local Section IYC baseball caps for contestants in the Local Section Chemistry Olympiad

Southumbria Local Section SciFest 2012: Astrosphere

Speciality Chemicals Sector Zinc – Hunting for minerals: a chemistry project for primary schools

Spectroscopy and Dynamics Group Chasing nimbus and gold dust 3

Sri Lanka Local Section Facilitation and popularisation of chemistry in the war- and tsunami-affected districts in Sri Lanka

Surface Reactivity & Catalysis (SURCAT) Group Postgraduate meeting

Tayside Local Section Continuing the Chemistry Map of Scotland project

Teesside Local Section Training teachers in giving demonstrations

Teesside Local Section Younger Members Chemistry calendar composed of photographs and images by Local Section members

Theoretical Chemistry Group Travel grants for 2013 meeting

Thermal Methods Group Sponsorship of a summer project for an undergraduate student in UCL School of Pharmacy, supplemented by the group’s funds

Toxicology Group Faces of Chemistry video (in collaboration with the RSC Education Team)

West India Local Section Nagpur symposium; hosted between two educational institutions over two days with 16 eminent speakers

Following the overwhelming success of the IYC challenge competition, the Royal Society of Chemistry decided to continue providing special funds for inspirational projects. Member groups can apply for £1,000 grants to promote the chemical sciences, and each year up to five prizes of £10,000 pounds will be awarded to the projects deemed to have the greatest potential.

More information on how to apply for the IYC legacy grants and application forms can be found at http://rsc.li/iyc-legacy

There is more to come…

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© Royal Society of Chemistry 2013

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