The activities we offer are a great way to put the science you teach into context. All of our outreach workshops are offered free of charge.
Your students will enjoy hands-on exercises in groups using our laboratories and equipment.
Our workshops cover subjects relevant to the science curriculum.
Spectroscopy workshops
Students are split into small groups and taken on a tour of the three areas of spectroscopy relevant to the post-16 curriculum. They visit the instruments and are given 20-minute talks by experienced staff in the fields of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry and infrared (IR) spectrometry.
Groups have the opportunity to run their own samples of compounds they have prepared in school. The principles of spectroscopy are reinforced by a 30-minute problem-solving workshop following the tours where students deduce the structure of some unknown compounds using spectroscopic data.
The following dates are still available to book for the academic year 2022/23:
- 3rd May 2023
- 7th June 2023
Workshops tend to start between 1:00pm and 1:30pm, and usually last about 2 hours.
Synthesis and spectroscopy
Students complete a practical synthesis or separation using the university laboratories and equipment. Students then analyse their synthesised compounds using Thin-layer chromatography (TLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry and infrared (IR) spectrometry to deduce what they have made and check purity.
This gives them the opportunity to experience new techniques which will not be available to them at school and allows them to perceive subjects from the post-16 syllabus in context.
Chemistry and crime workshops
This activity is suitable for students from year nine and above.
Your students will learn about forensic science and its connection to chemistry and analytical skills. They will solve a murder mystery using techniques like fingerprinting, flame tests and infrared spectroscopy.
DIY green energy workshops
This activity is suitable for students from year nine and above.
We introduce students to energy and environmental issues faced by society, and the part science plays in tackling them.
We challenge students to make and test their own solar cells and biofuels using everyday materials.