Explosions, Strawberries and Frozen Balloons at Chemistry at Work

160 secondary school students from 9 local secondary schools attended Chemistry at Work on Tuesday 9th July at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). The event, organised by Kent & Medway STEM at on behalf of Royal Society of chemistry with support from the Wolfson Foundation, shows how the chemistry studied at school is put into use in the real, everyday world.

• Students learnt about natural pheromone pesticides (and enjoyed fresh strawberries!) in a session run by STEM Ambassador Marion from Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd.
• Plumes of dry ice filled the CCCU science labs as Axia Chemicals Ltd allowed the students to get hands on in Chemical Elements and their Compounds including freezing balloons and bouncy balls.
• Authenticate Ltd introduced students to Mid-Infra-red spectroscopy and demanded audience participation in Forensic Detection of Counterfeits.
• Another session, run by STEM Ambassador Lucinda, provided a demonstration on blood analysis in: How does the cardiovascular system adapt to make athletes super human?
• Pfizer's Chemistry Kitchen Presented The Great Butter Race and The Cheesy Challenge which had students giggling as they shook, and then sat on, ingredients to make edible butter and cheese.
• The Department of Geographical and Life Sciences at CCCU provided a photosynthesis session that was rated fantastic by attending teachers.
• PEAKDALE Molecular had the students challenge each other to build the tallest elephant toothpaste towers.
• All of the students enjoyed Inferno – The Science of Fire! a show by John Coad demonstrating fire tornadoes, coloured flames and loud explosions.
• At the end of the day Kent Fire Service wowed the crowd with a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion demonstration.

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Presenters included STEM Ambassadors as well as local companies and industrialists. Each school was paired with a STEM Ambassador who guided them around the campus and supported presentations.

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