Salters' Festival of Chemistry

27 April 2005

Over 60 students from 16 schools across Devon and Cornwall will enjoy a fun-filled day of chemistry at the Salters' Festival of Chemistry – in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry – to be held at the University of Plymouth on Wednesday 27 April.

Each school will be represented by a team of four 11-13 year olds and during the morning the teams will take part in a competitive, hands-on, practical activity, “Salty’s Challenge” in which they will use their analytical chemistry skills. In the afternoon, they will compete in the “University Challenge”, a practical activity chosen by the University, in which they will be required to identify a ‘mystery metal’ which may have come from a meteorite. This will be followed by a fun lecture by Dr Roy Lowry involving a series of spectacular demonstrations of chemistry used in fireworks, the theatre and elsewhere.

The day will end with a prizegiving at which the winning teams will be awarded cash prizes for their schools and all participants will be given individual fun prizes and participation certificates.

Roy Lowry, Teaching Fellow at the university’s School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences, said: “The Salters' Festivals of Chemistry are an initiative of The Salters' Institute, the aim of which is to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among young people. The Festival at the University of Plymouth is one of a series of 48 festivals which are taking place at universities throughout the UK and Ireland between March and June 2004. The institute is delighted that the Royal Society of Chemistry is working in partnership with them for the festivals this year.”

For more information please contact Roy Lowry at the University of Plymouth on: 01752 233017 / email: roy.lowry@plymouth.ac.uk.

For further information about the Salter’s Institute, please contact Lesley Grout, Communications Manager, on: 020 7628 5962 ext 260. (email: publicity@salters.co.uk) / website: www.festivalsofchemistry.co.uk)

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
1. The festivals are one-day events for schools held at universities throughout the UK and Ireland. The first series of festivals was held in 1991. Festivals were then held in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. Since 2000 festivals have been held every year. In 2004 there will be a series of 48 festivals between March and June. The aim of the Festivals is to make chemistry more exciting, more relevant and fun to students aged 11 to 13 years and to encourage schools to set up their own chemistry clubs.

2. Competing schools are represented by a team of four students from years 7 or 8 (or equivalent in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). Cash prizes for the winning schools totalling £350 are awarded at each Festival and all participants receive fun prizes and certificates. During the last four years over 7,000 students have experienced the fun of practical chemistry through the Salters' Festivals of Chemistry.

3. Since 1991 sponsorship in support of the Festivals has been raised from over one hundred companies. Many of the festivals are also sponsored by local companies.

4. The Salters’ Company is one of the Great Twelve City of London Livery Companies and was founded in 1394 for the mediaeval trade in salt. The Company’s activities today are centred on charitable and educational giving. The Salters' Institute, established in 1918, and now the Flagship Charity of the Salters' activities, aims to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among the young and to encourage careers in the teaching of chemistry and in the UK chemical and allied industries.

5. The institute’s three core activities are the Salter’s' Chemistry Club and Salters' Festivals of Chemistry for 11– 14 year olds; Salters' Chemistry Camps for those aged 15, in partnership with other scientific institutions, and Curriculum Development, undertaken at the University of York, including Salters' GCSE Science and Twenty First Century Science and Salters' Advanced Chemistry, Salters' Horners Advanced Physics and Salters' – Nuffield Advanced Biology.

Salters&#039; Festival of Chemistry

Salters' Festival of Chemistry