Chemists from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee and colleagues from St. Andrews University took to the road for a week today (Friday, 16 November until Friday, 23 November) with the Chembus, as part of Chemistry Week.
The ever popular Chembus, run by the Tayside Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry, will be visiting schools in the Tayside and Fife area taking with it a roadshow of chemical demonstrations and hands-on experiments to try and excite school pupils about the magic and importance of Chemistry. The event is aimed at S2 pupils. The Chembus will be out for six days from Friday 16 November to Friday 23 November, visiting 11 different schools. The number of pupils taking Chemistry at School are dropping and this is an excellent way of showing how important Chemistry is to the modern world and why it is an exciting and important subject to study. The Chembus will be manned by an enthusiastic team of Chemists from Dundee and St Andrews Universities, including lecturers and postgraduates.
The schedule is:
Friday 16th
a.m. Websters High School, Kirriemuir
p.m. Brechin High School
Monday 19th
a.m. Craigie High School, Dundee
p.m. Blairgowrie High School
Tuesday 20th
a.m. Harris Academy, Dundee
p.m. St Saviours RC High School, Dundee
Wednesday
a.m. Kirkland High School, Methil
p.m. Glenrothes High School
Thursday
all day Bell Baxter High School, Cupar
Friday
a.m. Glenwood High School, Glenrothes
p.m. Auchmuty High School, Glenrothes
Also as part of Chemistry Week, Professor Michael Rennie, of the University of Dundee's department of Anatomy and Physiology which was rated best in the UK earlier this year, will be presenting a public lecture entitled "Performance Enhancing Agents' in Sport: Magic Bullets or Self-Delusion?" on Tuesday, 20 November at 7.30 pm at the Institute of Sports and Exercise, University of Dundee.
Both events are run by the Tayside Local Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Of the coming weeks events, Dr James Anderson, Head of the Division of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry said "This is an excellent opportunity for us, not only to enthuse young school children by introducing them to the wonders of science, but also to strengthen links with local schools by giving us the chance to interact with the teachers who are often so influential in setting children off on their different career paths."