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The Chemistry Behind the Mobile Phone

Over 160 A level students and their teachers descended on the Science Learning Centre East Midlands, Leicester to discover the chemistry behind the mobile phone. This outreach event funded by Chemistry:The Next Generation was designed to enthuse and inspire students to continue on to study the chemical sciences at degree level.

Pupils and their teachers participated in workshops where they made chemical displays, worked on solar cells and discovered how nanotechnology is used to build chips in their phones. Workshops were provided by four University Chemistry Departments in the East Midlands (Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent) along with AstraZeneca, who support the project as an industrial partner and important employer of chemists in the region.

Dr Richard Pike CEO for the Royal Society of Chemistry attended the event to see for himself the advantages of this type of outreach activity and the success of such collaborative events, taking the opportunity to talk to the students during the hands on workshops about the day and the work they were doing.

Also included in the programme was advice from Frank Harriss a senior examiner on how to pass exams and the day finished with an exciting chemistry interactive quiz where two lucky winners from Ashby School each won a brand new iPod, kindly donated by AstraZeneca.

What the students thought:

“I enjoyed this event, very varied activities, also very interesting.”

“A good day, very informative, about universities and courses, met new people and hands on experience interesting”

Media contact:
Tracy McGhie on 0116 252 2090 or email tjm9@le.ac.uk

Release link: http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/