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Pupils solve chemical challenges at Salter's Festival of Chemistry at UEL

Thursday 4 May 2006

Pupils from across London will take part in an exciting and fun-filled day of chemistry at the Salters' Festival of Chemistry for 11-13 year olds, to be held at the University of East London (UEL) on Wednesday 17 May.

Local schools taking part include Barking Abbey Comprehensive, Central Foundation Girls' School (Tower Hamlets), Lister Community School (Plaistow), Tom Hood School (Leytonstone) and Walthamstow School for Girls. A total of twelve schools are represented.

The Festival, held at UEL’s School of Health and Bioscience at Stratford, is one of a series organised by The Salters' Institute in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to raise awareness of Chemistry in schools.

During the morning the teams will take part in a competitive, hands-on, practical activity, “The Mystery at Salty Towers” in which they will use their analytical chemistry skills.

In the afternoon, teams will compete in the “University Challenge” to create a chemical indicator that can distinguish between mystery solutions. This will be followed by a fun lecture on the Principles of Fireworks by Dr Jacqueline Akhavan from Cranfield University. 

The day will end with a Prizegiving at which all participants will be given individual fun prizes and participation certificates and the winning teams will be awarded cash prizes for their schools. Students will be judged by a panel of judges, chaired by Ken Wilson from Tate & Lyle.

The Festival is being hosted by Maggie McLinden, UEL’s Further Education & Schools Partnership Manager, and Drs Philip Poole and Roland Smith from the School of Health & Bioscience. Maggie said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to promote science as a fun subject with the potential for further study.”

The Salters' Festivals of Chemistry are an initiative of The Salters' Institute, whose aim is to promote the appreciation of chemistry and related sciences among young people. The Festival at the University of East London is one of a series of fifty-two Festivals which are taking place at Universities throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland between March and June 2006.

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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