University of York

Chemistry at Work returned to the excellent facilities of the University of York chemistry department for the third successive year. Over 450 students and their teachers from 12 schools attended over the three days. A wide range of organisations gave presentations on topics ranging from glassblowing to making slime. The use of ICT in chemistry was not ignored and students had the chance to optimise conditions in a manufacturing process as well as using ICT in DNA analysis.

The organisations were:

• Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd - tests carried out in the production process
• Construction Industry Training Board - capillary action and construction materials
• Covance Laboratories - the importance of particle size for inhalers
• Croda Chemicals - experiments on air fresheners and talc
• Setpoint North Yorkshire - making slime, application of polymer ideas and Sc1 investigations
• Smith and Nephew - 'getting plastered', the energy changes taking place when plaster sets
• University of York - glassblowing
• University of York - how chemistry and the sense of smell are related
• University of York Biology Department - using DNA
• University of York Chemistry Department - using ICT to simulate a manufacturing process
• Yorkshire Water - 'water is just water, isn't it?'    

Thanks are due to Harriet Dow and Hazel Baker of NYBEP for their organisational work and to the University of York Chemistry Department for allowing the event to be hosted there.