Our Year 12 chemists enjoyed a day at Newcastle University earlier this week to experience what it is like to study chemistry at undergraduate level.
Their day began with a lecture from Dr Peter Hoare on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and then a small group tutorial followed. Next up, they attended another lecture on bonding and energy with questions posed to challenge students' thinking beyond the A level specification. The afternoon sessions gave students the opportunity to use the state-of-the-art university laboratories to synthesise and purify an ester - a compound that smells like pear drops. Our students had a fantastic day and really enjoyed the insight into life as an undergraduate!