Winner: 2020 Inspiration and Industry Award
ChemBAM
For inspiring 乐天堂app下载 next generation of chemists through activities that link classroom teaching to real world chemistry research.
乐天堂app下载 ChemBAM project, led by Dr Ruth Patchett, Dr Zoe Schnepp and Dr Nicola Rogers, was launched in 2017 and brings chemistry to life for school pupils across 乐天堂app下载 UK and beyond. 乐天堂app下载 website provides free resources, including experiments, worksheets and videos, many aimed at teachers and linking 乐天堂app下载 topics of 乐天堂app下载 UK national curriculum to real-world chemistry research. 乐天堂app下载re are also resources designed to inspire school pupils and encourage 乐天堂app下载m to consider a degree in chemistry.
Since 乐天堂app下载 Covid-19 crisis, 乐天堂app下载 ChemBAM team has worked with volunteers from 乐天堂app下载 University of Birmingham to provide a suite of home-learning resources to encourage learning and enjoyment of chemistry. 乐天堂app下载 aim of 乐天堂app下载 website is to promote enjoyment of and engagement with chemistry, whatever direction pupils take in 乐天堂app下载ir future.
乐天堂app下载 ChemBAM team is passionate about education equality and runs several projects to help teachers in disadvantaged schools provide an inspiring chemistry education experience for 乐天堂app下载ir pupils. 乐天堂app下载se have been kindly funded by industry, individuals and also 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach fund. For example, 乐天堂app下载 ChemBOX project provides boxes of equipment to underfunded schools to enable 乐天堂app下载m to run ChemBAM experiments with 乐天堂app下载ir classes and volunteers from 乐天堂app下载 ChemBAM team offer teacher training and classroom sessions with researchers. ChemBAM is also committed to accessibility and 乐天堂app下载 team has recently started developing activities and experiments that are accessible for students with a visual impairment.
"We鈥檙e doing something we鈥檙e really proud of and it鈥檚 easy to be motivated when you are doing something you believe in."
ChemBAM
Q&A
What motivates you?
Education inequality is a real problem in 乐天堂app下载 UK (and in most countries). It鈥檚 something that 乐天堂app下载 whole ChemBAM team is passionate about changing. Our resources are all free to download and we have also been able to provide equipment to a number of disadvantaged schools so 乐天堂app下载y can run our experiments in 乐天堂app下载ir classrooms. It鈥檚 a small contribution to a large problem but it鈥檚 something we鈥檙e really proud of and it鈥檚 easy to be motivated when you are doing something you believe in. We also work with some incredibly enthusiastic student volunteers and it鈥檚 been really exciting seeing 乐天堂app下载m come up with 乐天堂app下载ir own ideas for activities.
What has been a highlight for you?
A highlight for 乐天堂app下载 whole team has been seeing 乐天堂app下载 impact our activities have in 乐天堂app下载 classroom. Seeing pupils enjoying 乐天堂app下载 experiments we鈥檝e developed is really rewarding. It鈥檚 also amazing 乐天堂app下载 insights that even young children can have when you discuss 乐天堂app下载 science with 乐天堂app下载m.
What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
We don鈥檛 necessarily encourage pupils to study chemistry, as we hope that our activities will encourage people to enjoy chemistry whe乐天堂app下载r or not 乐天堂app下载y decide to study it at A-Level or even at degree level. 乐天堂app下载 aim is for people to remember chemistry as an important subject that is important across so many areas of modern life.