Chemistry: insight4me Chemistry – Experimental Design With The University of Sheffield & University of East Anglia

• University of East Anglia: Professor Stephen Ashworth will present Applications of Kinetic Measurements. First, we will take a look at why a chemist might be interested in measuring how fast reactions happen. Then we will look at an application that uses spectroscopic measurements to measure the rate of a reaction that happens in the atmosphere and has a role in low-level cloud formation.
• The University of Sheffield: Dr Tim Craggs will talk about the Application of Single-Molecule Fluorescence Measurements in Chemistry. We will dig into why looking at one molecule at a time is important, and how these experiments can be performed. We will show some examples of the sort of data that can be collected, including making precise distance measurements to understand the structure of biomolecules, and determining the rates of conformational (molecular shape) changes, which have a role in DNA replication and repair.

In this insight4me Chemistry online event for schools and colleges, The University of Sheffield and University of East Anglia will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Experimental Design, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.

The case studies will draw on relevant and specific Chemistry topics in which experiments are designed and carried out, whilst sharing more generalisable techniques and approaches to help students when they are embarking on their own experiments.

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, Chemistry and related disciplines.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to consider the 2 talks and discuss some of the key elements in advance. Students can also think about questions they have about studying Chemistry at university level.

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans (similar to Zoom) and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: