Plymouth hosts national school science competition

The university will welcome teams of Year 12 students from across the UK as they vie for the top spot in the annual Royal Society of Chemistry's Schools Analyst Competition - including our very own southwest winners from Truro College. The aim of the national competition is to promote an interest in the study of chemistry and careers in analytical science, which combines elements of chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics and engineering. Hywel Evans, Head of Chemical Sciences at the University of Plymouth explains: "This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for school students to get involved in real analytical chemistry and get a taste of studying chemistry at university. Analytical chemistry pervades all areas of science and society, ensuring safety in the food we eat, the water we drink and many of the consumable items we use in everyday life. It is also at the forefront of technologies being used to combat terrorism and for detecting drug use in sport." The students will arrive on Monday evening to prepare for the following day's experiments and attend an evening event at the National Marine Aquarium. The next day will see the competition begin with the teams carrying out experiments set by the University of Plymouth. This year's event is kindly sponsored by LGC, ThermoFisher Scientific, Western Region of the Analytical Division of the RSC, Education Division South West of the RSC, Separation Science Group of the RSC, Atomic Spectroscopy Group of the RSC, Faculty of Science UoP.