Uni lab ‘hands on’ for VCE chemistry students

Over two weeks in February the University’s new School of Chemistry labs played host to over 1100 VCE science students. They came to learn how to use spectrometers, chromatographs and other state-of-the-art research equipment by measuring caffeine in cola drinks, salt in soy sauce and energy drinks, alcohol in white wine and iron in a dietary supplement.

The visit was part of the program ‘A Scientific Entrée’ run by the School of Chemistry’s Outreach Program Director Mick Moylan.

The program has been running for five years, but 2012 was the first year with extensive regional school participation, thanks to a grant received as part of the Commonwealth Government Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program. Students came from areas including Shepparton, Bairnsdale, Bright, Colac, Cohuna, Myrtleford and Portland as well as metropolitan schools.

Some students travelled a total of 700km in one day to come to the program and find out more about how a research laboratory works, and what a career in science can offer, Mr Moylan says.

“Regional VCE Chemistry classes sometimes comprise only two students and one very dedicated teacher. Coming to our program means that they can meet with other students and teachers and try out equipment relevant to the curriculum that they would otherwise not have access to,” he says.

The program aims to familiarise students with practical scientific concepts at the beginning of VCE Unit 3 Chemistry to gain a head start on the senior chemistry curriculum.

With a food and agricultural science focus, students chat with working researchers to discover more about what a career in science is like and the range of opportunities it can provide, such as working with new, clean energy sources, tiny new electronic devices, health and designer medicines, as well as the food industry.

Bairnsdale Secondary College students Hayley Webb and Patrick Carroll were up at five in the morning to attend the program and said that by having hands-on experience with the research equipment, they could better understand their textbooks and the theory behind how the equipment works.

“It has all been worth it even if we will not get back home until near midnight tonight,” Hayley says.

During the program, students learn how to use spectrometers and chromatographs. Spectrometers identify an ingredient and determine its concentration by measuring the amount of light (or other parts of the spectrum) that passes through the solution. Chromatographs exploit differences in molecular properties to separate mixtures into their components and then measure the concentrations.

These are key pieces of equipment used in analytical chemistry and are an important part of the VCE chemistry course because the instruments are very commonly used in industrial labs, particularly in the food and mining sectors, and also in drug testing.

Chemistry teacher Dr Sonia Bhatia has been bringing her students from Pakenham Secondary College to the program for five years, and every year arranges her class curriculum to cover the theory on the analytical equipment before the visit.

“High schools don’t have acess to such expensive equipment, so the program provides fantastic opportunity for the students to gain experience with it,” Dr Bhatia says.

A recent report from the Australian Academy of Science says that since 1991, the percentage of VCE students studying Chemistry has been gradually falling, going from 23.3 per cent in 1991 to 18 per cent in 2007. While the fall has slowed, there is no indication it has stopped.

“The field of Chemistry is so varied, from medicine to environmental science, and therefore has such a huge contribution to make to our society. It is more important than ever that students study Chemistry at a higher level,” Mr Moylan said.

The School of Chemistry Outreach program has been running since 2005 and engages with approximately 20,000 students each year.

www.science.unimelb.edu.au