Abstract
Bristol ChemLabS has been providing several residential school experiences per year for the past eight years. The Chemistry Camps are two days of intensive activity and, wherever possible, involve a stay in a hall of residence. The majority of the time is spent in undergraduate teaching laboratories learning new skills on the first day, which are then used again on the second. The other academic sessions include spectroscopy tours, short lectures from postgraduate students on their research areas, a discussion of university application procedures in general by admissions officers and a lecture demonstration. The non-academic side is also addressed via a stay in a hall of residence and a course dinner. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the organisation and running of such camps and to explore the benefits for both the students and the School of Chemistry.
Highlights
The School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol has a large, self-sustaining outreach project (Harrison & Shallcross 2010a,b, Harrison et al 2011c, Shallcross et al 2013)
Part of the portfolio of outreach events includes residential stays organised through Bristol ChemLabS
Well-funded and well-organised residential Chemistry Camps are of considerable value to institutions, school students and participating university students
Summary
The School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol has a large, self-sustaining outreach project (Harrison & Shallcross 2010a,b, Harrison et al 2011c, Shallcross et al 2013). Part of the portfolio of outreach events includes residential stays organised through Bristol ChemLabS These take place at times when the undergraduates are not using the teaching laboratories, typically around Easter, June and July. There are several possible reasons for running such courses: to assist school students in making informed choices about whether Chemistry degree courses, or Higher Education generally, is for them; to promote the host university (Shaw et al 2011); to promote the subject, whether regionally, nationally or internationally (Shallcross & Harrison 2007, Harrison et al 2011a); to develop the soft skills of the university students involved in outreach activities (Hanson & Overton 2010, Harrison et al 2011b); to meet research grant ‘impact’ targets; to fulfil a desire to support secondary teachers (Shaw et al 2010).
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