Chemistry Challenge

A team of four Year 8 Scientists from Pipers Corner narrowly missed out on achieving first place in the Salters’ Challenge at Imperial College London on Tuesday.

The Pipers team of Amy H, Elizabeth M, Rohanna M and Eloise W were taking part in one of The Salters’ Institute Festivals of Chemistry, an initiative which aims to help promote the appreciation of Chemistry and related sciences amongst young people.

Salters’ Festivals are a series of one-day fun events held at universities throughout the UK and Ireland. The festivals provide the opportunity for enthusiastic young students to spend a day in a university department and to take part in practical chemistry activities. During the last 16 years over 44,000 students have had the opportunity to participate and the Pipers team were very excited to be part of the Challenge.

The girls spent the day in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London, during which they participated in a number of activity-based challenges including “The Salters’ Challenge”, a competitive practical activity, and “The University Challenge”, a practical investigation set by the Lecturers and Professors from Imperial College.

The Pipers girls demonstrated fantastic teamwork and problem solving skills which saw them earn second place out of the 16 schools attending. It was a fabulous opportunity for them to gain some hands-on practical experience of Chemistry, whilst at the same time having a lot of fun.