In this blog, we spoke to Dr Giorgio Chianello and Dr Zoe Wilson about the Chemistry Summer School Queen Mary University of London will be hosting this July.
Giorgio and Zoe worked together on the ‘Chemistry for today and tomorrow - From bench to market’ theme of the summer school, which aims to introduce students to important current and emerging topics in chemistry.
Who is the Chemistry Summer School for?
It’s a summer school for university students who have studied chemistry for at least two semesters. It’s an ideal programme for anyone who would like to learn about topics that they wouldn’t necessarily study as part of a Bachelors degree. It will also give students an opportunity to experience working, studying and living in a top university in London while earning credits towards their undergraduate degrees. The great thing about the course is the small group setting of the summer school, which will allow students to get a lot of contact time with our lecturers.
What is the idea behind the ‘from bench to market’ theme?
The content of the programme is novel methods in chemistry – nanotechnology, green chemistry and flow chemistry. These topics are usually not covered in standard undergraduate courses. The ‘from bench to market’ theme is very fitting because these are the latest technologies that are being used in industry today. Green chemistry for example underlies all chemical reactions carried out in industry as companies strive to be more environmentally friendly.
What will students learn during the Summer School?
Each of the three topics will include a component of lectures and practical lab work. The programme is very integrated and within our new chemistry lab, we will be able to show people the real hands-on experience of being a chemist.
For example, for the topic nanotechnology we will have lectures on what this technology is and how it’s applied. Then within the lab, we will prepare and characterise some of these materials, in a setting very similar to industry. In addition, we will also be inviting guest speakers from different chemistry backgrounds to talk to students about their experiences.
Why should students attend?
This course is a great opportunity for students to use their summer to gain knowledge of cutting edge technologies while earning credits, giving them a head start on their future years of study. Experience with these very important topics in chemistry will be invaluable to students in terms of their CV enhancement – giving them an advantage when applying for jobs in the future.
Learn more and register
Queen Mary’s Summer School will take place from 22 July – 9 August. Learn more about the ‘Chemistry for today and tomorrow – from bench to market’ programme.