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Lectures for Schools

We deliver a number of lectures for Year 11, 12 and 13 students, which expand on GCSE and A level chemistry topics. Each presentation lasts for 30-45 minutes and is delivered at school or college. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions, both about the talk content and about studying chemistry at university.

To book one of our lectures, email chem-outreach@reading.ac.uk. Please include:

  • your school’s name and address
  • the lecture(s) you are interested in
  • the time and date(s) you would like the lecture(s).

Materials from Micelles

Dr Joanne Elliott

Dr Elliott describes the self-assembly of micelles in solution and their application to form nanostructured electrode materials with controllable 3D architectures and enhanced surface areas for use in catalysis.

Who is a chemist and what do they do? 

Dr Adam Bromley

Students can often be unsure where studying chemistry will lead them. Lab work, research and teaching are some of the most common responses and while not untrue, they fail to capture the full breadth of opportunities studying chemistry can lead to.

This lecture shines a light on the skills and opportunities chemistry graduates open themselves up to, both here at Reading as well as on the national level. We will explore the traditional and unexpected careers chemists end up in! 

The 'Polymer Age'

Dr Adam Bromley

The advancement of human civilization can be tracked in terms of the dominant material used; from our humble beginnings in the ‘Stone Age’ to what some now regard as the ‘Polymer Age’.

Why are polymeric materials so useful? How do modern polymer chemists control a seemingly uncontrollable cascade of reactions? And what new and exciting uses might we have for these materials?

In this lecture, Dr Bromley discusses the leap from early free-radical reactions to modern controlled radical polymerisation and the exciting places these materials might take us.

 

Powering the car of the future: a materials chemist's perspective

Dr Ricardo Grau-Crespo

Dr Ricardo Grau-Crespo discusses the chemistry of clean technologies currently used to power vehicles, from batteries to fuel cells, and explains what advances we might see in the future.

Athena SWAN Silver Award