The Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, launched in January 2011, was the brainchild of Dr Peter Wothers who is a chemist at the University of Cambridge. It is a monthly online competition which is open to anyone, any age from anywhere in the world. Five ‘Google-proof’ questions issued on the first of each month until June are set by an experienced team of teachers and university chemists. They are designed to push boundaries, stretch students’ knowledge and encourage them to think about science and use the internet to find scientific data.
The competition has proved extremely popular, with teachers and students from more than 50 countries around the world entering online. At the end of the online competition in June the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge team set a written exam for Year 12 students at schools in the UK. This was taken by more than 3000 students in 250 schools across the country. The top performing students attended a residential camp at the university’s Chemistry Department. They were presented with their ‘Chemistry Challenge’ awards by Cambridge MP and research scientist Dr Julian Huppert at a ceremony in the Houses of Parliament on Thursday 25 November.
Dr Peter Wothers said: “It is fantastic to see this competition strike a chord with so many students across the world. We set this up because we wanted to give students and teachers a new and fun way of approaching chemistry. In terms of the written paper for UK schools - it seemed important to target students at Year 12 because this is when they are developing subject interests and considering their university options.
“At school students are taught the facts but here they have to be creative, apply knowledge of other subjects and think outside the box – these are exactly the kind of skills which are needed for university. It is therefore useful for students wanting to go on to study chemistry at undergraduate level because it gives them that competitive edge!”
Ann Puntis, Chief Executive of University of Cambridge International Examinations said: “I’m delighted that this competition has proved to be so successful - engaging and inspiring thousands of students around the world. These are our young chemists of the future. Through participating in the Challenge they demonstrate an interest in chemistry which goes beyond the classroom, preparing them for success at university and beyond.”
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