“I thought the experience was fantastic and would change anyone’s view on science” was just one of the many comments from the 15 transition year students from 15 different schools who attended a half-day workshop at the UCD Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology (CSCB). Forming part of the exciting Outreach programme at UCD Conway Institute, this was the first ever visit of students to the newly opened state-of-the-art research facility, where researchers have been working since the building was completed in August 2005.
Through a combination of talks, demonstrations and hands-on laboratory sessions, the students got a chance to learn about the process of drug discovery and the synthetic chemistry of potential therapeutic agents, as well as to see and perform some of their own exciting “chemical illusions”.
Once chemists have synthesized molecules in the laboratory, the next challenge is to identify what they’ve made and figure out the chemical structure. During a tour of the building, the students observed the techniques used to acquire a “fingerprint” of a molecule. The young visitors were fascinated to learn that nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is based on the same theory as MRI brain scanning and that mass spectroscopy is routinely used to detect illegal drugs in athlete’s samples! Sessions were all interactive, with the students getting an opportunity to run their own samples.
The highlight of the afternoon for many was the practical session in the laboratory, where students witnessed and learned why a €5 euro note refused to burn, and were astonished by the power of a chemical reaction as shown by the “chemical snake”.
Students look on as money refuses to burn
The students had fun exploring the behaviour of aspirin tablets in the human body through chemical reactions, and learning about chemical structures while building models of the aspirin molecule. They were interested to find out that more than 40,000 tonnes and 100 billion aspirin tablets are produced worldwide each year.
Two postgraduate students answered students’ questions about working at the centre and the typical life of a PhD student. The guests were very interested in hearing about the wide range of exciting career opportunities available to graduates of a BSc in Chemistry or the new BSc in Chemical Biology, which begins in September 2006. One student remarked that “It has broadened my views on the careers I could do within science and has given me a lot of new and interesting career options.”
Plans are now underway to invite more transition year students to the centre, and also to travel to schools, as part of the Outreach initiative to inspire continuing enthusiasm for science.
