Year 12 Saturday Masterclasses in Chemistry in the University of Cambridge

Excellence East and the University of Cambridge are delighted to announce a major new and intensive series of ten challenging Expert Master Classes on Saturday afternoons in Chemistry for AS Level students, led by Dr Peter  Wothers, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge. 

Dr  Wothers was one of the team of experts involved in The Discovery Channel's recent series "The Big Experiment"  and his annual fun and explosive (in more ways that one!) lecture during the Cambridge Science Festival is always a sellout and the most popular  event on the Festival's calender.   A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Chairman of the 2009 International Chemistry Olympiad and a published author, Dr Wothers  is passionate both about Chemistry itself and communicating this enthusiasm to students. 

The classes are for gifted and talented Year 12 students and will cover contemporary material of interest to chemists and society as a whole, including the synthesis of  medicines, analytical chemistry and green chemistry.

There are 100 places on offer, with 10 places free of charge to students whose total household income is less than £15,575 (2007/08 tax year) and a further 30 places at half price (£50) to students whose total household income is less than £30,810 (2007/08 tax year).  Please see Section F of the application form for further details.

They will take place on Saturdays from 12 noon to 4.30pm in the Department of Chemistry in the University of Cambridge, and are aimed at students who have a passion  for Chemistry, who are considering this or a related science subject as a potential undergraduate choice, and who would like to work with Department of Chemistry staff  and undergraduates over a short intensive period. 

Students should be aware that these classes are not designed as revision type sessions based on the A Level syllabus with the aim of improving A level grades. 

They are a unique opportunity to develop and deepen your knowledge and understanding of this area of science, in some cases beyond the A Level syllabus, in a  university environment with a top expert from the University of Cambridge.  

Applicants must be taking Chemistry and Maths at A Level and have achieved top grades at GCSE in both subjects.

The series will commence on Saturday 25 October and the other 2008 dates are 8 November, 22 November and 6 Dec 2008.  Following the Christmas/New Year break the classes will recommence on 10 January and continue on 17 and 31 January, 7 February and 21 February, with the final  class being held on 28 February. 

Due to the high volume of enquiries the closing date for applications has now been extended to Monday 20 OCTOBER 2008.  

As this date is now later, applicants should include payment with their application (see Page 3 of the revised application form for more details).  Cheques to be made payable to the "University of Cambridge".

For convenience and challenge, the University lecturers will be making some use of Chemistry Olympiad materials in the Expert Master Classes.  Prospective applicants  who are unfamiliar with these materials can check them out at www.chemistryolympiad.co.uk.  This should give you an idea of the level of challenge we will be providing  in this series.