Why am I talking about outreach when I should be talking about diversity and 175 Faces of Chemistry, do I hear you say?
Well, if we are celebrating positive role models and promoting chemistry to the future generation, then outreach is something we need to recognise.
Firstly, what is ‘outreach’? According to the dictionary, outreach is an activity that provides services to populations who might not otherwise have access to them. But surely it goes beyond that? Encompassing so many activities from promoting chemistry to communicating it, outreach is an important way to shape our future without relying on limited funding and investment.
So where did it all begin? The earliest form of outreach in the UK I can think of is in 1825, when
Michael Faraday started the first Christmas Lectures for children at the Royal Institution on the “Chemical History of a Candle.” Since then, a string of scientists have since sustained the tradition of these lectures. Typically, they have an underlying theme of education through live demonstrations.
Peter Wothers, creator of “The Modern Alchemist” series in 2012, sees its importance not just with children but to address the problems that adults have with understanding chemistry.
From live demonstrations to children doing the experiments. In response to our 1990 initiative to encourage interest in science among 10-12 year olds,
Bill Williams and
Jim Ballantine produced a demonstration lecture where the children performed all the experiments. ‘Science and Energy’ reached 80,000 pupils and was given over 800 times. Having met Bill myself, I found his extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm for his resource astounding.
What about outreach in the rest of the world? In Malaysia,
Zana Abdullah often takes 2 hour boat rides to reach children in the jungle to show the
m simple science.
Jean Johnson teaches young African teachers how to do experiments to support the theory and
Steve Acquah heads up GEOSET in the US which provides online videos for students around the world.
As you can see, outreach is happening everywhere. Without these dedicated chemists literally ‘pushing the boat out,’ many of our future generation would miss out on opportunities aimed to excite them about chemistry.
175 Faces of Chemistry highlights the achievements of some of these remarkable and selfless chemists. Hopefully we’ll inspire others to take the leap into outreach and beyond!
Image of Michael Faraday © RSC Library / Royal Society of Chemistry, Image of Bill Williams © Jenny Lovell / Royal Society of Chemistry, Image of Zana Abdullah courtesy of Zana Abdullah
So where did it all begin? The earliest form of outreach in the UK I can think of is in 1825, when Michael Faraday started the first Christmas Lectures for children at the Royal Institution on the “Chemical History of a Candle.” Since then, a string of scientists have since sustained the tradition of these lectures. Typically, they have an underlying theme of education through live demonstrations. Peter Wothers, creator of “The Modern Alchemist” series in 2012, sees its importance not just with children but to address the problems that adults have with understanding chemistry.
From live demonstrations to children doing the experiments. In response to our 1990 initiative to encourage interest in science among 10-12 year olds, Bill Williams and Jim Ballantine produced a demonstration lecture where the children performed all the experiments. ‘Science and Energy’ reached 80,000 pupils and was given over 800 times. Having met Bill myself, I found his extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm for his resource astounding.
m simple science. Jean Johnson teaches young African teachers how to do experiments to support the theory and Steve Acquah heads up GEOSET in the US which provides online videos for students around the world.
