10th June 2013
Out of this world science lesson creates a big bang
Scientists of tomorrow ventured on a voyage of discovery in an enthralling workshop hosted by an internationally renowned Nobel Prize winner and University of Sheffield graduate.Buckyball Workshop
Professor Sir Harry Kroto took 50 school children from Birley Community Primary School and Holy Trinity School in Barnsley on an intriguing journey of scientific adventure and exploration with his unique Buckyball Workshop.
Sir Harry was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1996 for his discovery of a new form of carbon: buckyballs.
Buckyballs are shaped like a traditional football and the carbon fullerene molecules are made of pentagons and hexagons. In 2010 the breakthrough was named by fellow academics as one of the 10 most important discoveries made by their peers at UK universities in the past 60 years.
During the innovative workshop, the budding scientists of the future made their very own models of the buckyball using a specially provided kit. The aim of the activity was to give pupils the chance to learn about the buckyball's interesting properties and relate these to properties of other structures made from carbon, including graphite which is used in pencils, diamond necklaces and rings.
Sir Harry said: "The workshop introduces a few concepts such as algebra and very big numbers as well as molecules. The session uses hands-on model building in a way that children can understand easily and enjoy.
"This in turn lays the foundations of enthusiasm for mathematics and science. This is very important as their world will depend even more on complex technologies than it does now - filled as it is with computers, mobile phones and scores of other devices."
Later in the day pupils donned lab coats and rolled up their sleeves in a wacky Polymer Slime workshop, hosted by the University's Department of Chemistry. The youngsters created brightly coloured polymer slime to demonstrate the idea of joining small molecules together to form long chain polymers.
Dr Julie Hyde from the University's Department of Chemistry said: "During the day, the primary school pupils enjoyed the experience of making their own polymer slime in the Department of Chemistry laboratories, they prepared slime of all different colours, investigated the properties of slime and generally had great fun at carrying out the experiments.
"The pupils also met Sir Harry Kroto and under his guidance built their own Buckyball and Sir Harry related its structure to many different situations in real life. The pupils have a great day, it was a fantastic opportunity for them and we hope to continue the event in the future."
The workshops form part of a series of events with participating schools, which are organised by the Outreach and Access team.
Gaynor Hamilton, Outreach Projects Manager, said: "This is a unique opportunity for pupils from local primary schools to work with staff and students from the University of Sheffield and alongside the world renowned scientist Professor Sir Harold Kroto, who was recognised at the highest level for his achievements in chemistry and scientific discovery.
"The youngsters are at an important point of transition from primary to secondary school and we hope that this experience will ignite their interest in science and inspire them to raise their own aspirations to achieve at the highest level in their future studies."