Chemistry students compete in region's 'Young Analyst of the Year' contest

Three of Birkenhead Sixth Form College’s top Science students were at the University of Liverpool at the weekend to take part in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s ‘Young Analyst of the Year’ competition.

AS students, James Copland, Lauren Leyland and Elise Levett went head to head with the brightest young Chemistry minds in the region, having to rely on their transferrable skills to think on their feet, as the tasks were even more advanced than the A Level syllabus.

"I definitely want to study Chemistry at university, so it was a brilliant experience for me and an insight into the career that I want to have.”

Lauren Leyland, first year

Chemistry student, Lauren, said: “It was great. Working in the labs was brilliant and it was really independent. They just told us what we needed to do and we had to get on with it. It was definitely getting thrown in at the deep end!”

She continued: “We’d covered some of the techniques in our lessons before, so we knew what we were doing, but it was a brand new topic for us. We were investigating the different contents of tablets and pills. It felt very much like what it would be like to work in the labs if you were in university.”

Students would log their results and the team who came closest to the professional chemists’ data ran out eventual winners.

Although James, Lauren and Elise didn’t win the contest, Lauren explained that taking part and testing themselves was the most important thing.

She concluded: “We worked pretty hard and it was pleasing that we could complete all the work and feel comfortable in those surroundings and with that pressure. I definitely want to study Chemistry at university, so it was a brilliant experience for me and an insight into the career that I want to have.”