NEPIC Science Education Unit

RSC Schools Analyst Competition

Date: April
Duration: 13.00 - 17.00
Location: The University of Teesside
Target Group: Year 12 Students
Maximum no of teams: 6

The Schools' Analyst Competition is a national competition run by the RSC's Analytical Division for first year sixth form students studying AS level Chemistry or equivalent. NEPIC Science Education Unit organises a local event to select a team of three students to go through to the National Final.

Teams are required to undertake various practical analytical determinations based on problems relevant to industrial or social needs. These are judged for skill, understanding and accuracy and are intended to promote team work and safety in the laboratory. Each competition aims to provide some tasks which are relatively familiar to the students such as titrations and others which are likely to be unfamiliar, such as chromatographic separations or atomic and molecular spectroscopy. In this way, it is hoped that the competitors will learn new skills, as well as demonstrate their existing knowledge, skills and aptitude for science.

The Final of the Competition sees up to 16 teams competing for a Challenge Shield. First, Second and Third placed teams in the National Final receive prizes of £750, £500 and £250 respectively with the other finalists receiving £100 each. There are also prizes for the individual team members of the first and runner-up teams.

Follow Up
A follow up activity is arranged usually in February for these pupils when they are in Year 13. As they have made their choices for each study, a medicine all day event is held at the University of Durham, Stockton Campus.