Science » SEM Faculty Menu of Activity - All Activity

25/09-01/07: Why Chemistry?

Becks Andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:15:09 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

This lecture showcases the full breath of the Chemistry subject - which is usually very very different from what high-school student actually imagines!

From polymer science to computational chemistry, we want to tell students that Chemistry is not just "mixing colourful powders in glass jars" - there is so much more to it! We also discuss jobs opportunities that are available to a Chemistry graduate - again, these are not what students usually expect!

This is a perfect opportunity to inform KS5 students who are about to make the very difficult and important decision of whether and what to study at University. We can cater for very large groups as long as an adequate space is provided.

Please contact Gabriele Sosso at g.sosso@warwick.ac.uk to arrange a suitable date.

25/09-01/07: Analytical Monopoly

Becks Andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:15:31 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

Putting analytical chemistry into context, students work as competing businesses tasked with identifying unknown chemicals.

This is a session where 2-4 groups of ~5 students (typically KS5) play a game of Monopoly - with analytical techniques such as IR, NMR or mass spec, are the currency! As such, this activity supports the A-level spectroscopy syllabus and introduces new analytical techniques and chemical structures. Students will aim to build their business empire as they establish their business strategy, decide which analytical techniques to purchase, and hopefully make a profit as a result!

We can bring this engaging workshop to your classroom or host classes in our teaching labs. Please contact Gabriele Sosso at g.sosso@warwick.ac.uk to arrange a suitable date.

25/09-01/07: Big Data and Coin Flipping: an Intro to University Mathematics

Becks Andrew — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:19:47 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

We will discuss studying mathematics at university, and give a flavour to what research in statistics looks like. We will see some fun illustrations of probability and statistics such as the Monty Hall problem, how this can be solved by simulation, and some puzzles related to generating arbitrary probabilities using a coin.

To arrange a session, please contact stats-wp@warwick.ac.uk.

Note: Events are subject to staff availability and priority is given to schools that are:

Local to Coventry and Warwickshire
Have a high proportion of students who meet the targets set out in the Warwick Access and Participation Plan.

25/09-01/07: DNA Extraction From Your Own Cheek Cells

Becks Andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:14:23 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

During the activity, students will learn about how the different traits that they have gained from their parents, such as eye colour, hair colour, facial characteristics are passed from each generation to the next, the answer being DNA. They will then learn about different features and properties of DNA.

The student will then have the opportunity to extract DNA from their own cells (cheek cells) and learn about how scientists work with DNA in many areas such as DNA fingerprinting at crime scenes, paternity testing and drug discovery.

The students will be using kitchen material and the 3 steps scientists use for all DNA extractions. Detergent, Enzymes, Alcohol.

At the end of the workshop they will have a sample of their own DNA to keep!

The maximum number of students we can accommodate is 30.

Contact Dr Marwan Albuhtori via marwan.albuhtori@warwick.ac.uk or Christine Lockey via c.lockey.1@warwick.ac.uk to book your session.

25/09-01/07: Dinosaur Hunters

Becks Andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:14:34 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

During the session there will be 3 group activity stations for the students to try out, followed by a final activity.

The activities are as follows:

1. Looking at skulls and bones – we have models of a t-rex and a triceratops skull to compare the difference between herbivore/carnivore teeth and jaws which the children can touch. We also have a plastic human skeleton model that we will bring, and think about how our teeth are designed for our varied, healthy diet.

2. Code crackers (for confident readers) - children will learn about the Latin and Greek roots of dinosaur names, think about ways to describe dinosaurs, and propose new names for them.

3. Measuring Dinosaurs – Here the children will have a number of different dinosaur skull pictures with their total length on the back. We then give pairs a tape measure and they have to measure out the right distance to see how big their dinosaur is.

Once the children have completed their “training” we will bring around our “newly discovered dinosaur fossils”. We have 6 of these, so there will be 2 per group. The children will then have to use their knowledge from the session to decide what the animal may have eaten, what size they think it might be, how many legs it had, if it walked or flew etc. and even give it a name! There’s no right or wrong answers here – just fun to watch their imaginations go!

Contact Dr Marwan Albuhtori via marwan.albuhtori@warwick.ac.uk, or Dr Christine Lockey at c.lockey.1@warwick.ac.uk to book your session.

25/09-01/07: Rumour Mill

Becks Andrew — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:20:37 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

In this event we explore probabilistic models in epidemiology. We will use the Binomial distribution to build complex models that explain how rumours (or infectious diseases) spread. We also discuss how to fit such models to data. The session will illustrate the process of mathematical and statistical modelling and thus gives an insight into the work of a mathematical epidemiologist.

Duration of workshop 45 min – 2 hours.

To arrange a session, please contact stats-wp@warwick.ac.uk.

Note: Events are subject to staff availability and priority is given to schools that are:

Local to Coventry and Warwick District
Have a high proportion of students who meet the targets set out in the Warwick Access and Participation Plan.Link opens in a new window

Further talks, workshops and other events offered by the Department of Statistics can be found on the Statistics Widening Participation and Outreach pages.

25/09-01/07: From Solar to Horsepower

Becks Andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:18:41 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

Did Yoda first propose the law of energy conservation, or is he just a cool green guy who’s surprisingly handy with a light sabre? KS2/KS3 pupils will learn the answer to this and so much more!

We will treat them to amazing facts, brain-teasing quiz questions and, best of all, light-operated remote control car races. All whilst learning all about the chemistry of solar power.

The session lasts typically around an hour and it is delivered by a member of the Chemistry Outreach team. We can cater for groups of 10-30 kids. Please contact Gabriele Sosso at g.sosso@warwick.ac.uk to arrange a suitable date.

25/09-01/07: Ice, Ice, Baby!

Becks Andrew — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:14:04 GMT

When: Mon, 25 Sept - Wed, 01 Jul '26

This session is about ice, why it is such a difficult and important topic (even if it is part of our everyday experience) and what sort of research we do at Warwick about ice. It also involves the building of 3D plastic models of ice crystals - which sounds easier than it actually is!

From atmospheric science, to cryopreservation, there is a lot to learn about ice and this session offers the perfect opportunity to groups (10-30 students) of KS3-KS4 kids to do exactly that.

Please contact Gabriele Sosso at g.sosso@warwick.ac.uk to arrange a suitable date.

10/11-01/07: Engineering On-campus Visit

Becks Andrew — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 12:08:18 GMT

When: Fri, 10 Nov - Wed, 01 Jul '26

Where: Warwick University Campus, Engineering Building

Our Engineering On-campus Visit program welcomes primary and secondary schools to visit our university, offering the chance to meet real-life engineers, engage in inspiring discussions, hands-on experiences, and explore the exciting world of engineering. Elevate your students' potential by scheduling your visit today!

Maximum 30 students per group to visit us.

To book, contact the School of Engineering at engineering_networks@warwick.ac.uk.

05/08 2:34pm-01/07 12am: Data Explorers

Becks Andrew — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:21:54 GMT

When: 2:34pm, Mon, 05 Aug '24 - 12am, Wed, 01 Jul '26

Data are collected everywhere and whatever we do, from online shopping and video streaming to social media and the internet.

This interactive workshop gives a taster on how to explore data to extract meaningful patterns and make predictions.

Duration of workshop 45 min – 2 hours.

To arrange a session, please contact stats-wp@warwick.ac.uk.

Note: Events are subject to staff availability and priority is given to schools that are:

Local to Coventry and Warwick District
Have a high proportion of students who meet the targets set out in the Warwick Access and Participation Plan.Link opens in a new window

Further talks, workshops and other events offered by the Department of Statistics can be found on the Statistics Widening Participation and Outreach pages.