Top pupils clash in chemistry contest
Top chemistry pupils answered curly and quirky questions at Victoria University last Wednesday, as they competed for the Wellington title in the annual New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Secondary School Quiz.
The quiz (for Year 12 and 13 pupils) has 50 four-member teams from high schools in Kapiti, the Wairarapa and the Wellington region take part.
Teams grappled with puzzles ranging from the chemistry involved in baking a cake and the acidity of popular soft drinks, to identifying the colour of compounds and explaining how famous scientists met their end.
Victoria Chemistry Master‘s students Claire Turner and Vidhiya Damodaran created the questions and were in charge on the night.
Since its inception, the popularity of the competition has grown steadily, says Victoria University Chemistry lecturer Dr Rob Keyzers. "We started out with around 30 teams but it‘s now so popular we‘ve had to cap numbers at 50, as that‘s all we can accommodate."
Prior to the event, pupils spent the afternoon in Victoria‘s Chemistry Department and got the chance to use laboratory equipment and interact with academics.
"It‘s a great way to introduce them to studying chemistry at a tertiary level and a great showcase for Victoria‘s capability in the subject," says Dr Keyzers.
The winning team, One Reaction, will go on to represent Wellington in the national quiz to be held in Palmerston North in late June.