NZIC Analytical Chemistry Competition 2023
This annual event was held on 13 June. Twenty teams of students from fifteen schools across the Waikato/Bay of Plenty regions sent teams of four students to the university for the day to carry out the analysis for this year’s competition.
“The task was to analyse the individual levels of zinc and sulfate ions in a sample of zinc sulfate and to use these values to determine how many water molecules were associated with each zinc sulfate molecule. One pair from each group of four analysed their samples to determine the zinc ion content, while the other half of the team determined the sulate ion level. Although this was quite a challenging task in the time available, it was very close between the top few teams,” said competition judge and key organiser, Michèle Prinsep.
The competition allowed enthusiastic Year 13 chemists to spend a day in the university laboratories working on an experiment that would be beyond the resources of their schools. Although competition was intense, the main emphasis was on enjoying the experience of working in a chemistry laboratory at the university and meeting students from other schools. The winning team received $280 and a trophy, with prize money also awarded to all other place-getters thanks to the generosity of the sponsors.
The day involved many of the chemistry department staff in setting up the competition and supervising the labs. Bryant Hall and Student Village provided excellent lunches (sponsored by the Waikato Branch of the NZIC) while Hill Laboratories and the Waikato Branch of the NZIC generously donated the prizes.
Results were:
- 1st Prize: Hamilton Boys’ High School
(Alex Liu, Alexander Mayo, Samuel Priest, Thomas ter Beek) - 2nd Prize: Hillcrest High School
(Shia Dunning, Jack Higgins, Aishwarya Sethu, Luke Tan) - 3rd Prize: Tauranga Girls’ College 1
(Kell Crowther, Bree McTavish-Huriwai, Charlotte Wilde, Hillary Yip) - 4th Prize: Hamilton Girls’ High School 2
(Dahamsi Galappaththi, Pippa Hall, Kiera Sullivan, Ciara, Wallace-Sahassananda) - 5th Prize: St Peter’s School 2
(Eloon Ing, Madi Judkins, Sangwoo Lee, Hamish Owens)
-1200x800-5b2df79.jpg)
Science Fair
The Waikato branch of NZIC again sponsored the Waikato Science Fair and two special prizes in chemistry. The award for the best junior chemistry investigation went to Ella Dela Cruz of Ohaupo School for her project, Now You "C" It and the award for the best senior chemistry investigation went to Georgie-Rose Boyd of St Peter's School for her project, A Little Bit Salty.
University of Waikato
Chemistry staff were very pleased to welcome two new academic staff members, Ben Dickson and Joel Rindelaub in June. Ben's research is in organic and medicinal chemistry with an interest in development of novel bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical use and innovative methods for synthesis of these compounds. Particular areas of interest currently include inhibitors of enzymes involved in DNA repair and replication, methods for selective activation of therapeutics using unique features of target tissues and flow chemistry. Joel’s research investigates the chemistry and fate of pollutants in the atmosphere. He is interested in better understanding emerging airborne pollutants, their relation to human health, and the impacts on the environment.
Doctoral student Lauren Gris, (supervisor Michèle Prinsep) presented her latest results on the chemical ecology of nudibranchs at the XIII Euroconference on Marine Natural Products (ECMNP) and XVII Marine Natural Products (MaNaPro) joint meeting. The conference was held in Granada, Spain in September and was a great opportunity for Lauren to stay updated with the latest results in the field, network with colleagues and visit the magnificent Alhambra.
Doctoral student Nikki Webb (supervisor Michèle Prinsep) presented her most recent findings on tremorgenic compounds isolated from perennial ryegrasses to an in-house Endophyte Innovation Conference in Palmerston North in August and Amber Bell (supervisor Megan Grainger) presented her doctoral research, Effects of metals on honeybees, in the 3MT University of Waikato Finals.
Hill Laboratories
Hill Labs Christchurch operations are moving to a larger, purpose-built facility. Hill Labs first established a presence in Christchurch in February 2005, at 49 Ferry Road, initially offering food and water microbiological analyses. The later addition of chemical analyses prompted a move to the Waterloo Road site in 2007. Addition of an asbestos testing service in Christchurch in 2014, paired with a growing customer base has led to the need for a larger facility. The new lab will be located at Print Place in Middleton with an expansive 2,400m2 floorplan and a purpose-built design.
