NZIC tour of Robinson and Bspkl

Wellington branch students took a trip to two companies in Wellington to see chemistry in action. The 13 students were shown around both the Robinson Research Institute, known for superconducting magnet and science engineering, and Bspkl, a company that manufactures high-performance catalyst coated membrane for hydrogen electrolysers. The students enjoyed the trip and found it very informative. The Robinson team gave a talk on using hydrogen rather than coal to produce steel in a green manner. At Bspkl they were shown the machinery, including their set-up for manufacturing large amounts of catalyst for green hydrogen production.

SCPS-NZIC titration competition and quiz

The SCPS-NZIC titration competition and quiz night were held on 17 June.

High school students from Wellington College, Wellington Girls, St Mary’s College, Raphael House and St Patrick’s College took part in the titration competition, with 39 students packing out our undergraduate chemistry lab. They prepared a standard solution and then performed a back titration to quantify the amount of vitamin C in Keri apple juice. There was plenty of laughter and banter alongside hard work. We were delighted and impressed by the enthusiasm and confidence of the students. First prize went to a student from Raphael House, second prize was awarded to a student from Wellington College and a student from St Mary’s College earned the third prize. All of these titration winners gave an answer within 2mg of the real result!

The quiz night saw some of the same students, with Raphael House, Wellington College and St Pat’s staying on and joined by Aotea College, St Bernards College, Hutt Valley High and St Catherine’s College. It was great to see our old Quiz Master Finlay Burke return as a high school teacher! This year’s quiz was organised and run by an amazing team of students lead by Psi Booth with lots of help from Alessandra Basile, Liam McKenna, Hunter Murray, Zoe Atsalis, Oliver Spicier, Nimra Bashir and Antonio Salamat with Raffael Marth as the Quiz Master. They awarded a range of prizes from SCPS, VUW, MacDiarmid Institute, VicBooks and Unity Books. It was great to see their enthusiasm in inspiring the next generation of chemists.

Future scientists dive into chemistry at the Ferrier Research Institute 

Last month, the Ferrier Research Institute welcomed forty enthusiastic Year 11 and 12 students as part of the Innovative Young Minds (IYM) Programme. Designed to ignite interest in STEMM subjects, the IYM residential programme connects young wāhine with real-world science environments, giving them the chance to experience a day in the life of a scientist. 

During their visit, the group toured Ferrier’s laboratories, met researchers, and tried their hand at synthesising aspirin, a well-known real-world example of chemistry in action. The visit provided an opportunity to ask questions, explore different science career pathways, and see how research at Ferrier applies chemistry to real-world health challenges, from medicinal chemistry and drug discovery and development through to emerging RNA-lipid nanoparticle technologies. 

It was a pleasure to host such an engaged and curious group, and Ferrier was delighted to support an initiative that encourages young people to see themselves in science. 

Richard Furneaux honoured for drug discovery research

Congratulations to Professor Richard Furneaux, who has received the Award for Excellence in Innovative Medicines Research. This award recognises Richard’s outstanding contributions to carbohydrate chemistry and drug discovery, and a career spent helping translate New Zealand science from the laboratory towards new medicines.