Goodbye 2016. Hello 2017

First of all I would like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year!

The Kitchen Chemist has been busy in the last couple of months. There have been shows at the Royal Institution, the Institute of Education and the University of Bristol Chemistry School, together with one at the UEA. Next week Kitchen Chemistry will be visiting the South of France for a week working with the British Council on their Science in Schools programme.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Ri again this year, so in mid-November I packed my suitcase and made my way to Albemarle Street in London to present Kitchen Chemistry: Seconds. I had a great time, and I think the audience, which was almost at capacity, did too.

Later in the month I was in London again. This time in the Logan Hall at the Institute of Education as part of one of The Training Partnership’s “Chemistry in Action” days. It is always interesting to meet the other speakers during the day, but especially interesting to try to adapt a chemistry show to an auditorium which forbids naked flames. Fortunately I managed to get away with some glowing material and harnessing the suitably vivid imaginations of my audience.

In December I repeated my trip to London, and then travelled over to Bristol to a Kitchen Chemistry show for the University of Bristol Outreach Programme. I also did Kitchen Chemistry:Seconds for a schools conference. I think it was meant to be a little light relief at the end of the day. This trip did, of course, mean getting back to base rather late in the day.

My partner in crime, Maxine Ruston, and I later performed the Science of Santa show for the primary PGCE students from the School of Education at the University of East Anglia. This seems to have become a regular event and the students look forward to their very own “Christmas Lecture”.

Next week I will be heading to Avignon and Marseilles to do some Kitchen Chemistry workshops (and some of the show) for schoolchildren. This has been organised through the British Council Science in Schools programme. I shall be visiting nine schools and am looking forward to finding out how much vitamin C there is in French orange juice.

May you all have a peaceful, healthy and prosperous New Year – and don’t forget your Kitchen Chemistry!