“Are you a real scientist?” Catalyst; everyday chemistry and inspiring new generations

Catalyst is an interactive science centre and museum in the North West, devoted to chemistry and its relevance in the everyday lives of our visitors. Our mission is to inform, educate and inspire our audiences through unique, exciting and hands-on experiences that seek to demonstrate that science is achievable and accessible to all ages and abilities. This session aims to showcase key elements of our Education Programme and other exciting opportunities that Catalyst provides, all of which are designed to introduce and spotlight the immense presence that chemistry has around us. Time and again we are asked by primary school children, “are you a real scientist?” which we suspect derives from their associations and perceptions of what a scientist is, what they do or what they look like. We are frequently met with phrases that refer to their understanding of scientists as being male, wearing a white coat, mixing chemicals in a lab, or being prone to making things explode. Whilst these things may and can be true, one of our aims at Catalyst is to combat this misconception; chemistry is an accessible practice that is open to all minds from all backgrounds and should feel identifiable. Ever wondered how sun cream, soap or shower gel is made? Do you know what biodegradable plastic bags are made from? These are just a few ways that Catalyst explores the everyday chemistry at our fingertips. Through our sponsorships with key industries in the chemical supply chain, we provide pupils with the opportunity to make their own personal care products, explore the ways sun cream protects us and the new environmentally-friendly ways plastic can be utilised to shape our world – all within our workshops. Even when approaching technical topics, such as neutralisation, they are framed through an everyday lens – how chemists make medicines – to bring this to the forefront of pupil’s minds and enable them to see chemistry as something they can also accomplish. We are lucky to be supported in this venture, in various ways, by a variety of companies such as Innospec, the Cosmetics Cluster, Boots, Stephenson’s, Ingevity and Unilever. At our most recent Chemistry at Work week event, which saw over 350 KS3 pupils engage with 74 industry partners from 16 local chemical industries, 86% believed that a science career was attainable because of attending the event. As science communicators and informal educators, we can integrate real-world practice into experiences beyond the classroom and bring to the forefront the understanding of how chemistry shapes our lives. In this session, we can provide you with ideas on how to do the same in your classroom and help pupils see themselves as future scientists. A key outcome of this interactive session will be to demonstrate to teachers and practitioners our value as a museum, experience realistic scenarios in a classroom setting, encourage learning beyond the classroom and provide pupils with the opportunity to boost their science capital and fuel future aspirations.