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Outreach Program

The School of Chemistry has an outreach program to establish contact with science teachers. If you are a teacher and would like to enquire about organising a visit by your students to the School of Chemistry, or to discuss other ways for the School to assist you, please contact Assoc. Prof. Naresh Kumar (n.kumar@unsw.edu.au).

Professional Development for Chemistry Teachers

The Faculty of Science organised a professional development short course for science teachers held on 7th February, 2011. This included a program of activities of interest to all chemistry teachers.

Monday 7 February 2011, 8.45 am – 1.00 pm

* 9.00 - 10.00 am, Seminar 1 - "Spectroscopy and Applications" with Associate Professor Grainne Moran.

Spectroscopic techniques form part of several core and elective modules in the HSC. Resources and examples will be presented for the following spectroscopy techniques, with applications in Chemical Monitoring and Management, Forensic Chemistry and the Chemistry of Art.

  • Atomic absorption spectroscopy
  • Infrared and ultraviolet Spectroscopy
  • Laser microspectral analysis

Grainne Moran is the Managing Director of the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre. The Centre houses major instrumentation used by researchers in the Faculties of Science, Medicine and Engineering for the study of the structure and composition of biological, chemical, and engineering materials.

* 10.05 - 11.05 am, Seminar 2 - "Back to the future. The new national chemistry curriculum" with Associate Professor Peter Southwell-Keely.

This talk will consider the proposed changes to the present HSC syllabus.

Peter Southwell-Keely is a retired professor of Chemistry. He has had extensive involvement in chemistry at the HSC level including syllabus development.

* 11.30 am - 1.00 pm, School of Chemistry laboratory session and tour of the UNSW Analytical Centre.

For further information about future Professional Development sessions please contact Assoc. Prof. Naresh Kumar (n.kumar@unsw.edu.au).

Teacher Questions

Teachers are invited to email questions about any general chemistry topics to teacher.questions@chem.unsw.edu.au. Staff in the School of Chemistry will endeavour to answer your questions and if there is sufficient interest we will create an FAQ page with answers (where possible!) on our web site.

Previous Events

In November 2007 the School of Chemistry ran a professional development day for High School Chemistry Teachers. Approximately 60 teachers attended to hear presentations about spectroscopy, 'green' chemistry, and electrochemistry and corrosion.

In 1999 and 2000 The School of Chemistry held a series of workshops on the (then) new HSC Chemistry Syllabus. The lecture notes from these workshops are available below, and the student activities materials are also available (see below). It should be noted that materials relating to the HSC syllabus are prepared for the assistance of teachers, but carry no guarantee of compliance with requirements of the Board of Studies.

Lecture notes (PDF) from the June, 2000 Year 12 HSC workshop for teachers:

Lecture notes (PDF) from the November, 1999 Year 11 HSC workshop for teachers: