We celebrated our best ever performance as thirteen students were awarded certificates at this year’s Chemistry Olympiad.
The UK Chemistry Olympiad is a competition made up of three stages that develop critical problem-solving skills, learn to think more creatively and get a chance to test their knowledge in real-world situations.
The first round was a written test which is designed to test their knowledge through a written test with real-world chemistry problems.
Owen Harris, 18, a former Unity College student who studied Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, secured silver this year, building on last year’s bronze. He said:
“I’m very proud of this, it’s a good achievement to have especially since it’s things from the syllabus rather than just memorising content.”
The second round consisted of lessons and demonstrations on new topics from respected academics, teachers and technicians, followed by theoretical and practical assessments.
Owen Thorpe, 18, a former Burnley High School student who studies Chemistry, Physics and Maths, who also took part, added:
“I’m pretty happy with silver, even though I was hoping for gold.
“It was quite challenging, but it was interesting to see chemistry at a high level, and it was fun to answer the more challenging questions.”
Zara Hussain, Programme Leader of Applied Science and Chemistry, says she’s proud of all the competitors considering it was a very challenging paper:
“This is the best set of results we’ve had in the five years our students have taken part in the Chemistry Olympiad.
“It’s an outstanding achievement; all participants should be very proud of themselves. It shows you can apply knowledge to industry-based questions.”
Do you have what it takes to compete in a subject you love? Burnley College supports their students in a calendar of external competitions from beauty to welding.
