Associate Professor Allan Blackman from the University of Otago is our in house chemist. He’ll be answering your questions about all things chemical so if you have something you’ve always wondered about email us here
Reading Room
The Nature of Science Educational Resources
The MacDiarmid Institute has a series of resources for the classroom on the work of some of our greatest scientists.
How pure really is our water? In 2011 an exciting global experiment will help to find the answer.
School students around the world will be invited to explore one of Earth’s most critical resources, water. The results of their investigations will contribute to a Global Experiment, which will possibly become the biggest chemistry experiment ever.
The activities that make up the experiment have been designed to require minimal equipment and resources, but at the same time, allow increasing levels of sophistication. Four activities, which are being tested, have been developed to examine local water sources:
Two activities related to water treatment involve purification by filtration and evaporation. The filtration activity will investigate local water treatment methods and results will be reported on a global map. This activity can be elaborated to investigate disinfection.
The other two activities will involve tests relating to water quality, namely measuring acidity and salinity. The measurements also will be reported on a global map.
We’ll be uploading interesting talks throughout the year. Check out our events page to find out if there is something happening in your home town.
Professor Ian Shaw
Held on Tuesday 17th May 2011 at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology Ian Shaw is Professor of Toxicology at the Department of Chemistry, University of Canterbury, and Professor of Food Safety, Department of Food, Wine & Molecular Biosciences at Lincoln University
Listen to the podcast of Poisonous Chemistry here
Ask a Chemist
Reading Room
Water – A Chemical Solution: A Global Experiment