Plasma, microbiology and coffee: the Faculty of Chemistry BUT hosted project days for secondary school students

In recent weeks, the Faculty of Chemistry at Brno University of Technology hosted a series of workshops for students from the Secondary School of Chemistry and Grammar School Brno. A total of 220 students took part in the practically oriented programme, including 127 first-year students and 93 second-year students.


The workshops gave students the opportunity to explore university laboratories, try working with modern technologies, and experience chemistry in contexts that regular school lessons often cannot provide. The Faculty of Chemistry has long been developing interactive programmes aimed at introducing secondary school students to science and applied research in practice.

Students could choose from a wide range of thematic workshops, which attracted great interest. During the workshop What Does Metal Hide? A Look into Its Microstructure, participants gained insight into the world of materials research and microscopic analysis of metals.

Modern chemical materials and physicochemical phenomena were introduced through workshops such as Hydrogels in a Hundred Different Ways + the Beauty of Colloid Chemistry, Touch the Plasma, and Glowing Secrets. Students carried out experiments focused on the properties of soft materials, plasma, and fluorescence phenomena. According to feedback, many of them were able to “touch plasma” for the first time, grow crystals, or discover how fluorescence works.

A significant part of the programme focused on topics connecting chemistry with the environment and biotechnology. The workshop Is the Water Clean? Analysis and Organisms Will Tell Us introduced methods of water quality assessment, while Microbial Heroes: How Bacteria Help Save the World presented the possibilities of using microorganisms in environmental protection and modern technologies.

Participants also explored analytical methods in the workshop A Pocket Spectroscope: Not All White Is the Same, where they built their own spectroscopes and investigated light and spectra. The workshop The Chemistry of Carbon Compounds Is Not Just Black introduced students to organic chemistry in a practical and engaging way.

The workshops linking chemistry with everyday life also received excellent feedback. In the workshop From Coffee Cherry to a Delicious Cup of Coffee, students explored the chemical processes influencing the taste and aroma of coffee, while The Brewer’s Lemonade offered an introduction to the basics of fermentation and food technologies. In their feedback, some students mentioned activities such as making bubble tea or laboratory work with organic compounds as some of the most interesting parts of the programme.

Questionnaires showed that the workshops truly engaged the students. All respondents stated that they felt actively involved throughout the programme, and most of them evaluated the experience very positively. The average workshop rating exceeded 4.3 out of 5 stars.

The overall atmosphere of the event was also very positive. Feedback included comments such as “It was really great”, “I enjoyed it a lot”, or “Great people and a great topic”. Some students also appreciated the opportunity to hear part of the workshops in English or to work in university laboratories for the first time.

The workshops were part of the Faculty of Chemistry’s long-term cooperation with secondary schools and its efforts to support interest in natural sciences and technical fields. For many students, this was one of their first opportunities to experience a university environment and discover that chemistry is mainly about experiments, discoveries, and technologies that change the world.

Published
Link https://www.fch.vut.cz/en//f81551/d332997