CHEMISTRY PUPILS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29366, 19 November 1960, Page 3

CHEMISTRY PUPILS

Awards Offered By Petone Firm

An unusual fillip to the chemistry interests of senior postprimary school pupils in Christchurch who are members of the Canterbury Junior Chemical Society has been offered by Lever Brothers (New Zealand), Ltd. This is a fully-paid visit to Wellington for four of them each year, plus a teacher in charge. The first awards will be made next year from entries made at the society's first meeting in March and the trip will probably be made during the August vacation.

In the initial project it is planned that the young visitors will be given a thorough inspection of Lever Brothers’ plant at Petonc. stop in Wellington overnight, and the next day have conducted tours of selected laboratories of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Mr E. R. Hounsell, chairman of the Junior Chemical Society, said yesterday that this was the kind of stimulus which would be greatly appreciated by young people. They would enjoy the trip and hospitality, have the opportunity to relate a lot of their school work to industrial and Government research, and see some of the problems facing chemists.

Yet the company asked nothing in return, said Mr Hounsell. It had eifen left the selection of candidates entirely to the committee of the Junior Chemical Society. After considering proposals for essays, interviews, or projects as a basis for selection, the committee had agreed that nothing could be fairer than a short written examination, possibly followed by an oral one. This would be conducted in April. The Canterbury Junior Chemical Society is the only one of its kind in this country. Formed a year ago. membership has risen to 200 sixth form pupils, which is considered an unwieldy number. so next year membership will be limited to upper sixth forms.

The year's programme has lively lecture demonstrations with a breadth of interest calculated to interest all young students of chemistry.

The society developed spontaneously from the interests of teachers and university staff and it has the full support of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.