Chemistry BSc students have been using 3D printing to give their learning an extra dimension.
Date: 17 August 2017
It’s been generating a buzz across the world and hailed as the future in many industries - from 3D printed medical pills to creating bespoke artificial limbs, recreating lost ancient monuments and even whipping up intricate chocolate models - but how are we using 3D printing at London Met?
Students studying Chemistry BSc at London Met have been taking full advantage of the 3D printing facilities available in the department - creating large scale models of molecules to give an up close view of the building blocks of the universe.
Getting hands on with scaled up versions of molecules means that many of the fundamental, and sometimes challenging, concepts of chemistry can be visualised and students have been extremely positive about their use in lectures.
Not only a learning tool
Chemistry students have also had the opportunity to get practical with the new technology for their final year projects.
Under the supervision of Dr Bhaven Patel, students have created 3D printed catalytic stirrer beads to help synthesise chemicals, a process which involves adding catalysts to the polymers used in 3D printing, designing and printing the stirrer beads and using them in experiments to make chemical compounds.
The project aims to make research more “green”, and cost effective, by minimising waste products.
Those who can do, teach
At London Met we don’t just have innovative teaching and learning methods, we also aim to inspire the chemistry teachers of tomorrow.
This year Adam Ali, who graduated with a Chemistry BSc in 2017, became one of the select few chemistry scholars in the UK to be awarded a Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Teacher Training Scholarship worth £27,000.
Adam said: “Studying Chemistry at London Met introduced me to many new opportunities in the world of work, especially to becoming a chemistry teacher. This opportunity allowed be to apply for the RSC Scholarship which provides you with a tax free £27,000 bursary as well as many teaching resources which are very useful when teaching chemistry itself.”
Going above and beyond
This year also saw Chemistry awarded a 100% student satisfaction score in the National Student Survey (NSS), one of 5 courses at London Met to do so.
Dr Daniel Sykes, Chemistry BSc course leader, said: “As a group we are very proud to score 100% in the NSS this year. The efforts of colleagues doing drop-in sessions at lunch and going above and beyond in supporting students during their project work has yielded this tremendous result.”
Students who study at London Met also have access to the Superlab, one of the biggest teaching labs in Europe. The lab, which features over 280 workstations, is currently undergoing a refresh of its audio visual system - making it one of the most advanced laboratory AV systems in the world.
Do you want to do something you love? London Met can take you there, and you could even start this September through Clearing.
Call 0800 032 4441 or find out more here.
