A number of Summer Placements are available in the Level 4 Teaching Laboratory, working on a variety of projects to support the Lab's teaching activities. Although obviously a very useful experience for those who are potentially interested in moving into teaching, the range of projects (and the associated skill sets that can be developed) are wide ranging, e.g. practical development, written communication skills (i.e. writing and proof-reading of lab scripts), creation of online resources, video filming/editing. Wherever possible, placement students are assigned to activities that, in their application, they expressed greatest interest in.
My placement in the level 4 teaching lab lasted 8 weeks and was the most useful summer I have had so far. Rather than work in the local supermarket I was able to work in the lab improving material for the years at university I had just completed. This allowed me to gain valuable skills from presentation to writing and filming. I managed to delve further into science that I had previously not been able to explore thoroughly in my course and enjoyed working with a range of scientists, both fellow students and academics. This has made me a better chemist with skills that I hope will help me excel in 3rd year and throughout my career.
Thank you for having me Colin!!
LS - 2012 (Year 2) Placement Student
Summer placements are advertised shortly before the Easter vacation, with interviews being carried out immediately after Easter and offers being made ~1 Week after the interviews. Level 4 Lab placements undertaken by UoS Undegraduates are renumerated (currently £267/wk).
Note that the number of placements offered each year varies (depending on available funding, placements available and quality of applicants) e.g.
- 2019: 2 (Easter) placements (directly) offered.
- 2018: 1 placement (directly) offered.
- 2017: 18 applicants - 10 candidates interviewed - 7 placements offered.
- 2016: 17 applicants - 9 candidates interviewed - 4 placements offered.
- 2015: 25 applicants - 11 candidates interviewed - 5 placements offered.
- 2014: 24 applicants - 11 candidates interviewed - 6 placements offered.
- 2013: 33 applicants - 16 candidates interviewed - 8 placements offered.
- 2012: 37 applicants - 14 candidates interviewed - 4 placements offered.
A list of previous placement students, along with some of the major projects they were associated with, are given below.
Date Student
[Placement Length in Weeks]Degree Program
(Year of Study)Major Projects Undertaken Easter
2019Thea Griffiths [1] BSc (3) Assisting with packing/clearing/cleaning lab. Marta Ross [2] MChem (4) Creating a presentation to support the Year 1 "Potassium Ferrioxalate" practical. Devising new pre-lab quiz questions. Assisting with packing/clearing/cleaning lab. Molly Wilson [2] MChem (4) Devising new pre-lab quiz questions. Assisting with packing/clearing/cleaning lab. Summer
2018Thea Griffiths [12] BSc (2) Revising existing and creating new Lab communication presentations and web resources. Trialling practical revisions to the Year 2 "Fluorescence Spectroscopy" practical. Creation of new questions for Year 1 & 2 pre-lab quizzes. Summer
2017Alastair Cobb [4] MChem (2) L4&5 Lab Feedback Champion - Reviewing current lab feedback provision and suggesting/developing changes/improvements. Charlotte Dean [4] MChem (1) L4&5 Lab Feedback Champion - Reviewing current lab feedback provision and suggesting/developing changes/improvements. Kyle Gentleman [4] NatSci (1) L4&5 Lab Feedback Champion - Reviewing current lab feedback provision and suggesting/developing changes/improvements. Charlotte Higgins [4] MChem (2) L4&5 Lab Feedback Champion - Reviewing current lab feedback provision and suggesting/developing changes/improvements. Angharad Jenkins [8] MChem (3) Revising/Trialling Year 1 "Potassium Ferrioxalate" practical. Generation of pre-lab quizzes. Joel-James Payne [10] MChem (1) Creation of Excel & Origin Web Tutorials. Recording/editing pre-lab videos. Marta Ross [8] MChem (2) Revising/Filming/Editing/Voicing Lab presentations. Summer
2016Dan Lear [10] MChem (2) Trialling revisions and generating new content for the Year 1 "Iodine Clock" practical. Developing a revised version of the Year 2 "Halogenation" and Year 2 "Hydrogen-Oxygen" practicals. Recording of Error pre-lab videos. Marta Ross [5] MChem (1) Trialling revisions and generating new content for the Year 1 "Iodine Clock" practical. Creating Induction presentations. Recording audio for "Keeping a Lab-book" and "Writing a Report" presentations. Katja Stout [10] MChem (1) Investigating feasibility of adding an apparatus database to the website. Creation of "Keeping a Lab-book" and "Writing a Report" presentations. Oli Studd [12] MChem (2) Conversion and revision of web-scripts. Design of new front end for website. Summer
2015Sarah McClory [10] MChem (2) Background research into Hill Reaction. Conversion of paper scripts to web-based versions. Claire Middleton [8] MChem (2) Trialling revisions to the Year 1 "Identification of Unknowns" practical. Development and trialling of new Year 2 "Hill Reaction" practical. Conversion of paper scripts to web-based versions. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Sylwia Ostrowska [4] MChem (1) Trialling revisions to the Year 1 "Identification of Unknowns" practical. Creation of video versions of Excel Tutorials. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Sarah Rawding [6] MChem (1) Trialling revisions to the Year 1 "pK of an Indicator" practical. Conversion of paper scripts to web-based versions. Oli Studd [6] MChem (1) Trialling revisions to the Year 1 "Identification of Unknowns" practical. Devising and trialling revisions to the Year 1 "Indicators" practical. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Conversion of paper scripts to web-based versions. Generation of additional content for web-scripts. Summer
2014David Beharry [8] MChem (1) Development of new Year 1 "Gas Law" practicals. Revision of Year 1 "Identification of Unknowns" practical. Filming and sub-titling pre-lab videos. Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Alister Boags [10] MChem (2) Creation and development of new Year 2 "Chemiluminescence" practical. Trialling Year 2 "Electrochemistry" practical. Revision of lab scripts. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Joseph Gibson [10] MChem (3) Creation and development of new Year 2 "Chemiluminescence" practical. Creation (and authoring) of new content for the Level 4 Lab website, including Electronic & Geometric Structures Tutorial. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Ieva Goldeberga [6] MChem (3) Creation (and authoring) of Using Excel 2013 tutorial for the Level 4 Lab website. Revision of Excel Workshop exercises. Creation of Year 2 Pre-Lab Quiz questions. Hannah Perry [2] MSci (1 - University of Birmingham) Trialling and development of Year 1 "Introduction to Electrochemistry" practical. Ryan Squire [10] MChem (1) Filming, editing and sub-titling pre-lab videos. Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website, including the Finance pages. Assisting with chemicals inventory. Revision of Year 1 Pre-Lab Quizzes. Assisting with Outreach events and Open Days. Summer
2013Allison Bushrod [6] MChem (1) Trialling and development of Year 1 "Iodine Clock" and "Oscillating Reactions" practicals. Filming and editing pre-lab videos. Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website. Rachel Greenhill [6] MChem (1) Trialling and development of Year 1 "Iodine Clock" and "Oscillating Reactions" practicals. Filming and editing pre-lab videos. Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website. Johnnie Harmer [4] MChem (2) Revision of Year 2 Pre-lab Quizzes. Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website Michelle Huggon [4] MChem (3) Introduction of a new simulation element to the Year 2 "Hydrogen/Oxygen Explosion" practical (including generation of supporting videos). Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website Iveta Ivanova [4] MChem (2) Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website, including local area maps and the theory section for the Russell-Saunders Coupling web tutorial. Mike Moazami [5] MChem (3) Optimization of synthesis for the Year 2 "Quantum Dots" practical. Filming and editing pre-lab videos. Kamila Nowinska [6] MChem (1) Trialling and development of Year 1 "Electrochemistry" practical. Creation of new content for the Level 4 Lab website. India Willimott [8] MChem (3) Trialling and optimising operation of new potentiostats. Investigation into the possibility of introducing a new Year 2 "Chemiluminescence Kinetics" practical. Creation (and authoring) of new pages for the Level 4 Lab website. Summer
2012Patrick Arnott [12] MChem/MedSci (1) Development of a new (thermal imaging) element for the Year 1 "Demonstration Chemistry" practical. Creation and deployment of new Year 1 pre-lab Quizzes. Daniel Kohn [4] MChem (2) Revising and trialling Year 2 "Quantum Dots" practical. Rosemary Philpott [10] MChem (2) Filming and editing pre-lab videos. Creation and deployment of new Year 2 pre-lab Quizzes. Lauren Sargisson [8] MChem
(2)Generation of content for Mathematical Concepts web tutorial. Investigating possibility of adding a simulation element to the Year 2 "Hydrogen/Oxygen Explosion" practical. Summer
2011Samantha Earl [12] MNatSci (1) Development of new Year 1 "Hydrogeology" practical. Trialling and optimizing operation of new Fluorescence Spectrometer. Thomas Hitch [12] MChem (2) Investigation of alternative synthesis route for Year 2 "Quantum Dots" practical. Creation of Group Theory web tutorial. Andrew Poole [4] MChem (2) Revision and trialling of Year 2 "Oscillating Reactions" practical. Filming pre-lab videos. Summer
2010Rebeka Morley [8] MChem (2) Filming and editing of pre-lab videos. Andrew Norris [8] MChem (2) Filming and editing of pre-lab videos. Samuel Perry [8] MChem (2) Filming and editing of pre-lab videos. Gareth Ward [8] BScChem/MedSci (2) Filming and editing of pre-lab videos. Spring
2010Adam Fisher [2] MChem (4) Trialling new practicals. Summer
2004Ruth Allen [4] MChem (2) Setting up lab following refurbishment. Andrew Bailey [4] MChem (2) Setting up lab following refurbishment. Claire Topping [4] MChem (2) Setting up lab following refurbishment.