Thursday 09 September 2010
A taste of chemistry for Westbourne students

Cold as Ice!

A taste of chemistry for Westbourne students

 

 

IT’S the after dinner treat that bites back…ice cream made with liquid nitrogen!

Taking their lead from celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, who often uses science as a key ingredient in his cookery, our pupils combined their knowledge of the science and the culinary when they visited the University of Sheffield.

The Year Nine students were among the youngsters from across the city invited to a special science lecture at the University of Sheffield, where the unusual ice cream was one of the more extreme examples of how science can be used.

“It’s the sort of thing that can only be done in a controlled atmosphere and isn’t really suitable for a school science lab,” said Westbourne chemistry teacher Sam Fairbank.

“The really interesting thing is that liquid nitrogen ice cream tastes just as nice as the normal thing – but it’s a lot more expensive.”

The lecture was part of the Royal Society’s Chemistry Week, at the beginning of November aimed at attracting more children to science subjects.