Te Awamutu College win ChemQuest challenge

October 10, 2011

Te Awamutu College win ChemQuest challenge

Te Awamutu College has taken out the top prize at the Waikato University ChemQuest, finally taking the top spot from St Paul’s Collegiate, who have won the competition the last two years in a row.

First place went to Hayden Berkers, Liam Macintosh and Matt Harker from the Te Awamutu team called ‘Tie-Tins’. The students were awarded the James and Wells trophy, $150 and a gold medal each.

The annual chemistry quiz gives Year 12 chemistry students the chance to put their chemistry knowledge to the test in a pop quiz-style challenge. The ‘senses round’ required students to sniff out a range of scents from small vials, with smells ranging from spearmint to vinegar. The ‘demo’ round included demonstrations featuring liquid nitrogen, exploding hydrogen balloons and chemical reactions that produce light; all which were crowd pleasers on the night.

The after-school event was held at the University of Waikato on October 6 and was attended by almost 200 students, made up of teams of three.

St Paul’s Collegiate School won second place in the contest. The team ‘I Like Trains’ consisting of Sam Armstrong, Belinda Pedersen and Jonathan Eyers, won $90 for their team and a silver medal each. Third place was also awarded to a St Paul’s Collegiate team, ‘Team MAC’, which included Alex Hargreaves, Mitchell Proudfoot and Conor Robson.

"We had a record number of teams entered this year – in fact we were in the unfortunate position of having to decline some schools that had missed the deadline for registering. The students had a good time, and were able to show off their chemistry knowledge. The winning school, Te Awamutu College, have never won it before, and the delight on their faces was magical," says event organiser Professor Bill Henderson.

The fourth place winners were Mount Maunganui College, while fifth place went to a team from Hamilton’s Hillcrest High School.

ChemQuest is sponsored by the University of Waikato’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, James & Wells Intellectual Property and Hill Laboratories.

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