nuffield science research project

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Education has the power to transform people’s lives. We want every young person in the UK to have the best possible education outcomes and to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in our society. We fund education research to i nform and drive the change needed to make this happen.

Learn more about our interest in Education research

Our goal is to find ways to improve educational outcomes through policy change and interventions that are grounded in robust evidence.

We fund research and development projects relating to education across all life stages – from early years through school, to further and higher education and vocational learning. We want to understand young people’s pathways as they move through these stages, and how they acquire skills and capabilities.

Many young people are disadvantaged in the education system, by factors such as special educational needs, disability, socio-economic background and location. Through the research we fund, we help to understand and address these disadvantages. We also aim to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and to understand and support teachers.

We recognise that education is not just what happens in the classroom – we also want to understand the wider influences on people’s education and chances in life, such as the role of families and informal learning.

Why education needs research

Pupils are on average three months behind on learning as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and teachers estimate almost half need intensive catch-up support. The quality of teaching and learning has a major influence on educational achievement. Research can help to understand how effective learning takes place, and how teaching practice and education policy can help pupils achieve their potential.

Women who are the first in their family to graduate from university earn 7% less in their mid-20s compared to female graduates whose parents attended university. In contrast, first generation male graduates tend not to face a similar pay penalty. Our research helps to understand the relationships between educational achievement and labour market success, as well as many other spheres such as health and well-being, civic engagement and parenting.

The majority of graduating BTEC students – who are more likely to be from disadvantaged backgrounds – achieve at least a 2:1 , demonstrating that for many students, these qualifications lead to university success. Research helps us to understand the factors that influence educational achievement, such as family background, where you live, and the choices of provision and pathways that are available. Research also sheds light on why these relationships exist and how disadvantages might be mitigated.

Widespread closures of schools, colleges and universities in response to COVID-19 led to a rapid transition to fully-remote distance learning for the majority of students. There is debate about how to build robust remote learning capabilities and infrastructure into the education system and more high-quality research into distance learning in schools and colleges, outside the context of the pandemic, is required.

What do we fund in education?

We are currently funding research, development and analysis projects, with a focus on:

Skills and capabilities that equip children and young people for life and work, both within and beyond educational institutions.
Teaching quality, particularly projects that improve practice through evidence-based interventions and those that harness digital technologies to improve teaching, learning, parental engagement and child development.
Young people’s pathways, with an increased focus on young people following non-HE routes.
Educational disadvantage, including special educational needs, physical disabilities, mental health issues, socio-economic disadvantage, geographical disadvantage and looked after children.
Direct interventions that improve young people’s lives and align with the four priorities identified above and which are grounded in evidence.

Students and teachers

One of the objectives of our work in education is to address the shortage of research and quantitative skills across social science students in the UK. Our student programmes provide opportunities for students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to develop their skills and confidence in quantitative and scientific methods.

Since 1962, the Foundation has also supported major curriculum projects and the creation of a wealth of teaching resources across STEM subjects and beyond.

For the first time, we have comprehensive analysis of public spending on education, around £95 billion. We now know how spending is targeted at different stages of education, how it has changed over time, and what is driving those changes. In 2021, this annual analysis from the IFS revealed school spending per pupil in 2024 will be about the same level as in 2010, despite extra spending. Schools serving more disadvantaged pupils have seen even larger cuts over the last decade. Our education spending analysis has attracted significant media coverage, increasing pressure on the government to take action.

In 2019, the DfE published a Recruitment and Retention Strategy to address issues with teacher supply. The Strategy echoed Nuffield-funded research from the NFER, which called for a greater emphasis on teacher retention as well as recruitment. The NFER research has also led to the DfE setting up a new policy area on part-time and flexible working, which has resulted in guidance, case studies and resources for schools.

We have awarded over £1.3 million for research into the impact of COVID-19 on education. Findings from the IFS and NFER contributed to government policy changes around school closures, home learning, technology provision, support for disadvantaged children and catch-up and recovery programmes. ASK Research also highlighted that pupils at special schools faced particular challenges. These projects provided vital evidence that pupils in low-income families and those with special educational needs were the worst hit by learning disruption.

Education topics

Early years

Primary education

Secondary education

Post-16 further education

Higher education

Education projects

12 of 286 results

Education | 2021 – 2021

The skills imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce

Education | 2025 – 2026 New

Investigating performance across Key Stage 2 maths topics

Education | 2024 – 2028

Teaching improvement through data and evaluation (TIDE)

Education | 2024 – 2026 New

Long-term outcomes of high-achieving disadvantaged children

Exploring academic selection and grammar schools in northern ireland.

Education | 2024 – 2026

Pupil school mobility: types, pathways and implications for education

Education | 2024 – 2024 New

Early years digital media literacy review

Can digital parenting interventions benefit early language development, developing a classroom intervention to improve conversation skills, vocabulary for reading: the power of words, spending across different stages of education, a feasibility and pilot trial of the early years library.

Education | 2024 – 2025 New

Teacher recruitment & retention challenges in England

Latest in education, the nuffield foundation’s response to the department for education’s advanced british standard consultation, project launch: teaching improvement through data and evaluation, connecting mental health and education, the future of work and skills: from place-based to place-led, neli preschool in ellergreen nursery school and childcare centre, neli preschool improves children’s language skills , neli case study: uxendon manor primary school, josh hillman: a level reform plans , funding call: addressing the growing send challenge, teacher crisis: the latest data, funding for research into the future of schools, funding opportunity: cost of living crisis, nuffield early language intervention in the making, addressing the social and economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, study of school breaktimes inspires campaigners, policy makers and researchers, new opportunities for post-16 maths education, improving access to university through nuffield research placements, what’s behind the teacher workforce crisis a look at current challenges and future solutions, improving reading attainment in primary & early secondary, lessons from the pandemic: family well-being, childcare and gender, the skills imperative 2035: essential skills for tomorrow’s workforce launch event, child conduct problems and socio-economic status, teacher supply after the pandemic, stay up to date.

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Spend your summer holiday enhancing your university application and career prospects on a Nuffield Research Placement.

Q-Step is a major strategic programme designed to promote a step-change in quantitative social science education and training.

We aim to improve people’s lives by funding research that informs social policy, primarily in Education , Welfare and Justice . We also fund student programmes that give young people skills and confidence in science and research.

We are an open, collaborative and engaged funder that offers more than money. Through connecting the individual projects we fund, we strengthen their collective impact and give voice to an overarching narrative.

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Education Prizes 2024: Give someone the recognition they deserve! Nominate before 19 June

Delve into a wide range of chemical concepts and processes with this collection of over 200 step-by-step practicals

Developed by the Nuffield Foundation and the Royal Society of Chemistry, each resource contains detailed information for teachers and technicians.

Numerous expanded polystyrene foam beads on a blue background

‘Dissolving’ polystyrene in acetone

In association with Nuffield Foundation

Investigate what happens to polystyrene when it is placed in propanone (acetone) in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A hand holding a brush ready to make a white surface

‘Magic’ writing with colour changing reactions

Reveal invisible messages or pictures drawn with aqueous solutions by spraying them with suitable reagents in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Aqueous solutions of red potassium dichromate and yellow potassium chromate in glass jars

A chromate–dichromate equilibrium

Try this class practical to investigate an equilibrium between chromate(VI), dichromate(VI) and hydrogen ions. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An enhanced image of a red-orange explosion against a dark background

A controlled explosion using hydrogen and air

Show how a hydrogen–air mixture can gain explosive properties using a plastic drink bottle in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Three clear empty plastic drink bottles, against a plain white-grey background

A hydrogen powered rocket

Try this spectacular demonstration to make a rocket using a plastic drink bottle fuelled by hydrogen and air. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A variety of glassware and containers of sodium hydroxide and phenolphthalein indicator in a laboratory

A microscale acid–base titration

Use microscale titration to complete an acid–base neutralisation with sodium hydroxide in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a laboratory well-plate with 24 wells, containing an orange-yellow solution

A microscale oxidation of alcohols

Use this practical to investigate the oxidation reactions of various alcohols with acidified potassium dichromate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A glass Petri dish containing bromic acid, malonic acid and phenanthroline with a blue and red pattern

A red–blue oscillating reaction

Use this practical or demonstration to provide a visual illustration of an oscillating reaction and redox equilibria. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A reversible reaction of hydrated copper(II) sulfate

A class practical which investigates the reversible reaction of hydrated copper(II) sulfate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up image of a Petri dish containing bromic acid, malonic acid and phenanthrolinehe; a colourful blue-purple pattern is visible as an Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillating reaction takes place

A simple oscillating reaction

Use this demonstration to illustrate an oscillating reaction as bromate ions oxidise malonic acid to carbon dioxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A sample of solid yellow lead iodide on a glass dish against a white background

A solid–solid reaction between lead nitrate and potassium iodide

Use this demonstration with kit list and safety instructions to prove that two solids can react together, making lead iodide from lead nitrate and potassium iodide.

A purple-red flame against a black background

A spontaneous exothermic reaction

Illustrate the reaction between glycerol and potassium manganate(VII) to produce flames and steam in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Several test tubes containing liquids that range in colour from light yellow, through orange to dark brown, representing the iodoform reaction.

A test to distinguish between ethanol and methanol

A class practical to distinguish between methanol and ethanol using the iodoform reaction. Includes kit list, safety instructions, procedure and teaching notes.

A glass thermometer resting in a glass conical flask in a laboratory setting

A thermometric titration

Use this class practical to practise locating end-points in titration by measuring temperature during the reaction. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Testing a slice of lemon with litmus paper

Acid or alkali? Acidic or alkaline? A litmus paper test

Test a variety of substances to see if they are acidic or alkaline, using litmus paper as the indicator. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A white polystyrene food container with the lid off, on a red-pink background

Addition polymerisation with phenylethene

Use this practical or demonstration as an example of addition polymerisation using phenylethene to form polyphenylethene. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A small heap of purified yellow sulfur powder against a neutral background

Allotropes of sulfur

Use this practical to explore the changes in the colour and consistency of sulfur as you heat it, melt it and eventually boil it. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a conical flask containing a purple liquid

Ammonia fountain demonstration

Try this experiment to make a miniature chemical fountain using only soluble ammonia and atmospheric pressure. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a small heap of ammonium dichromate which has been ignited, producing orange sparks and green chromium oxide

Ammonium dichromate volcano

Try this demonstration to create a mini volcanic eruption illustrating the decomposition of ammonium dichromate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Three glass boiling tubes containing blue copper sulfate solution, resting in a test tube rack on school laboratory bench

An equilibrium using copper(II) and ammonia

Try this practical to explore an equilibrium involving copper(II) ions, with copper(II) sulfate, ammonia and sulfuric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of a roll of aluminium foil

Anodising aluminium

Explore an application of electrolysis in this demonstration by anodising aluminium to improve corrosion resistance. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of four paper five pound notes on a wooden surface

Burning money: what makes combustion happen?

Surprise your students by soaking a piece of paper (or an old £5 note) in ethanol and water and igniting it. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Evaporating dish containing burning hydrogen peroxide and ethanol

Cannon fire

Increase the rate of burning with the inclusion of oxygen, in this loud exothermic practical

A small heap of black activated charcoal against a plain white-grey background

Carbon filtration and activated charcoal

Try this practical to remove objectionable tastes and odours from water using carbon in the form of activated charcoal. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Five conical flasks with different coloured liquids arranged as a spectrum from red to green to blue

Catalysing the reaction of sodium thiosulfate and hydrogen peroxide

Illustrate the effect of a catalyst as sodium thiosulfate is oxidised by hydrogen peroxide in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A glass measuring cylinder containing a dark purple liquid

Catalysis of a sodium thiosulfate and iron(III) nitrate reaction

Investigate the effect of transition metal catalysts on the reaction between iron(III) nitrate and sodium thiosulfate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a pile of zinc granules

Catalysis of the reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid

Compare the rate of reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid with copper as a catalyst in this simple class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A lit Bunsen burner on a laboratory bench, burning with a blue flame

Catalysts for the thermal decomposition of potassium chlorate

Try this demonstration to investigate the effectiveness of various catalysts for the decomposition of potassium chlorate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Pink cobalt chloride solution in a glass petri dish against a plain white-grey background

Catalytic oxidation of potassium sodium tartrate

Use this demonstration to illustrate catalysis of the oxidation of potassium sodium tartrate by hydrogen peroxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Blue chemiluminescence of luminol with sodium chlorate

Chemiluminescence of luminol: a cold light experiment

Show how the energy of a chemical reaction can be given out as light. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Chromatography of sweets | 11–14 years

In association with Nuffield Foundation , By Holly Walsh and Sandrine Bouchelkia

Try this class practical to carry out chromatography using dye from different coloured M&M’s®. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Two glass beakers containing red and blue liquids

Colourful reactions using ammonia solution

Turn ammonia solution red, white or blue by adding phenolphthalein, lead nitrate or copper(II) sulfate in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a sample of copper ore, with patches of a distinctive blue-green colour, against a neutral background

Colourimetric determination of copper ore

Use this practical to introduce students to the determination of copper ore by colourimetry using copper(II) sulfate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An image of a cork flying from an explosion effect created by a sparkler against a black background

Combustion of ethanol

Illustrate the large energy changes that take place during the combustion of alcohols with this spectacular demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A single orange flame against a black background

Combustion of hydrogen in air

Try this demonstration or class experiment to investigate how varying amounts of fuel and oxygen affect combustion. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of a spirit burner and orange-red flame on a black background

Comparing heat energy from burning alcohols

Investigate the amounts of heat energy produced by the combustion of different alcohols in this class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Two white bottles of laundry detergent next to white and cream folded fabrics

Comparing light- and heavy-duty detergents

Try this set of experiments to compare the effects of light- and heavy-duty detergents with different pH values. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of a length of tin being melted using a soldering iron

Comparing the melting points of solder, tin and lead

Test the melting points of lead, tin and solder to investigate solder as a solid mixture and alloy in this practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a corroded carbon steel structure on a pier, with visible rust

Corrosion in different atmospheric conditions

Try this practical to test the corrosion of metals in dry air, moist air and air polluted by acidic sulfur dioxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing the outside of an industrial furnace and heat exchanger, used in the cracking of hydrocarbons

Cracking hydrocarbons in liquid paraffin with a catalyst

Model the industrial process of cracking larger hydrocarbons to produce smaller alkanes in this demonstration or class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A plastic model of a molecule of paraffin

Cracking hydrocarbons on a microscale

Use this microscale experiment to illustrate hydrocarbon cracking using paraffin, bromine water and aluminium oxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Dehydration of ethanol to form ethene

Use this class practical or demonstration to produce ethene gas as an example of an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A round loaf of white bread partly cut to produce three slices

Detecting starch in food on a microscale

Test different foodstuffs for the presence of starch using iodine in this microscale class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Balancing a needle on the surface tension of water

Detergents, soaps and surface tension

A series of brief experiments on the effects of detergents and soaps on the surface tension of purified and hard water. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of two large disposable plastic syringes against a plain white-grey background

Determining relative molecular mass by weighing gases

Use this demonstration to determine the relative molecular masses of different gases using the ideal gas equation. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A roll of silver-grey magnesium ribbon standing on its edge against a plain grey background

Determining the relative atomic mass of magnesium

Use this practical to determine the relative atomic mass of magnesium using its reaction with hydrochloric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Determining the relative molecular mass of butane

Use this demonstration to calculate the relative molecular mass of butane using simple apparatus. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An image of a yellow substance dissolving and diffusing in a clear liquid

Diffusion in liquids

Demonstrate that diffusion takes place in liquids in this practical using lead nitrate and potassium iodide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Diffusion of gases: ammonia and hydrogen chloride

A demonstration to show the diffusion of gases, using ammonia solution and hydrochloric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Displacement reactions between metals and their salts

Students will investigate competition reactions of metals and determine a reactivity series of the four metals used. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a glass test tube containing a liquid with visible air bubbles

Displacement reactions of non-metals

Investigate a displacement series of non-metals using oxygen and chlorine in this class practical or demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An aerial photograph of the surface of seawater

Dissolved substances in tap water and seawater

Compare the solids and gases dissolved in tap water and seawater in this class practical and demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of silver-grey iodine crystals on a neutral background

Distribution of iodine between two immiscible solvents

Use this class experiment or demonstration to create an equilibrium distribution using iodine in two immiscible solvents. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Four different coloured fabric swatches, including yellow, red, green and blue

Dyeing three colours from the same dye bath

Show how dyeing involves chemical interactions between dyes and the molecular nature of different fibres in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up, full-frame image of bubbles of different sizes in a purple liquid

Electrolysis of brine

Use this colourful practical to introduce students to the electrolysis of brine, or sodium chloride solution. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of a glass beaker containing blue copper(II) sulfate solution on a white surface

Electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate solution

Explore the electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate solution and related industrial processes with this class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Electrolysis of molten lead(II) bromide

Introduce your students to the study of electrolysis through the production of metallic lead and bromine in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Molten zinc chloride inside a crucible, with two graphite electrodes

Electrolysis of molten zinc chloride

Try this demonstration to show how an ionic salt will conduct electricity when molten but not when solid. Includes kit list, video and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a glass test tube containing water and oil

Emulsifiers in the kitchen

Test a range of common ingredients to see which ones stabilise an oil and water emulsion in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of a glass beaker containing a liquid, with a gas visibly rising from the top

Endothermic solid–solid reactions

Observe an endothermic reaction between two solids in this demonstration or class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a burning marshmallow on a metal skewer, pictured against a dark background

Energy content in foods

Try this class experiment to investigate how much energy different foods contain. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up image of bubbles in fizzy water

Equilibria involving carbon dioxide in aqueous solution

Use this demonstration or class practical to illustrate changes to equilibria in carbonated soda water. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

The tops of three different plastic bottles containing bleach and other household chemicals

Estimating the concentration of bleach

Compare the chlorine content and concentration of sodium hypochlorite in different bleaches in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A piece of zinc placed in blue copper sulfate solution in a glass beaker, with a dark coating of copper resulting from the reaction that takes place

Exothermic metal displacement reactions

Try this class experiment to explore what happens when different metals are added to a copper(II) sulfate solution. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A glass container or beaker containing a clear liquid and labelled with the formula for hydrochloric acid

Exothermic metal–acid reactions

Use this class practical to explore the temperature changes resulting from adding different metals to hydrochloric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Measuring the temperature of a liquid to determine whether the reaction is exothermic or endothermic

Exothermic or endothermic? Classifying reactions

Decide whether various reactions are exothermic or endothermic by measuring temperature change in this practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Zinc Iodide Formula. Handwritten chemical formula on blackboard. Illustration white background of a black school board.

Exothermic redox reaction of zinc with iodine

Using an exothermic redox reaction between zinc and iodine, student will make zinc iodide. This can be reversed using electrolysis to decompose the compound.

An orange flame shooting from a barely visible gas tank against a dark background

Exploding a tin can using methane

Use this demonstration to illustrate how methane can create an explosive mixture with the oxygen in air. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up enhanced image of a soap bubble against a black background

Exploding bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen

Create a small explosion in this demonstration by electrolysing water to produce hydrogen and oxygen bubbles. Includes kit list, video and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of a piece of rock with malachite (copper ore)

Extracting copper from copper(II) carbonate

Use this practical to produce copper from copper(II) carbonate, modelling the extraction of copper from malachite. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of wet laminaria ribbon seaweed (or kelp) on a beach

Extracting iodine from seaweed

Discover how ribbon seaweed (or kelp) can be used as a source of iodine in this demonstration or class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A variety of different breakfast cereals in bowls on a wooden surface, with a glass jug of milk and spoons at the side

Extracting iron from breakfast cereal

Try this class practical or demonstration to extract food-grade iron from breakfast cereals using neodymium magnets. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up, full-frame photograph of pieces of charcoal

Extracting metals with charcoal

Try this class practical to illustrate the idea of competition reactions between metals and carbon. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of the head of an unlit matchstick

Extraction of iron on a match head

Try this practical as a small scale example of metal extraction, reducing iron(III) oxide with carbon on a match head. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A large fire rising from a black flying pan on a kitchen stove

Fat-pan fires and the conditions for combustion

Use this demonstration to illustrate the conditions required to start combustion, and how to put out a pan fire safely. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Previews of the Fermentation of glucose using yeast student sheets and teacher notes, and a coloured SEM image of symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY).

Fermentation of glucose using yeast | 14–16 years

In association with Nuffield Foundation , By Neil Goalby

Use this class practical to investigate the fermentation of glucose by yeast and test for ethanol. Includes kit list, safety instructions, questions and answers

A close-up photograph of a sample of black copper(II) oxide on a glass dish

Finding the formula of copper(II) oxide

Use this class practical with your students to deduce the formula of copper(II) oxide from its reduction by methane. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Hydrated copper sulfate crystals (blue in colour)

Finding the formula of hydrated copper(II) sulfate

In this experiment students will measure the mass of hydrated copper(II) sulfate before and after heating and use mole calculations to find the formula.

Copper solution soaked splint in Bunsen burner flame.

Flame colours: a demonstration

Explore how different elements rect when exposed to a flame, and discuss how alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and metal salts change the colour of fire.

Bubbles of different sizes floating against a black background

Floating and sinking bubbles

Make bubbles of carbon dioxide, hydrogen or methane in this demonstration exploring density, diffusion and solubility. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D rendered illustration of dark and light blue spheres or bubbles against a turquoise background

Generating, collecting and testing gases

Read our standard guidance on generating, collecting and testing gases during practical experiments, including carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen and chlorine.

A macro photograph of a piece of iron wool

Halogen reactions with iron wool

Illustrate an exothermic redox reaction by heating iron wool with chlorine, bromine and iodine with this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing a booklet of detachable strips of universal indicator paper, with a colour chart for comparison

Halogens in aqueous solution and their displacement reactions

Explore the chemical properties of halogens using this demonstration or class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A glass flask containing bromine liquid, suspended from a metal laboratory clamp

Handling liquid bromine and preparing bromine water

Find out how to handle liquid bromine and prepare bromine water safely using these health, safety and technical notes.

White eggs in a cardboard holder, with one broken in half to reveal the egg yolk and white

Heating chocolate and egg

Use this practical to introduce students to physical and chemical changes and the safe use of Bunsen burners. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A full-frame image of creased copper foil

Heating copper in air

Explore the reaction of copper with oxygen, producing copper oxide, when a copper envelope is heated in air in this practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A piece of the Group 1 metal sodium in a petri dish against a neutral background

Heating group 1 metals in air and in chlorine

Use this demonstration to illustrate the reactions of lithium, sodium and potassium in air and in chlorine. Includes kit list, video and safety instructions.

The underside of a bathroom tap coated in white and discoloured limescale deposits

How can hardness in water be removed?

Investigate the effects of three treatments for softening hard water in this class practical and demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A full-frame photograph of panels of rusty corrugated iron

How much oxygen is used when iron wool rusts?

Try this practical to investigate how much oxygen is used in rusting and calculate the percentage of oxygen in air. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of many colourless hydrogel beads

Hydrogels in plant water storage crystals

Investigate plant water storage crystals as one application of hydrogels in this fun class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A full-frame photograph of a heap of plastic bottles and containers for recycling

Identifying polymers by density

Investigate and identify a variety of polymers used in everyday materials by testing their density in this practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Three small candles or tea lights burning against a black background

Identifying the products of combustion

Illustrate the presence of water and carbon dioxide in the products of hydrocarbon combustion in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D rendered illustration of the equipment required for an experiment using an electrolysis cell

Identifying the products of electrolysis

Try this class experiment to carry out the electrolysis of various solutions and investigate the products formed. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Dry ice in a glass producing a white-grey 'fog' against a black background

Indicators and dry ice demonstration

Create bubbles, ‘fog’ and a colour change adding dry ice to alkaline ammonia or sodium hydroxide solution in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Blue-green hair gel in an opened plastic container against a black background

Investigating hydrogels in nappies and hair gel

Investigate hydrogels as polymeric smart materials in this series of activities using nappies and hair gel. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Investigating the role of water in acidity

Try this practical or demonstration to explore the importance of water for acidity using hydrogen chloride and methylbenzene. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of the tops of glass test tubes in a laboratory

Investigating the solubility of lead halides

Encourage students to make and test predictions about the pattern of solubility among lead halides in this practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Two iodine clock reactions in beakers showing how rate of reaction is affected by temperature

Iodine clock reaction demonstration method

Use this iodine clock reaction demonstration to introduce your students to rates of reaction and kinetics. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close up of someone using a spoon to add sulfur powder to a weighing boat on top of a balance

Iron and sulfur reaction

This demonstration or class experiment shows the exothermic reaction of iron and sulphur. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Five leaves representing different stages of turning brown, from completely green to yellow to fully brown

Leaf chromatography

Try this class practical to use paper chromatography to separate and investigate the pigments in a leaf. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D illustration of a square from the periodic table with the chemical symbol for

Liquefying chlorine gas

Use this demonstration to produce liquid chlorine and compare it with bromine and iodine in their condensed state. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of blue-green dioptase crystals

Making a crystal garden

Create chemical gardens with your students by growing crystals of coloured silicates in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a heap of red cabbages

Making a pH indicator using red cabbage

Try this class practical to make a pH indicator from red cabbage with your students. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Photographic prints and developing equipment in a dark room lit by a red safelight

Making a photographic print using silver chloride

Try this practical or demonstration to create a photographic image of an object using light sensitive silver chloride. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D rendered model illustrating the structure of a molecule of ammonia

Making and testing ammonia

In this experiment, students make ammonia, investigate its solubility in water and test its alkaline nature. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing two people in lab coats; the person in focus is carefully smelling the contents of a test tube

Making esters from alcohols and acids

Investigate the reactions between a range of alcohols and acids by producing a variety of esters in this class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up, full-frame photograph of multicoloured stain glass panels

Making glass

Try this class practical to make samples of glass using lead oxide, zinc oxide and boric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up image of milk and a splash where more milk is poured or added

Making glue from milk

Try this class practical to prepare a polymer glue from milk using the protein casein. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Climber flicks excess magnesium carbonate off their fingertips before starting a new route

Making magnesium carbonate: the formation of an insoluble salt in water

Students react magnesium sulfate and sodium carbonate to form magnesium carbonate, which is insoluble in water. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of two potatoes against a neutral background

Making plastic from potato starch

Try this class practical to make a plastic using potato starch and investigate the effects of adding a ‘plasticiser’. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Rolls of pink-purple rayon stacked inside a cardboard box

Making rayon

Use this demonstration to produce rayon fibres in the classroom using cotton wool or filter paper. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Two clusters of white soap or detergent bubbles on a flat surface against a turquoise background

Making soaps and detergents using castor oil

Try this class practical to make a soap or detergent using castor oil and either sodium hydroxide or sulfuric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Two black wires being soldered together using a soldering iron

Making solder as an alloy of tin and lead

Try this practical to make solder by heating together the metals tin and lead before investigating the alloy’s properties. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Digital thermometer in front of a conical flask.

Melting and freezing stearic acid

In this class practical students take the temperature of stearic acid at regular intervals as they heat and cool it. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A full-frame photograph of small copper granules

Microscale extraction of copper

Try this practical to reduce copper(II) oxide to copper using hydrogen, revealing their positions in the reactivity series. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of three test tubes containing precipitates of blue copper hydroxide, red-orange iron(III) hydroxide and green iron(II) hydroxide

Microscale reactions of positive ions with sodium hydroxide

Try this microscale practical exploring the reactions of various positive ions with sodium hydroxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of orange potassium dichromate(VI) in a clear glass container

Microscale oxidation of cyclohexanol by potassium dichromate(VI)

Use this quick class experiment to observe the oxidation of cyclohexanol to produce cyclohexanone. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of a pile of red and red-purple cherries

Microscale preparation of ethyl benzoate

Try this class practical to prepare the ester ethyl benzoate on a microscale by warming ethanol and benzoic acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Three blue, red and green lumps of plasticine

Modelling alloys with plasticine

Try this class activity to explore how alloying can be used to change the properties of a metal. Includes kit list and teaching notes.

The corner of large agricultural greenhouse, with plants visible through the glass panels

Modelling the greenhouse effect

Use this demonstration to illustrate the greenhouse effect and the role of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A plastic carton of universal indicator strips with a colour comparison chart

Neutralising an acidic solution

Use this simple practical to illustrate the pH and temperature changes as an acidic solution is neutralised. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Oxidation of ethanol

In this class practical, ethanol is oxidised by acidified sodium dichromate to form ethanal and then ethanoic acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Four yellow patterned dominoes made from Bakelite, face down on a white surface

Phenol-methanal polymerisiation

Make Bakelite in class and investigate its properties using phenol, methanal and ethanoic acid in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Electrolysis of copper sulfate solution in a laboratory setting, with visible copper

Preferential discharge of cations during electrolysis

Use this practical to show that metal cations are preferentially discharged, in relation to the metal’s position in the reactivity series. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A small brown bottle labelled 'sulfuric acid' on a laboratory bench, with glass flasks and beakers in the background

Preparing a soluble salt by neutralisation

In this practical, students react alkaline ammonia with sulfuric acid to form the soluble salt ammonium sulfate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An edited photograph of white lead chloride in a glass dish against a plain blue background

Preparing an insoluble salt in a precipitation reaction

Produce an insoluble salt precipitate by reacting two soluble metal salts together in this class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A petri dish containing a pink aqueous solution of cobalt chloride

Preparing and using cobalt chloride indicator papers

Make your own cobalt chloride indicator papers, which can be used to test for the presence of water. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of the crystals of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt)

Preparing salts by neutralisation of oxides and carbonates

Try these class experiments to illustrate the production of soluble salts from insoluble metal oxides and carbonates. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a heap of long rusty nails

Preventing rust

Try this practical to test methods for preventing rust on iron nails, including painting, greasing and sacrificial protection. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of white or translucent crystals of the alkali metal salt sodium nitrate

Properties of alkali metal compounds

Try this class practical to explore the physical and chemical properties of various alkali metal compounds. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Purifying an impure solid

Purify alum as an example of obtaining a pure chemical from an impure sample in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of students sitting around a table and wearing protective gloves while making slime in plastic pots

PVA polymer slime

In this fun class experiment student will make slime by adding borax solution to PVA. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of two glass Petri dishes containing blue copper(II) sulfate solution

Quantitative electrolysis of aqueous copper(II) sulfate

Use this demonstration to find the value of the Faraday constant from electrolysis of copper(II) sulfate solution. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up image of a drop of clear liquid at the tip of a glass pipette

Rate of evaporation

Use this class practical to measure and compare the rate of evaporation of propanone under different conditions. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Rhubarb stalks in a row against a dark grey background

Rate of reaction of potassium manganate(VII) and oxalic acid

Investigate the effect of surface area or concentration on rate of reaction using oxalic acid in rhubarb and potassium manganate(VII). Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of purple vapour against a plain background

Reacting aluminium and iodine

Illustrate the spectacular reaction between aluminium and iodine with water as a catalyst in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of blue copper sulfate crystals on a white surface

Reacting copper(II) oxide with sulfuric acid

Illustrate the reaction of an insoluble metal oxide with a dilute acid to produce crystals of a soluble salt in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of a glass tube containing magnesium and copper oxide; the tube has been heated and glows as a reaction takes place.

Reacting magnesium with copper(II) oxide

Illustrate reduction, oxidation and the relative reactivity of magnesium and copper(II) oxide in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing a pile of white zinc powder

Reacting zinc and copper(II) oxide

Illustrate competition reactions using the exothermic reaction between copper(II) oxide and zinc in this class demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An image of the periodic table with chlorine in focus, showing its name, symbol, atomic number and mass

Reactions of chlorine with water or halide ions

Generate chlorine gas on a microscale and investigate its reactions with water or halide ions in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A sealed round-bottom flask suspended using a metal clamp, containing pale green chlorine gas

Reactions of chlorine, bromine and iodine with aluminium

Try this demonstration to produce some spectacular exothermic redox reactions by reacting aluminium with halogens. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing three labelled flasks containing hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and nitric acid

Reactions of metals with acids producing salts

Explore the production of hydrogen gas and salts when metals react with acids in this class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Reactivity trends of the alkali metals

Use this experiment to demonstrate the trend in reactivity down group 1 of the Periodic Table, exploring the physical and chemical properties of the alkali metals.

Five silver and yellow AA alkaline batteries against a yellow background

Rechargeable cells: the lead–acid accumulator

Use this practical to demonstrate the chemistry behind rechargeable batteries, using a lead–acid accumulator cell. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of glass apparatus for evaporating and condensing liquids in the laboratory

Recovering water from a solution using a condenser

Use this demonstration to show how pure water can be recovered from copper sulfate solution using a condenser. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Blue copper(II) sulfate solution in a glass beaker against a neutral grey-white background

Recovering water from copper(II) sulfate solution

Try this practical to introduce students to aqueous solutions by distilling water from copper(II) sulfate solution. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Seawater splashing against a rocky shore

Separating salts from seawater

Try this simple practical to show that seawater contains a mixture of different salts. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing apparatus for filtering mixtures, including conical flasks, glass funnels and filter paper

Separating sand and salt by filtering and evaporation

Try this class experiment to practise manipulating mixtures of soluble and insoluble materials by separating sand and salt. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A piece of old photographic paper, creased and discoloured

Silver and lead halides

Try this practical or demonstration to produce silver and lead halides in a series of precipitation reactions. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A colourful microscopic image of sodium acetate (or sodium ethanoate) micro crystals in polarised light

Sodium ethanoate ‘stalagmite’

Quickly grow your own ‘stalagmite’ from a supersaturated solution of sodium ethanoate in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a heap of salt (sodium chloride) on a dark surface

Solubility patterns of halogen anions

Try this microscale practical to identify and explain patterns in the solubility of fluoride, chloride, bromide and iodide anions. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of a drop of pale yellow liquid and the end of a pipette on a white surface

Solubility trends of metal halides

Investigate patterns in the solubility of halides of silver and some Group 1 and 2 metals in this microscale practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a bottle of sulfuric acid, with hazard symbols clearly visible on the label

Sulfuric acid as a dehydrating agent

Try these two demonstrations to illustrate the difference between dehydration and drying using sulfuric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Translucent crystals of sodium thiosulfate on a red-orange surface

Supercooling and the energetics of freezing

Explore what happens when a liquid is supercooled using sodium thiosulfate in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D illustration of the structure of the catalase enzyme

Testing for catalase enzymes

Try this class experiment to detect the presence of enzymes as they catalyse the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Hands holding a small glass container with water and universal indicator solution, comparing the green colour with a simple pH chart

Testing the pH of different solutions

Use this practical to reinforce students’ understanding of pH by preparing and testing acidic and alkaline solutions. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A circular plastic chart with the different possible colours of universal indicator, used for determining the pH of a solution

Testing the pH of oxides

Use this class practical to investigate the pH of different metal and non-metal oxides using a universal indicator. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of water flowing from a silver tap

Testing the hardness of water

Try this practical with your students to measure the hardness of water samples and investigate the effect of boiling. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Conical flask containing Conical flask containing methylene blue redox indicator with glass stirring rod

The ‘blue bottle’ experiment

In this demonstration, the redox indicator Methylene blue can be oxidised many times by shaking. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Previews of the Breathalyser reaction student worksheet, teacher and technician notes, and a crime scene technician on a blue background

The ‘breathalyser’ reaction | 16–18 years

In association with Nuffield Foundation , By Tim Jolliff and Sandrine Bouchelkia

Try this demonstration to recreate an early ‘breathalyser’ test, passing ethanol vapour through potassium dichromate. Includes kit list and safety instructions

Orange liquid in a glass laboratory beaker against a green-blue background

The ‘Old Nassau’ or Halloween clock reaction

Illustrate dramatic colour changes as a result of redox and precipitation reactions in this vivid demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Large plastic water bottle required for whoosh bottle demonstration.

The ‘whoosh’ bottle demonstration

This exciting demonstration is a combustion reaction where a mixture of alcohol and air in a large bottle is ignited. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of four bottles containing different varieties of vinegar, including apple cider, black, white and malt vinegar

The acidic reactions of ethanoic acid

Explore the properties of ethanoic acid as a weak organic acid in this class experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of a laboratory scale or balance being used, with a hand pressing one of the buttons

The change in mass when magnesium burns

A class practical to measure the change in mass when magnesium burns and to find the formula of magnesium oxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A saucepan on a gas hob with potatoes in boiling water

The chemistry of cooking potatoes

Use this class practical to investigate what happens to potatoes and potato cells when they are boiled. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of strands of iron wool burning white, orange and red against a dark background

The combustion of iron wool

Try this quick teacher demonstration to demonstrate the increase in mass as iron wool is heated in air. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of droplets of water on a bright blue surface

The composition and formula of water

Try this demonstration to determine the formula of water through the reaction of copper(II) oxide with hydrogen. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D rendered illustration of ethanol molecules in white against a grey background

The conversion of alcohols to halogenoalkanes

Try this practical or demonstration to produce bromoethane in a substitution reaction between ethanol and phosphorus tribromide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A yellow-orange explosion against a black background, surrounded by sparks

The cornflour ‘bomb’

Create a small explosion inside a tin can using cornflour in this demonstration, illustrating energy transformation. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of the top of a lit candle, showing the flame against a black background

The density of carbon dioxide

Illustrate the higher density of carbon dioxide relative to air by pouring it over a lighted candle in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An ice cube floating in a glass of water against a neutral background

The density of ice

Demonstrate to students what happens as ice cubes floating on oil start to melt and the density of the water changes. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Solid iodine crystals in a glass beaker, with a purple vapour visible as sublimation occurs

The effect of concentration and temperature on an equilibrium | Le Chatelier’s principle

Try this demonstration to illustrate how changing chlorine concentration or temperature shifts the position of an equilibrium. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up image of a glass bottle of dilute hydrochloric acid with a blue stopper

The effect of concentration on equilibrium | Le Chatelier’s principle

Illustrate the reversible reaction between bismuth(III) oxychloride and bismuth(III) chloride in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of two sealed ampoules containing nitrogen dioxide; one is dark brown in colour, in a beaker of hot water, and one is light brown, in a beaker of ice water.

The effect of pressure and temperature on equilibrium | Le Chatelier’s principle

Try this demonstration to explore the effects of pressure and temperature on an equilibrium mixture with your students. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Two coloured cobalt solutions - one pink, one blue

The equilibrium between two coloured cobalt species

In this demonstration the equilibrium between two different coloured cobalt species is disturbed. Le Chatelier’s principle is used to predict a colour change.

A small heap of powdered red iron oxide pigment

The formation of a sol

Convert a rusty-brown precipitate of iron(III) hydroxide into a cherry-red iron(III) oxide sol in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

$Equipment set up in a school laboratory for an experiment simulating the fractional distillation of crude oil, with a side-arm test tube, a thermometer and a delivery tube$

The fractional distillation of crude oil

Try this class practical or demonstration to simulate the industrial fractional distillation of crude oil. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Crystals of potassium permanganate in a glass container

The migration of ions during electrolysis of potassium manganate(VII)

Try this class practical to investigate the migration of ions during electrolysis as evidence for the ionic model. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

The properties of alcohols

Ethanol and propan-1-ol are tested for pH, reaction with sodium, combustion and oxidation with acidified dichromate(VI) solution. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A 3D rendered model of a hydrogen chloride molecule, with a hydrogen atom in white and a chlorine atom in green, joined by a covalent bond in white

The properties of hydrogen chloride

Use this demonstration and practical to investigate properties of hydrogen chloride, such as its solubility in water. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Photo of the equipment used to measure a chemical reaction rate using a gas syringe

The rate of reaction of magnesium with hydrochloric acid

A class practical on reacting magnesium with hydrochloric acid and how to measure the rate of reaction. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of wrinkled silver aluminium foil

The reaction of aluminium and copper(II) sulfate

Try this practical or demonstration to illustrate the displacement of copper from copper sulfate using aluminium foil, with kit list and safety instructions.

The reaction of carbon dioxide with water

Form a weak acid from the reaction of carbon dioxide with water in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of some small yellow flames burning against a dark background

The reaction of ethyne with chlorine

Try this teacher demonstration with your students to illustrate the spontaneous reaction of ethyne and chlorine. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of silver-grey iron filings

The reactivity of iron

Illustrate iron’s position in the reactivity series by heating it with copper and magnesium oxides in this practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Three glass tubes containing silver deposits resulting from Tollens' test, or the silver mirror test, used to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones

The silver mirror test with Tollens’ reagent

Try this practical to explore the mirror-making reaction between silver nitrate (Tollens’ reagent) and glucose. Includes kit list, video and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of melted chocolate being poured over a pile of chocolate pieces against a light brown background

The structure and properties of chocolate

Investigate how melting chocolate changes its structure and affects properties like taste, texture and melting point. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

The sublimation of air freshener | 11–14 years

In association with Nuffield Foundation , By Dorothy Warren

Use this experiment to demonstrate sublimation, showing how solid air freshener changes directly from a solid to a gas. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Plain white paper cups scattered across a white surface

The thermal properties of water

Explore water’s boiling point, specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph showing a highly exothermic thermite explosion against a black background

The thermite reaction between aluminium and iron(III) oxide

Illustrate a highly exothermic thermite reaction resulting in molten iron in this teacher demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate

A class practical on the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a lighted wooden splint against a black background

Thermal decomposition of nitrates: ‘writing with fire’

Make an invisible message ‘glow’ by applying a lighted splint to filter paper treated with sodium nitrate in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Thermal decomposition of metal carbonates

Use this class practical to compare the thermal stabilities of carbonates of reactive and less reactive metals. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An image showing students doing a titration experiment; the main subject is a male student wearing safety glasses who is focused on his work

Titrating sodium hydroxide with hydrochloric acid

Use this class practical to explore titration, producing the salt sodium chloride with sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Crystals of potassium permanganate(VII) and a glass of water with a pink-purple hue on a wooden surface

Turning ‘red wine’ into ‘water’

Use acidified potassium permanganate – or ‘red wine’ – to make ‘water’, ‘milk’ and ‘lemonade’ in this engaging demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Turning copper coins into ‘silver’ and ‘gold’

Perform what looks like alchemy with ordinary copper coins in this teacher demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Universal indicator ‘rainbow’

Try this demonstration to create a rainbow effect using universal indicator, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of margarine melting in a pan

Unsaturation in fats and oils

Use this class practical to investigate the amounts of unsaturated fats and oils in different foods. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A pile of white plastic cutlery on a red and white checkered tablecloth

Urea-methanal polymerisation

Explore condensation polymerisation by creating and investigating the properties of a thermosetting polymer in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A photograph of red, orange and white calcium carbonate indigestion tablets and the plastic lid from their container

Using indigestion tablets to neutralise an acid

Investigate and measure the neutralising effect of indigestion tablets on hydrochloric acid in this class practical. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Pieces of a broken glass bottle with ice in a freezer, after the expanding water caused the bottle to explode

Water expands when it freezes

Use this demonstration to show that water expands when it freezes, showing students how it can break a bottle. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

An overhead drone photograph of a neutral grey sandy beach and waves from the sea

What are the dissolved solids in seawater?

Analyse the salts that crystallise from evaporating seawater, illustrating cation and anion tests in this demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a pile of rusty metal nails

What causes iron to rust?

Use this class experiment to help students investigate what conditions are needed for iron to rust. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A macro photograph of a foamy lather from soap or detergent against a plain purple background.

What ions cause hardness in water?

Investigate how different cations and anions in dissolved salts affect the formation of a lather in this experiment. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

Universal indicator strip coloured red, with colour identification chart in the background

What makes a substance acidic?

Try these experiments to investigate acidity and learn how the acidic properties of some substances require water. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of a substance being heated in a test tube over a spirit lamp

Where is carbon in the reactivity series?

Determine the position of carbon in the reactivity series by heating with metal oxides in this practical and demonstration. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of an old, small unlit light bulb, similar to those used in school experiments

Which substances conduct electricity?

In this class practical, students test the conductivity of covalent and ionic substances in solid and molten states. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

A close-up photograph of raw yeast dough

Yeast and the expansion of bread dough

Try this class practical to investigate how temperature affects yeast and the expansion of bread dough. Includes kit list and safety instructions.

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Outstanding scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society

Over 90 exceptional researchers from across the world have this year been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society , the UK’s national academy of sciences.

Recognised for their invaluable contributions to science, the elected Fellows are leaders in their fields. They include the Nobel laureate, Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier; an Emmy winner, Dr Andrew Fitzgibbon (for his contributions to the 3D camera tracker software “boujou”); and the former Chief Medical Advisor to the US President, Professor Anthony Fauci.

Drawn from across academia, industry and wider society, the new intake spans disciplines as varied as pioneering treatments for Huntington’s Disease, developing the first algorithm for video streaming, generating new insights into memory formation, and studying the origins and evolution of our universe.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said:

“I am pleased to welcome such an outstanding group into the Fellowship of the Royal Society.

“This new cohort have already made significant contributions to our understanding of the world around us and continue to push the boundaries of possibility in academic research and industry.

“From visualising the sharp rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution to leading the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, their diverse range of expertise is furthering human understanding and helping to address some of our greatest challenges.

“It is an honour to have them join the Fellowship.”

Statistics about this year’s intake of Fellows:

30% of this year’s intake of Fellows, Foreign Members and Honorary Fellows are women
New Fellows have been elected from 23 UK institutions, including The University of Nottingham, British Antarctic Survey, University of Strathclyde and the Natural History Museum
They have been elected from countries including Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico and Singapore

The full list of the newly elected Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society is, in alphabetical order:

New Fellows

Professor Simon Aldridge FRS Professor of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford

Professor Sir John Aston Kt FRS Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life at Statistical Laboratory, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge

Professor Frances Balkwill OBE FMedSci FRS Professor of Cancer Biology, Centre for Tumour Microenvironment, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London

Dr David Bentley OBE FMedSci FRS Former Vice President and Chief Scientist, Illumina Inc

Dr David Bentley FRS Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and Co-Director, RNA Bioscience Initiative, Anschutz Medical School, University of Colorado Denver, USA

Professor Donna Blackmond FRS John C. Martin Endowed Chair in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research, USA

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore FBA FMedSci FRS Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge

Professor Helen Blau FRS Donald E and Delia B Baxter Foundation Professor and Director, Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA

Professor Martin Blunt FREng FRS Professor of Flow in Porous Media, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London

Professor Daniel Bradley FRS Professor of Population Genetics, Trinity College Dublin

Professor Emmanuel Breuillard FRS Professor of Pure Mathematics, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford

Sir Philip Campbell FRS Editor Emeritus, Nature

Professor Brian Cantor CBE FREng FRS Visiting Professor, Department of Materials, University of Oxford and Professor and Senior Advisor, Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), Brunel University London

Professor Kenneth Carslaw FRS Professor of Atmospheric Science, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds

Dr Andrew Carter FRS Programme Leader, Structural Studies Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Professor Patrick Chinnery FMedSci FRS Professor of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge

Professor Yanick Crow FMedSci FRS Professor and Programme Leader, MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh and Institute Imagine, Université Paris, France

Professor Barry Dickson FRS Professorial Research Fellow, Queensland Brain Institute, Australia

Professor Jo Dunkley OBE FRS Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences, Departments of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, USA

Professor Aled Edwards FRS Temerty Nexus Chair in Health Innovation and Technology, Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Canada

Professor Paul Elliott CBE FMedSci FRS Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine, Imperial College London

Dr Alan Evans FRS Distinguished James McGill Professor of Neurology, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, McGill University, Canada

Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald FMedSci FRS Professor of Cancer Prevention and Director, Early Cancer Institute, University of Cambridge

Dr Andrew Fitzgibbon FREng FRS Engineering Fellow, Graphcore Ltd

Professor Michael Garrett FRS Sir Bernard Lovell Chair of Astrophysics and Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (JBCA), Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester

Professor Toby Gee FRS Professor, Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London

Professor Nigel Goldenfeld FRS Chancellor's Distinguished Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, USA

Professor Anjali Goswami FRS Research Leader in Evolutionary Biology, Natural History Museum, London and President of the Linnean Society of London

Professor Maria Harrison FRS William H. Crocker Professor, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and Adjunct Professor, Cornell University, USA

Professor Richard Hartley FRS Emeritus Distinguished Professor, College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics, The Australian National University, Australia

Professor Laura Herz FRS Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford

Professor David Hodell FRS Woodwardian Professor of Geology and Director, Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge and fellow of Clare College

Professor Saskia Hogenhout FRS Group Leader, John Innes Centre

Sir Peter Horby Kt FMedSci FRS Moh Family Foundation Professor of Emerging Infections and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine and Director, Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford

Professor Richard Jardine FREng FRS Professor of Geomechanics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, Imperial College Proconsul and Visiting Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Professor Heidi Johansen Berg FRS Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford

Mr Simon Knowles FRS CTO and EVP engineering, Graphcore

Professor David Komander FRS Head, Ubiquitin Signalling Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and Professor, Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Australia

Professor Daniela Kühn FRS Mason Professor of Mathematics, School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham

Professor Eric Lauga FRS Professor of Applied Mathematics, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge

Professor Chwee Lim FRS NUS Society Chair Professor, Institute for Health Innovation & Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore and NUS Society Chair Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore

Professor Duncan Lorimer FRS Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, USA

Professor Douglas MacFarlane FRS Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Australia

Professor Barbara Maher FRS Professor Emerita of Environmental Magnetism, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University

Professor George Malliaras FRS Prince Philip Professor of Technology, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge

Professor Ivan Marusic FRS Pro Vice-Chancellor and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia

Professor Tamsin Mather FRS Professor of Earth Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford

Professor Stephen McGrath FRS Discovery Leader in Sustainable Soils and Crops, Rothamsted Research

Professor Patricia Monaghan FRS Regius Professor of Zoology, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow

Professor Graham Moore FRS Director, The John Innes Centre

Professor Francis Nimmo FRS Professor of Planetary Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, USA

Professor Sarah Otto FRS Professor, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada

Professor Adrian Owen OBE FRS Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Professor Lloyd Peck FRS Science Leader, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge

Professor José Penadés FRS Professor of Microbiology, Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard FMedSci FRS Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford

Professor Oscar Randal-Williams FRS Sadleirian Professor of Pure Mathematics, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge

Professor Keith Ridgway CBE FREng FRS Senior Executive – Manufacturing, University of Strathclyde

Professor Tom Rodden FRS Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Interactive Computing, School of Computer Science, Nottingham University

Professor Stuart Rowan FRS Barry L MacLean Professor of Molecular Engineering, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, USA and Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA

Mr Simon Segars FRS Former CEO, Arm Holdings PLC. Board member Dolby Labs Inc, Vodafone Group PLC, Edge Impulse Inc, and Board Chair, Silicon Quantum Computing Pty

Professor Yang Shi FRS Professor of Epigenetics and Member, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford

Professor Lorraine Symington FRS Harold S Ginsberg Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, USA

Professor Sarah Tabrizi FMedSci FRS Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neurogenetics, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London

Professor Patrick Unwin FRS Professor of Chemistry and Head, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick

Professor Mihaela van der Schaar FRS John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Medicine, Departments of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Engineering and Medicine, University of Cambridge

Professor Bart Vanhaesebroeck FRS Professor of Cell Signalling, Research Department of Oncology, Cancer Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University College London

Professor Glynn Winskel FRS Professor of Computer and Information Science, University of Strathclyde

Professor William Wisden FMedSci FRS Chair of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London

Professor Xiaodong Zhang FRS Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London and The Francis Crick Institute

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Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah FRS Silver Professor of Philosophy and Law, New York University, USA

Lord Anthony Hughes PC FRS Former Judge, UK Supreme Court

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Professor Yakir Aharonov ForMemRS Distinguished Professor of Theoretical Physics, Institute for Quantum Studies and Faculty of Physics, Schmid College of Science, Chapman University, USA and Professor Emeritus, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Dr Adriaan Bax ForMemRS NIH Distinguished Investigator and Chief of the Section of Biophysical NMR Spectroscopy, National Institutes of Health, USA

Professor Rene Bernards ForMemRS Professor of Molecular Carcinogenesis, Division of Molecuar Carcinogenesis, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands

Professor Emily A. Carter ForMemRS Associate Laboratory Director and Gerhard R Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University, USA

Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier ForMemRS Scientific and Managing Director, Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Germany

Professor Patrick Cramer ForMemRS President, Max Planck Society and Director, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Germany

Professor Ingrid Daubechies ForMemRS James B Duke Professor, Department of Mathematics and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, USA

Professor Anthony Fauci ForMemRS Distinguished University Professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and the McCourt School of Public Policy

Professor Thomas Henzinger ForMemRS Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Professor Ruth Lehmann ForMemRS Director and President, Whitehead Institute and Professor, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr Susana Magallón ForMemRS Senior Research Scientist and Director, Institute of Biology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico

Professor Michael Mann ForMemRS Presidential Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, and Director, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media (PCSSM), University of Pennsylvania, USA

Professor Anthony Movshon ForMemRS University Professor, and Silver Professor of Neural Science and Psychology, New York University and Professor of Ophthalmology and of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Investigator, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA

Professor William Nix ForMemRS Professor Emeritus, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, USA

Professor Kyoko Nozaki ForMemRS Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan

Professor Jian-Wei Pan ForMemRS Professor, Department of Modern Physics and Executive Vice President, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China

Dr Aviv Regev ForMemRS Executive Vice President and Global Head, Genentech Research and Early Development, Genentech/Roche, USA

Professor Ares Rosakis ForMemRS Theodore von Kármán Professor of Aeronautics and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, USA

Professor Paul Schulze-Lefert ForMemRS Director, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany

Professor Erin Schuman ForMemRS Director, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany

Professor Mark H. Thiemens ForMemRS Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and John Dove Isaacs Endowed Chair in Natural Philosophy for Physical Sciences, University of California San Diego, USA

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NASA Open Science Funding Opportunities

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NASA offers a number of opportunities in the Research Opportunities for Space and Earth Science (ROSES) for support of Open Science projects. Explore the list below of those that are currently open and ones that have been previously offered. Proposers should always consult NSPIRES for the most accurate and up-to-date information on NASA proposals. Questions about Open Science funding opportunities can be directed to [email protected].

F.14 High Priority Open-Source Science (HPOSS)

HPOSS supports new work to advance and streamline the open sharing of scientific information.

Proposals for the development of new technology to increase the accessibility, inclusivity, or reproducibility of SMD research. This includes open source tools, software, frameworks, data formats, or libraries that will have a significant impact to the SMD science community.
Proposals for the development of capacity building materials to support the adoption of open science practices. This includes curricula, tutorials, or other training materials that will be appropriate for one or more science disciplines supported by SMD.
Awards of ~$100k support work for one year.
Submit proposals for ROSES-24 at any point during the year, and they will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The ROSES-24 solicitation will be available through March 28, 2025, at which point the ROSES-25 solicitation will become available.
Summaries of previously selected proposals are available under "Selections" on the HPOSS NSPIRES pages for ROSES-22 and ROSES-23 .
Watch recording of HPOSS informational webinar and access the presentation slides .

F.8 Supplements for Open-Source Science (SOSS)

SOSS supports the addition of an open science component to an existing "parent" ROSES award.

This could include making the results of the parent award more accessible, inclusive, and usable, or contributing back to relevant open science communities. This could also include cloud credits (through Amazon Web Services - AWS) to support activities from the parent award.
~$10K for cloud credits
~$50k otherwise
Proposer must have an existing research proposal selected for funding by SMD with at least 15 months remaining in its period of performance at the time of the submission to SOSS.
Submit proposals for ROSES-23 at any point during the year, and they will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The ROSES-23 solicitation will be available through March 29, 2024, at which point the ROSES-24 solicitation will become available.

Topical Workshops, Symposia, and Conferences (TWSC)

TWSC supports events including hackathons, un-conferences, and challenges that build open science skills.

Rolling deadline.
Events focused on Science Mission Directorate data, software, or open science practices
Hackathons, un-conferences, and challenges that build open science skills
Focused training in open science practices and principles
Events MUST be openly available and allow for inclusive participation
Potential proposers must confirm relevancy and availability of funds with a SMD program officer before preparing or submitting a proposal. TWSC has no dedicated funding, so proposers are directed to first contact a NASA division, office, or program that may have funding before preparing a proposal. See section 4.2.1 of the NOFO for information to include in an inquiry email and section 7.0 for contact information for Open Science TWSC inquiries.

F.7 Support for Open Source Tools, Frameworks, and Libraries (OSTFL)

Supports the improvement and sustainment of existing high-value, open-source tools, frameworks, and libraries that have significantly impacted the SMD science community.

Foundational awards: cooperative agreements for up to five years for open-source tools, frameworks, and libraries that have a significant impact on two or more divisions of the SMD and
Sustainment awards: grants or cooperative agreements of up to three years in duration for open-source tools, frameworks, and libraries that have significant impact in one or more divisions of the SMD.
Notices of intent are requested by May 3, 2024, and proposals are due June 7, 2024.
For previous examples of awards, see the 8 awards initially selected from the ROSES20 solicitation.
A town hall on the ROSES24 F.7 OSTFL solicitation was held on April 2. Please review the slides and video recording .

F.14 Transform to Open Science Training (TOPS-T)

TOPS-T supports the development of discipline-specific open science curriculum and capacity building efforts for open science training.

Not solicited in ROSES-24.
$6.5M awarded over 3 years based on ROSES-22 solicitation. Read the news release and summaries of selected proposals .

F.19 Multidomain Reusable Artificial Intelligence Tools (MRAIT)

Solicits proposals that would enable critically needed machine learning tools to advance both Heliophysics and Earth Science research.

Read summaries of selected proposals from the ROSES-22 solicitation

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Study explains why the brain can robustly recognize images, even without color

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Pawan Sinha looks at a wall of about 50 square photos. The photos are pictures of children with vision loss who have been helped by Project Prakash.

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Even though the human visual system has sophisticated machinery for processing color, the brain has no problem recognizing objects in black-and-white images. A new study from MIT offers a possible explanation for how the brain comes to be so adept at identifying both color and color-degraded images.

Using experimental data and computational modeling, the researchers found evidence suggesting the roots of this ability may lie in development. Early in life, when newborns receive strongly limited color information, the brain is forced to learn to distinguish objects based on their luminance, or intensity of light they emit, rather than their color. Later in life, when the retina and cortex are better equipped to process colors, the brain incorporates color information as well but also maintains its previously acquired ability to recognize images without critical reliance on color cues.

The findings are consistent with previous work showing that initially degraded visual and auditory input can actually be beneficial to the early development of perceptual systems.

“This general idea, that there is something important about the initial limitations that we have in our perceptual system, transcends color vision and visual acuity. Some of the work that our lab has done in the context of audition also suggests that there’s something important about placing limits on the richness of information that the neonatal system is initially exposed to,” says Pawan Sinha, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and the senior author of the study.

The findings also help to explain why children who are born blind but have their vision restored later in life, through the removal of congenital cataracts, have much more difficulty identifying objects presented in black and white. Those children, who receive rich color input as soon as their sight is restored, may develop an overreliance on color that makes them much less resilient to changes or removal of color information.

MIT postdocs Marin Vogelsang and Lukas Vogelsang, and Project Prakash research scientist Priti Gupta, are the lead authors of the study, which appears today in Science . Sidney Diamond, a retired neurologist who is now an MIT research affiliate, and additional members of the Project Prakash team are also authors of the paper.

Seeing in black and white

The researchers’ exploration of how early experience with color affects later object recognition grew out of a simple observation from a study of children who had their sight restored after being born with congenital cataracts. In 2005, Sinha launched Project Prakash (the Sanskrit word for “light”), an effort in India to identify and treat children with reversible forms of vision loss.

Many of those children suffer from blindness due to dense bilateral cataracts. This condition often goes untreated in India, which has the world’s largest population of blind children, estimated between 200,000 and 700,000.

Children who receive treatment through Project Prakash may also participate in studies of their visual development, many of which have helped scientists learn more about how the brain's organization changes following restoration of sight, how the brain estimates brightness, and other phenomena related to vision.

In this study, Sinha and his colleagues gave children a simple test of object recognition, presenting both color and black-and-white images. For children born with normal sight, converting color images to grayscale had no effect at all on their ability to recognize the depicted object. However, when children who underwent cataract removal were presented with black-and-white images, their performance dropped significantly.

This led the researchers to hypothesize that the nature of visual inputs children are exposed to early in life may play a crucial role in shaping resilience to color changes and the ability to identify objects presented in black-and-white images. In normally sighted newborns, retinal cone cells are not well-developed at birth, resulting in babies having poor visual acuity and poor color vision. Over the first years of life, their vision improves markedly as the cone system develops.

Because the immature visual system receives significantly reduced color information, the researchers hypothesized that during this time, the baby brain is forced to gain proficiency at recognizing images with reduced color cues. Additionally, they proposed, children who are born with cataracts and have them removed later may learn to rely too much on color cues when identifying objects, because, as they experimentally demonstrated in the paper, with mature retinas, they commence their post-operative journeys with good color vision.

To rigorously test that hypothesis, the researchers used a standard convolutional neural network, AlexNet, as a computational model of vision. They trained the network to recognize objects, giving it different types of input during training. As part of one training regimen, they initially showed the model grayscale images only, then introduced color images later on. This roughly mimics the developmental progression of chromatic enrichment as babies’ eyesight matures over the first years of life.

Another training regimen comprised only color images. This approximates the experience of the Project Prakash children, because they can process full color information as soon as their cataracts are removed.

The researchers found that the developmentally inspired model could accurately recognize objects in either type of image and was also resilient to other color manipulations. However, the Prakash-proxy model trained only on color images did not show good generalization to grayscale or hue-manipulated images.

“What happens is that this Prakash-like model is very good with colored images, but it’s very poor with anything else. When not starting out with initially color-degraded training, these models just don’t generalize, perhaps because of their over-reliance on specific color cues,” Lukas Vogelsang says.

The robust generalization of the developmentally inspired model is not merely a consequence of it having been trained on both color and grayscale images; the temporal ordering of these images makes a big difference. Another object-recognition model that was trained on color images first, followed by grayscale images, did not do as well at identifying black-and-white objects.

“It’s not just the steps of the developmental choreography that are important, but also the order in which they are played out,” Sinha says.

The advantages of limited sensory input

By analyzing the internal organization of the models, the researchers found that those that begin with grayscale inputs learn to rely on luminance to identify objects. Once they begin receiving color input, they don’t change their approach very much, since they’ve already learned a strategy that works well. Models that began with color images did shift their approach once grayscale images were introduced, but could not shift enough to make them as accurate as the models that were given grayscale images first.

A similar phenomenon may occur in the human brain, which has more plasticity early in life, and can easily learn to identify objects based on their luminance alone. Early in life, the paucity of color information may in fact be beneficial to the developing brain, as it learns to identify objects based on sparse information.

“As a newborn, the normally sighted child is deprived, in a certain sense, of color vision. And that turns out to be an advantage,” Diamond says.

Researchers in Sinha’s lab have observed that limitations in early sensory input can also benefit other aspects of vision, as well as the auditory system. In 2022, they used computational models to show that early exposure to only low-frequency sounds, similar to those that babies hear in the womb, improves performance on auditory tasks that require analyzing sounds over a longer period of time, such as recognizing emotions. They now plan to explore whether this phenomenon extends to other aspects of development, such as language acquisition.

The research was funded by the National Eye Institute of NIH and the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity.

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NSF Funded Expedition Project Uses AI to Rethink Computer Operating Systems

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AUSTIN, Texas — Research that will use artificial intelligence to boost the performance and energy efficiency of computer operating systems will be led by a team from The University of Texas at Austin, thanks to a major grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Expeditions in Computing program.

Today’s operating systems pose a significant barrier to a number of promised exciting innovations in computer hardware and applications — from personal assistant robots to autonomous vehicles to edge computing that could enable smart cities and less energy-intensive cloud computing. These operating systems often follow “one-size-fits-all” rules for how hardware resources get allocated between different applications running simultaneously. The inflexibility of these rules makes it hard to integrate new advancements, resulting in poor performance and inefficient use, a problem the UT research team plans to tackle by leveraging AI.

“Our project will employ AI-aided intelligent resource management and auto-adapt as new applications and hardware emerge,” said Aditya Akella, the Regents Chair in Computer Sciences #1 who is leading the project. “This will enable computing devices to be used at near-optimal efficiency while meeting the needs of arbitrary applications, and it will make computing infrastructure ‘self-driving’ by automating OS implementation and management.”

Akella said the project would extend beyond academics, bringing together not only computer scientists from UT, the Texas Advanced Computing Center, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but also industry partners from Amazon, Bosch, Cisco, Google, Microsoft and Broadcom.

“These partners collectively develop and run operating systems for much of the world’s computing infrastructure, and we will work with them to create the next-generation open-source intelligent and adaptive OS,” Akella said. “We believe that the project offers a timely opportunity to fundamentally change the trajectory of computing.”

He added that the new style of OS could help autonomous robots become “the smartphones of the 2030s and beyond.”

“The smartphone revolution was enabled by new OS frameworks (for example, iOS and Android) that enabled users to run arbitrary third-party apps that have come to determine how they interact with technology and essential services,” he said. “LDOS can similarly usher in the era of affordable personal robots and apps that support our day-to-day activities and improve society for all, particularly for aging and disadvantaged populations.”

In addition to the research initiative, the project will create new undergraduate and graduate curricula with modules, courses and certificates exploring the interplay of computer systems and AI. The project’s initiatives for broadening participation are designed to cultivate leadership among underrepresented groups in AI and prepare them for AI and computer systems technology and research careers. These initiatives seek to benefit hundreds to thousands of students each year.

This project has a natural synergy with UT’s Machine Learning Laboratory, where fundamental questions on new generative AI and machine learning techniques are being explored, and with the Center for Generative AI, which offers high-end GPU resources to train and evaluate new generative AI models.

Co-principal investigators from UT’s Department of Computer Science are Joydeep Biswas, Swarat Chaudhuri, Shuchi Chawla, Işıl Dillig, Daehyeok Kim, and Chris Rossbach. Co-PIs from UT’s Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are Alex Dimakis and Sanjay Shakkottai.

The grant is for $12 million over five years, of which $9.3 million will come to UT. Expeditions awards represent some of the largest investments provided by the NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. The full name of the project is NSF Expeditions in Computing: Learning Directed Operating System (LDOS) – A Clean-Slate Paradigm for Operating Systems Design and Implementation.

This new support further advances the University’s Year of AI , an initiative showcasing UT’s commitment to developing innovations and growing leaders to navigate the ever-evolving landscape brought about by AI.

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Study explains why the brain can robustly recognize images, even
MIT postdocs Marin Vogelsang and Lukas Vogelsang, and Project Prakash research scientist Priti Gupta, are the lead authors of the study, which appears today in Science. Sidney Diamond, a retired neurologist who is now an MIT research affiliate, and additional members of the Project Prakash team are also authors of the paper. Seeing in black and ...
NSF Funded Expedition Project Uses AI to Rethink Computer Operating
AUSTIN, Texas — Research that will use artificial intelligence to boost the performance and energy efficiency of computer operating systems will be led by a team from The University of Texas at Austin, thanks to a major grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation's Expeditions in Computing program.. Today's operating systems pose a significant barrier to a number of promised exciting ...
Nuffield Science Activities for GCSE
Quality Assured. Subject: Science Physics. This pack of Nuffield Physics activity sheets was designed to match the National Curriculum Science: Physics at Key stage Four from 1996. The ideas were drawn from materials produced by various Nuffield projects over the previous ten years. The pack includes student sheets for 97 different activities.
Identifying proteomic risk factors for cancer using ...
Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Ian G. Mills Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
Collaborative Learning and Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary: The Science
Project Hail Mary is the latest science fiction novel by the creative mind of Andy Weir, who penned The Martian (Weir 2021). I was fortunate to contact Andy to have him answer a few questions about...
Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state
The largest category in our dataset was "what if" analyses—studies which used mathematical models to project the impact of masking on the contours of pandemics, epidemics, and outbreaks (204 - 212, 222, 223, 225 - 228). Such studies depend heavily on input parameters derived from mechanistic, observational, and experimental research.
PDF Nuffield Research Placements
A well-supervised but independent research project relating to an area of science, quantitative . social science, computing, technology, engineering or maths (or a combination!). ... • A personal statement outlining your interest in completing a Nuffield Research Placement.