In July 2014, Trustees and staff at Catalyst Science Discovery Centre were delighted to welcome Nobel Prize Winner, Professor Sir Harry Kroto, to two events held at the centre.
Professor Sir Harry Kroto, is an English chemist who grew up in Bolton, Lancashire before attending Sheffield University where he gained his BSc and PhD. In 1996 he was knighted for contributions to Chemistry and later that year, together with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley, received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of C60 Buckminsterfullerene, a new form of carbon. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, former President of the Royal Society of Chemistry and is currently a professor at Florida State University. As a Patron of Catalyst, Professor Kroto and his wife Margaret, accepted an invitation to an informal evening reception on Wednesday 9th July where he was taken on a guided tour and met Trustees, sponsors and invited guests.
The following day, Professor Kroto returned to Catalyst to present a workshop to over 100 local school pupils from West Bank Primary School, St Bede’s RC Primary School, Widnes and Didsbury CE Primary School, Manchester. The day began at 10.30am with a presentation from Professor Kroto before pupils took part in an hour long workshop to build their own model of C60 Buckminsterfullerene or ‘Buckyball’ as it is commonly known, ably assisted by student volunteers from Liverpool Life Sciences UTC.
Phill Day, Education Manager at Catalyst said “It was amazing to see children from three local schools in the presence of a Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry, who clearly understood and remembered what it was like to be a child with an aspiration to succeed. Professor Kroto’s enthusiasm rubbed off on these children as they then constructed the ‘Buckyball’ models of the carbon that he so famously discovered.”
Sir Harry Kroto who travels extensively around the world, delivering these workshops said “I am so pleased that the children were inspired, as that makes our travels worthwhile”. Having just returned from teaching children in Columbia and Rome, Professor Kroto taught sessions at Sheffield and Bolton (where he studied) and from Catalyst was travelling on to Sussex before leaving for Moscow. Speaking about Catalyst, Professor Kroto said that he was very impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of the staff and the work being done to excite children about science and vowed to promote Catalyst wherever he can.
Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, Chairman, Bryan Davies said “Catalyst had the most prestigious day in its history when Nobel Prize Winner, Sir Harry Kroto accepted the invitation to come and teach a session with the local pupils.” He added “Sir Harry is Lancashire born and his presentation to the assembled school children was inspirational and reinforced the values of studying STEM subjects as a worthwhile route for children to follow for future interest, stimulation and employment. As the UK’s only Science Discovery Centre dedicated to Chemistry, it was an honour and privilege to have a Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry at the Centre.”
You can find out more about Catalyst by visiting the website www.catalyst.org.uk
