The Chemistry internship has been a long standing tradition in NES; dedicated to passionate chemistry students, it’s designed for young chemists to get hands-on experience by working with technicians in setting up practicals for both the lower and upper school. This year, there is a new edition to the programme; for the first time ever, we have senior chemistry interns ready to take on the event planning and organising for the chemistry department. I’ve sat down with Judy Hegazy, Judi Metwally, Judy Dora, Fatimah Al Saegh, and Yousef Hafez to discuss their roles and their plans for the upcoming year as the 2023-2024 Chemistry Senior Interns.
For most students, it’s unclear what the Chemistry Internship’s role in the Chemistry Department actually is. Our five senior interns have agreed that its main purpose is to develop the skills needed in major STEM fields such as engineering, medicine, and of course, scientific research. For aspiring medical students, the internship aids you in practising your hand eye coordination. For future chemists, the internship is there as a learning aid to show students the key factors in setting up experiments rather than just performing them. These are factors like the amount of reactant that should be provided, or the different equipment that should be available in specific experiments.
The roles of senior interns differ though; senior interns are there to bring the Chemistry Department to life, through fun house competitions, board design, and event planning! In fact, one of the upcoming competitions planned is actually the titration sprint; a house competition which will be held for the younger years, which will have two rounds and award a winner from each house. The Element Notice Board Competition will be another exciting and engaging competition coming up, and the notice board will be on display for all to see. Although it’s still early in the year, our interns sure have a lot of work cut out for them, and we can’t wait to see the many more competitions coming up!
As for the application process, it’s probably the simplest application process here at NES. Any A2 Chemistry students are free to apply, and all that is needed is the submission of a short google form. This year, the Department welcomed an overwhelming number of interns, and so they were split up into the two school terms; one group will be able to participate in October through December, and the other in January through May. The senior interns are those selected by Mr Vivian, due to their ability to handle workload and responsibility.
To put it simply, this internship is another expansion into how amazing Chemistry can really be. The subject and experiences that come with it open a lot of doors and encourage a wide variety of students to step out and explore other noble pursuits such as medicine, engineering, and scientific research, and it’s not difficult to see why. When asked, our interns explained the rushing excitement and rewarding pressure there is in completing a practical, or the wonder and curiosity experienced when discovering a new concept. These simple joys join together in forming an extremely enjoyable and unique department and subjects, filled with the best teachers, the greatest laughs, and the most elusive experiences!
