Variety in Chemistry Education 2011

Variety in Chemistry Education (ViCE) UK is one of those  conferences. Unmissable, pragmatic, friendly and always informative. I've gone every year since I started teaching, and love catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Its value lies in the fact that it is based on presentations by chemistry lecturers on things they have tried in their own teaching - so it is a treasure trove of new ideas of things to try. This year we found out, using clickers in David Read's talk, that 48 per cent of attendees were first-timers, a good measure of a well-established and thought of conference. Like last year's Variety, I came away with a real boost in motivation for the start of the new academic year.