The School Laboratory in Natural Science

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Published 29. Oct. 2020. Updated on 13. Mar. 2026

About us

The School Laboratory in Natural Science at UiS functions as a link between schools in the region and the science and technology environments at UiS. The goal is to strengthen interest in science and technology in schools, and to inspire young people to choose education within these fields.

Kjemilab. Foto: Elisabeth Tønnessen/UiS — Photo: UiS / Elisabeth Tønnessen

The School Laboratory in Natural Science is run by Mari Mæland Nilsen and Solvor Motland Kirkemo. They are passionate about communicating science in exciting and engaging ways.

What do we offer?

We offer practical teaching programs in science, chemistry and biology primarily aimed at middle and high school students. The activities are usually carried out on campus, but if necessary we can also come out to schools.

Examples of teaching programmes

What characterizes a chemical reaction?

In this programme, students will gain experience with various chemical reactions and what characterizes them.

Relevant competence objectives: Science (10th grade): "explore chemical reactions, explain conservation of mass and explain the meanings of some combustion reactions" "use atomic models and the periodic table to explain the properties of elements".

Chemical detection of proteins in various milk drinks

In this programme, students will learn about proteins as a nutrient and how they can detect proteins in various milk drinks using chemical analyses.

Relevant competence objectives: Science (VG1): "explore and explain the relationships between chemical bonds and properties of different substances" "explain the functions of some nutrients and discuss why a varied diet is important from a health and sustainability perspective".

Sweet Christmas Chemistry – Redox Reactions

In this programme, students will carry out various redox reactions. Sugar/glucose is directly or indirectly part of most chemical reactions.

Relevant competence objectives:
- Chemistry 1: "explain chemical bonding as electrostatic forces acting between particles, and use this to explain molecular geometry and the structure, composition and properties of organic and inorganic substances", "explore and make calculations on chemical reactions, and use observations and theoretical assessments to identify reaction types".
- Chemistry 2: "explore redox reactions and use calculations to assess relationships between mass, charge, voltage and energy in electrochemical reactions".

The circulatory system: Pig heart dissection

Students will be given a description of the body's circulatory system. Then, in groups, students will dissect the heart and lungs of a pig. They will also have the opportunity to test their own lung capacity.

Relevant competence objectives: Biology 1: "explore connections between anatomy and physiology and explain the principles of life processes in organisms."

What does an enzyme do?

Students will learn about different enzymes and their functions through two different experiments.

Relevant competence objectives:
- Biology 2: "explore how enzymes work, and explain the role they play in metabolic processes".
- Chemistry 2: "describe the structure of some biological macromolecules and consider how external factors can affect their structure and properties" "explore catalyzed reactions and explain their importance in biological and industrial processes".

Genetic engineering - who is to blame?

In this experiment, students will determine who the culprit is by analyzing and comparing the DNA profiles of a perpetrator and four suspects. In addition, students will gain practical experience with pipetting, gel electrophoresis, and genetic analysis.

Relevant competence objectives: Biology 2: "explain how traits are inherited, and explore causes of genotypic and phenotypic variation in populations."

Build your own paper rocket

Students will gain experience in creating hypotheses, building their own paper rocket, and then testing their hypotheses.

Relevant competence objectives: Science (10th grade): "ask questions and make hypotheses about scientific phenomena, identify dependent and independent variables, and collect data to find answers"

All sessions are free. Contact us at skolelaben.tn@uis.no to make an appointment, or if you have any requests for other teaching arrangements.

Faculty of Science and Technology staff also offer various educational free lectures for upper secondary school classes. Depending on the capacity of the individual researcher, the lectures can be held in the classroom (physically or digitally) or on campus. All lectures are arranged directly with the designated contact person.

Examples of professional lectures

Physics

The Big Bang Theory
We found the Higgs boson, so what are we looking for at CERN now?
Modern physics; nuclear and/or particle physics
Radiation balance and the Earth's temperature
Materials physics and the green shift
The Higgs boson
Neutrinos: A bridge from microphysics to cosmology
Quantum materials
Symmetries in physics
Dark matter in our universe: how can we learn about something we don’t see?
Standard Model of Particle Physics and what we still don’t understand
Einstein relativity and gravitational waves

Contact Bjørn H. Auestad: bjorn.auestad@uis.no.

Mathematics

Statistics and Covid-19: Risk of complications during surgery
Surfaces in 3-space from a polynomial - learning how to plot them with ”Surfer”
How to (avoid) lying with numbers?
Mathematics in medicine
Differential equations
Extra dimensions in mathematics and physics
Hilbert's infinite hotel & infinite series
What is the point of quantum gravity and string theory?
What is the Casimir effect, and what is its role in modern mathematics and physics?

Contact Bjørn H. Auestad: bjorn.auestad@uis.no.

Biology

Biology + AI = True?
Genetic Footprints in Nature: New Possibilities with eDNA

Contact Mari M. Nilsen: mari.m.nilsen@uis.no.

Chemistry

Information to come.

Geology subjects

Information to come.

Videos from the 2025 Christmas calendar (Norwegian)

Science magic in this year's advent calendar.

How to extinguish candles with negative pressure?

Serving tray and centrifugal force.

Merry iodine clock Christmas!

Photo: Kjersti Riiber

Meet us at local events

The School Laboratory in Natural Science participates in events such as Forskningstorget, GirlTech, Techcamp, Arendalsuka, Ungdommens forskernatt, Wonderful World, and much, much more.

What all of these events have in common is that the School Laboratory in Natural Science contributes engaging activities that arouse curiosity, interest, and understanding of science and technology.

The School Laboratory in Natural Science also participates in several national and international projects related to science communication. Please contact us if you would like to collaborate or would like to hear more about our projects!