Andrew Szydlo Explained

Andrew Szydlo
Honorific Suffix:CChem FRSC
Birth Name:Zbigniew Szydlo
Birth Place:London, England
Alma Mater:Imperial College London, London University
Occupation:Chemistry Teacher
Employer:Highgate School

Andrew Zbigniew Szydlo (; born 1949) is a British chemist and chemistry teacher, best known for his talks and lectures on chemistry.

Biography

Szydlo was born in London, England to Polish parents, and attended Latymer Upper School, and then Imperial College London and University College London. He currently teaches – since September 1972[1] – chemistry at Highgate School, a private school in North London. He holds MSc, PhD, DIC, ACGI, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, of which he is also a CChem. In 2020, Szydlo was awarded a Pearson National Teaching award for Lifetime Achievement.[2]

An expert on the history of alchemy, Szydlo is the author of the standard work on the Polish alchemist, Michael Sendivogius. The thesis of his book "Water that does not wet hands": The Alchemy of Michael Sendivogius,[3] which argues that Sendivogius' role in the discovery of oxygen has not received proper attention, has won widespread acceptance within the academic community. He advanced this argument in a leading article for History Today, co-authored with Richard Brzezinski, entitled "A New Light on Alchemy".[4] His work on seventeenth-century science is an ongoing project to which he hopes to devote further attention. In 2015 he published Schoolmaster's Diary, a photo diary celebrating four decades of school life seen through his chemistry teacher's lens.[5]

He frequently gives public lectures in the United Kingdom on topics including the History of Chemistry. Recent performances at Cambridge University,[6] Durham University,[7] University College London,[8] the Royal Institution,[9] Cheltenham Science Festival[10] and Hampton Court[11] have received much acclaim: writing in the journal Chemistry & Industry on Szydlo's performance at Cambridge, John Wilkins remarked that "Dr Szydlo exceeded all expectations; he raced through vast tracts of practical chemistry, history, alchemy, the discovery of oxygen, the internal combustion engine, and on occasion, introduced music too. His lecture was interspersed with flashes, bangs, colour changes, detonations and eruptions, keeping the 350-strong crowd on the edge of their seats throughout." This lively, multi-media approach characterises Szydlo's performances, which include experiments drawn from a wide repertory, ranging from the chemistry of colour to pyrotechnics and high explosives. He has also appeared at several festivals as part of the Guerilla Science team.[11] He also lectures regularly at secondary schools throughout the United Kingdom, and has remarked that he often finds the audiences he addresses at under-privileged schools the most inspiring.[12] These lectures are sometimes featured in the local press.[13] Szydlo also regularly gives talks for the wider community, including such institutions as the Stuart Low Trust,[14] Haringey Council Cared for Children, and the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association. His recent Webinars for students in Turkey and Tunisia have been very well received.[15] [16] He has also been invited to give numerous lectures and demonstrations abroad, including Poland, Mauritius (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and Namibia (2016). Szydlo has the highest rank (Harcmistrz) in the Polish Scouting Association, and has regularly participated in its activities since 1965.

More recently, he has collaborated with Andrea Sella of University College London and the author Hugh Aldersey-Williams in Elements, an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection,[17] where he spoke about the Dutch alchemist Cornelis Drebbel, situating Drebbel in a broader scientific and historical context and illustrating the talk with lively experiments.[18] Aldersey-Williams has worked with Szydlo before, both as a pupil at Highgate School, where he recalls Szydlo as 'a man of many talents ... always liable to whip out his gipsy violin mid-lesson',[19] and in writing his recent book Periodic Tales, when he recruited Szydlo's expertise in an attempt to recreate the experiment that discovered phosphorus.

Seven of his recent lectures at the Royal Institution: Magic of Chemistry (2014),[20] Blaze of Steel (2015),[21] Fireworks and Waterworks (2016),[22] Bonfires with a Bang (2017),[23] Chemistry of Coal (2018),[24] Metal Mayhem (2019)[25] and The explosive History of Hydrogen (2022) have been made available on YouTube. His Tedx talks at Newcastle and Manchester have received widespread acclaim, as has his appearance at the 15 Seconds Festival in Graz (2019).[26] [27] [28] He is also featured in the Royal Society of Chemistry's 175 Faces of Chemistry.[29]

In recent years, he has appeared in six television serials: as a chemistry teacher in That'll Teach 'em (Channel 4, 2006)[30] and Sorcerer's Apprentice (CBBC, 2007);[31] as a science historian in Absolute Zero (BBC4, 2007);[32] as a chemist in Generals at War (National Geographic, 2009);[33] in Big, Bigger, Biggest (Channel 5, 2009);[34] and as "The Doc" in Secrets of Everything (BBC3, 2012).[35]

Music is a passion, and he is an accomplished player of instruments including the violin, piano, bugle and accordion. The string quartet Alchymic Quartet by Graham Waterhouse, with whom he played duos when teaching at Highgate School, was inspired by his chemical experiments;[36] he performed them for the premiere on 4 November 2022.[37] Another passion is photography, a field in which he has considerable expertise. He has exhibited his own photographs, and recently contributed a preface to a book of photographs published by the artist Stephane Graff.[38] Other interests include Polish dancing, automobile engineering, meteorology, beekeeping, and mycology. Amongst his pupils, he is renowned for lessons which incorporate unusual and spectacular experiments, and for bursts of theatricality such as blowing fire and cooling hot drinks with liquid nitrogen before tasting them. His lecture and television performances reflect his broad cultural interests and distinctive character.

Additionally, he has a passion for automotive engineering, running a school automotive society where he teaches students about auto engineering using old Triumph Heralds.

Selected publications

  1. A New Light on Alchemy (1997)[39]
  2. Teaching experimental chemistry in English schools (2012)[40]
  3. Michael Faraday the educator (2017)[41]
  4. Two English Chemists/Authors/Teachers: John Read and James Riddick Partington (2018)[42]
  5. History of Fire (2019)[43]
  6. Hydrogen - Some Historical Highlights (Mar 2021)[44]
  7. Chemical Electricity (Dec 2021)[45]
  8. The beginnings of chemistry: from ancient times until 1661(2022)[46]
  9. Science Curiosities Cabinet And The Chemical Showcase (2023)[47]

Notes and References

  1. https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-szydlo/86/1b9/526 LinkedIn Entry. Retrieved 15 June 2015. – September 1972 – December 1974: Chemistry, Science, DT, Mathematics at Cardinal Manning School, Highgate School; Jan 1975 – today: Chemistry at Highgate School
  2. Web site: Dr Andrew Szydlo.
  3. Published by the Polish Academy of Sciences in 1994.
  4. Vol. 47, issue 1: http://www.historytoday.com/MainArticle.aspx?m=13491&amid=13491
  5. Web site: Chemistry teacher's epic photo diary celebrates four decades in the classroom. 26 November 2015.
  6. Web site: talks.cam : Fireworks and Waterworks! Lecture & demonstration.. University of Cambridge.
  7. Web site: Conferences and events. rsc.org.
  8. Web site: UCL Chemistry – Contact Pages . 11 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060925144615/http://www.chem.ucl.ac.uk/schools/events.html . 25 September 2006 . dead .
  9. Web site: The Royal Institution of Great Britain | Schools event: As if by magic . 10 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110612053325/http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=837 . 12 June 2011 . dead .
  10. Web site: Science and maths festive extravaganzas. Cheltenham Festivals.
  11. Web site: Home. Guerilla. Science. Guerilla Science.
  12. Personal communication with the author.
  13. e.g. 'Smoke and steam fire up and enthusiasm for science', Ham & High, 12 March 2009.
  14. Web site: Search Results for "szydlo" – The Stuart Low Trust.
  15. Web site: "Mystery of Chemistry" Webinar by Dr. Andrew Szydlo | ChemTalk' #2 . .
  16. Web site: It's with great honor and privilege for me to be the coordinator and – Aymen Labidi on LinkedIn .
  17. Web site: Kill or cure? It's elementary at Wellcome Collection's late event – Wellcome. wellcome.ac.uk.
  18. News: Elements explode at new science exhibition. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/elements-explode-at-new-science-exhibition-2266647.html . 7 May 2022 . subscription . live. 12 April 2011. The Independent.
  19. Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Periodic Tales: the curious lives of the elements, Viking (2011), pp. 120–123
  20. Web site: The Magic of Chemistry – with Andrew Szydlo. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/0g8lANs6zpQ . 22 December 2021 . live. The Royal Institution. 4 June 2014. YouTube.
  21. Web site: Blaze of Steel: Explosive Chemistry – with Andrew Szydlo. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Na7Bp4frYGw . 22 December 2021 . live. The Royal Institution. 11 March 2015. YouTube.
  22. Web site: Fireworks and Waterworks – with Andrew Szydlo. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/HRBVfqhPQQ8 . 22 December 2021 . live. The Royal Institution. 17 February 2016. YouTube.
  23. Web site: The Chemistry of Fire and Gunpowder – with Andrew Szydlo. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/OYZT3opLedc . 22 December 2021 . live. The Royal Institution. 24 January 2018. YouTube.
  24. Web site: Andrew Szydlo's Chemistry of Coal. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/1Qi4rrQoruQ . 22 December 2021 . live. The Royal Institution. 19 December 2018. YouTube.
  25. Web site: Metal Mayhem – with Andrew Szydlo. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/kR1uqxeXxSU . 22 December 2021 . live. The Royal Institution. 2 November 2019. YouTube.
  26. Web site: From Atoms to Boom. 14 November 2018 .
  27. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: An Explosive Passion for Teaching Chemistry Andrew Szydlo TEDxManchester . YouTube.
  28. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Andrew Szydlo: From Atoms To Boom Fifteen Seconds Festival 2019, Graz, Austria . YouTube.
  29. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20190906223028/http://www.rsc.org/diversity/175-faces/all-faces/dr-andrew-szydlo-dic-acgi-cchem-frsc/. 6 September 2019. Dr Andrew Szydlo DIC ACGI CChem FRSC – 175 Faces of Chemistry. rsc.org.
  30. Web site: That'll Test 'Em. IMDb.
  31. Web site: Sorcerer's Apprentice – Next on – BBC – CBBC. BBC.
  32. Web site: BBC – BBC Four Documentaries – Absolute Zero . 25 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111114222034/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/absolute-zero.shtml . 14 November 2011 . dead .
  33. Web site: Generals at War – National Geographic . https://web.archive.org/web/20110409005123/http://natgeotv.com.au/tv/generals-at-war/ . dead . 9 April 2011 . Natgeotv.com.au . 26 May 2019.
  34. Web site: Channel Homepage. National Geographic Channel. 26 May 2019. 2 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180702115933/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/. dead.
  35. Web site: BBC Three – The Secrets of Everything. BBC.
  36. Web site: GW60 – Festkonzert. Graham Waterhouse. 2022. de. 4, 11. 8 December 2022.
  37. Web site: Landpartie mit "neuer" Musik. Gilching. 26 October 2022. de. 28 December 2022.
  38. Stephane Graff, Professore, Istanbul (2010)
  39. Web site: Alchemy: New Light on a Dark Art History Today . 2023-06-08 . www.historytoday.com.
  40. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2012-12-01 . Teaching Experimental Chemistry in English Schools / Nauczanie Chemii Doświadczalnej W Angielskich Szkołach . Chemistry-Didactics-Ecology-Metrology . en . 17 . 1–2 . 7–25 . 10.2478/cdem-2013-0001. free .
  41. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2017-12-01 . Michael Faraday the educator - an essay to commemorate the 150 th anniversary of Faraday’s Death . Chemistry-Didactics-Ecology-Metrology . en . 22 . 1–2 . 43–57 . 10.1515/cdem-2017-0002 . 2084-4506. free .
  42. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2018-12-01 . Two English Chemists/Authors/Teachers: John Read and James Riddick Partington . Chemistry-Didactics-Ecology-Metrology . en . 23 . 1–2 . 47–69 . 10.1515/cdem-2018-0003. free .
  43. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2019-12-01 . History of Fire . Chemistry-Didactics-Ecology-Metrology . en . 24 . 1–2 . 23–43 . 10.2478/cdem-2019-0002 . 2084-4506. free .
  44. Web site: ResearchGate .
  45. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2021-12-01 . Chemical Electricity . Chemistry-Didactics-Ecology-Metrology . en . 26 . 1–2 . 5–29 . 10.2478/cdem-2021-0001. free .
  46. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2022-07-01 . The beginnings of chemistry: from ancient times until 1661 . Pure and Applied Chemistry . en . 94 . 7 . 869–888 . 10.1515/pac-2022-0203 . 1365-3075. free .
  47. Szydło . Zbigniew A. . 2022-12-01 . Science Curiosities Cabinet And The Chemical Showcase . Chemistry-Didactics-Ecology-Metrology . en . 27 . 1–2 . 79–103 . 10.2478/cdem-2022-0007 . 2084-4506. free .

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