The adoption of undergraduates into research teams upon entering university representsa marked change from the prescriptive lecture-lab format that underpins current teachingformats within the physical sciences. One such approach has been piloted at NottinghamTrent University - though not as a replacement for traditional teaching methods but ratherto compliment and enhance the university experience for new entrant undergraduates.The programme has aimed to foster a student centred approach to

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... ir studies withinchemistry through providing a genuine, real world context wherein they can tackle realproblems that will help to reinforce the academic content and develop transferable skills.While the programme can be viewed as an enhanced work experience programme forundergraduates, its principal aim is to provide a pro-active mentoring framework that willnurture student enthusiasm for the subject. The logistics of running such a programmeare outlined and the preliminary outcomes from the initial pilot are discussed.