Making Inorganic Macrocycles a New Strategy for the Department
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Summer 2010 Making inorganic macrocycles Predicting molecular properties A new strategy for the department Simulating how proteins fold As I see it... Cambridge chemistry alumnus Julian Huppert was elected as the LibDem MP for Cambridge in May. He spoke to Sarah Houlton about the election, and what his early days in parliament have involved Tell me about your chemistry background. What have you been up to since then? I started as an undergraduate at Cambridge in A huge amount! I’ve already asked a lot of ques - 1996, studying NatSci at Trinity, and specialising tions and spoken in various debates, and even in chemistry. After a gap year working for a asked a PMQ of David Cameron about Trident – financial software company in the City, I came he didn’t agree with me! I was also the first back for a PhD with Shankar Balasubramanian on LibDem to ask Nick Clegg a PMQ when he was DNA structure and function. I then got a research standing in for Cameron; it was about child fellowship at Trinity to work at the Sanger Centre, detention, and he announced that the children’s returned briefly to chemistry in the Unilever unit at the immigration removal centre Yarl’s centre, and then in 2007 started a research group Wood was being closed, which was a fantastic in the Cavendish lab – my work had become so result. That was on my birthday, too! I’ve asked biological it didn’t really fit in the chemistry questions in parliament about plenty of other department, so I moved to physics! topics, as well – the military, homelessness, the digital economy act, student visas and, of How did you get involved in politics? course, science funding. I’d always been interested in what was happen - While of course I want to champion science ing in the rest of the world, and my interest was I guess the election day itself was a I don’t want to be pigeonholed, and although I initially with the United Nations – I ran confer - very long one? am the LibDem backbench science rep I’m ences including simulations of the UN for It was, but because I had such a large team of actually on the home affairs select committee school and university groups, and set up a people – including some from the chemistry rather than the science and technology one – Cambridge university UN society. In the sixth department – it wasn’t too bad! The result was another LibDem Cambridge NatSci graduate form, I started to get more interested in domes - declared after 5am, so it was a very late night. was keen to do the science committee. But tic politics, and joined the Liberal Democrats, as From the piles of ballot papers the result was clear home affairs subjects like the immigration cap I discovered by watching Prime Minister’s for quite some time before it was declared, so are a big issue for science – how can we keep Questions (PMQs) that I kept agreeing with the there was an odd sense of hanging around for a science and high-tech businesses in places like LibDem position. I got involved in the student while, knowing I couldn’t actually celebrate yet. Cambridge going if we say to people outside campaign in Cambridge in the 1997 election, But I was very pleased with the result – the EU that we don’t really want them here? It’s and then in 2001 stood for Cambridgeshire Cambridge has 13 wards, and I won 12 and came an awful message to send, and we have to find County Council as a LibDem, and was elected close in the 13th, so it does feel like I represent all a way of dealing with that. It applies to student for East Chesterton, close to where I grew up. of Cambridge. I managed to get a few hours’ visas as well, so it’s a really big thing. I spent eight years on the council, and had sleep after that, but because of the election result been the leader of the LibDem opposition no-one actually knew what was happening next. Is it what you expected? group, before standing down last year when my People said it was like this, and I didn’t believe term was up. I’d found that running a research Those few days of uncertainty must them! It’s a bit of a madhouse – the hours are group was more than a full time job, and lead - have been fascinating. ridiculous. On Monday and Tuesday, for exam - ing the LibDem group took up at least another They were, yes. On the Monday and Tuesday ple, we’re supposed to finish at 10pm, but actu - two days, and it was getting hard to combine during the coalition negotiations, unlike the ally that’s when the votes start, and because each the two! But then the LibDem MP for other parties the LibDems were totally involved takes about 15 minutes it can be difficult to get Cambridge, David Howarth, decided to stand as members. We met many times and knew home, as I’m commuting from Cambridge. The down from parliament at this year’s election, what was happening at every stage, and ulti - 11.15 train is just about doable if there aren’t which got me thinking. I’d already stood for mately we had to vote on whether to accept the too many votes, but we can be much later – one parliament once, in 2005, but that was in deal. It was a real shock introduction to parlia - day we were still sitting at 2.30am! A couple of Huntingdon, John Major’s old seat, which used ment – there was no time for ‘this is your times I’ve had to stay in a hotel or with friends, to be the safest Tory seat in the country. office, this is your phone’ – it was more ‘we’ll but it’s tough on them as you show up after Cambridge was a very different proposition. do all of that later, just do this first and then midnight and leave again at 7am. I was already an approved candidate, and was we’ll tell you where to sit’. The general scientific understanding among one of very many who applied for the seat. Six We voted as a party at about 1am on the MPs is abysmal. Of course there are exceptions, of us were shortlisted, all locals, and then in Wednesday, but while we’d all seen the full text but many seem to think it’s acceptable not to December and January we had a month to go of the agreement, many of the Tory back - understand science – they’d never dream of saying round all the LibDem members in Cambridge benchers didn’t see it until it was published at they don’t know any Shakespeare, but think it’s OK to canvas votes, through the ice and snow! I had 10am. But I’m glad I’d seen it – it’s a big thing, not to know any science! There are even some a great team helping me, and it climaxed in a and I needed to be able to say that it was who are completely anti-science, and the recent packed hustings meeting – the room was full to broadly OK; of course there are bits I disagree report on homeopathy was a disgrace, as they bursting – and I was selected as the candidate. with, and if it were a LibDem-only government seem to have given up on the concept of evidence. I’d be horrified, but of course, it’s not as we One thing I am having to get used to is What was campaigning like? didn’t actually win the election! The fact that we changing from one topic to a very different one It was very intense, and pretty much a full-time all saw it was an important buy-in process. and getting up to speed on new subjects thing. I enjoyed it much more than the unsuc - quickly. And planning the diary is a nightmare, cessful campaign in Huntingdon as it involved You were pretty quick to make your as timings change – a 3.30pm debate can actu - a lot more people, and there was a real buzz of maiden speech, weren’t you? ally start at 6pm. We even had something on the energy. I took part in a huge number of hus - Yes, I gave it on day 2 of the Queen’s Speech order paper that said it would happen at, before tings meetings – 35 – with the other candi - debate. I wanted to get on with it – you’re not or after 7pm. dates. That was probably too many, but it was really supposed to do numerous other things It makes planning meetings difficult, and you interesting, especially those focused on specific until you’ve given your maiden speech. So I got often have to move them at the last minute, topics like disabled issues and homelessness. it in early, speaking about science, wellbeing which looks unprofessional. But it’s very excit - Preparing for them made me think more about and sustainable transport – I’m probably the ing, as well as being very hard work, and I’m those issues. It was an exhausting process! only MP who cycled home from their count! not regretting it – yet! 2 Chem@Cam Summer 2010 Reluctant reactions Letters Colloid absence inet. However, Chem@Cam always brings back the memories of several Dear Editor happy years spent on Lensfield Road.