Reviewing Our Benevolent Fund Supporting Our Community in Times of Need
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RSCNEWS MARCH 2015 www.rsc.org Reviewing our Benevolent Fund Supporting our community in times of need Help is at hand p10 Open Access and us p12 Northern Ireland Local Section Heat of Top of the Bench held at Queen’s University, Belfast. Students also enjoyed a tour of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, including the NMR spectroscopy suite. Our Northern Ireland Local Section present certificates and cheques The South and East Organic Division Regional Meeting took to the top GCE Chemistry girls and boy from 2014. Bronagh McGuckin place at Imperial College London and included talks from 2014 from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt, Amy Thompson from Centenary Prize Winner, Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart; 2014 the Rainey Endowed Grammar School, Magherafelt, and Joshua Pedler Award winner, Professor David Leigh and 2014 Alexander from Friends’ School, Lisburn. Hickinbottom Award winner, Dr Steve Goldup. Members of our Deccan local section, in India, led a seminar, quiz and workshop for school students in Mukkamala, a remote village in Andhra Pradesh State. Education Co-ordinators talking at our regional meeting for the Midlands in February – there’s more information on regional meetings on page 19. WEBSITE Find all the latest news at www.rsc.org/news/ Contents MARCH 2015 Editor: Edwin Silvester Design and production: REGULARS Vivienne Brar 4 Contact us: Snapshot 7 RSC News editorial o ce News and updates from around Thomas Graham House Science Park, Milton Road the organisation Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK 6 Tel: +44 (0)1223 432294 One to one Email: [email protected] Our new mentoring service Burlington House, Piccadilly London W1J 0BA, UK 7 Tel: +44 (0)20 7437 8656 Profile Meet Richard Barr, oil production chemist @RSC_Comms 15 Opinion Supporting businesses in establishing facebook.com/RoyalSocietyofChemistry 8 vocational training will help meet skills Photography: needs in rural areas, says Hilary Jeffreys © Shutterstock (cover) © Royal Society of Chemistry (left) FEATURES 8 Benevolent Fund review In 2014 we reviewed the Benevolent Fund to ensure it continues to be relevant 10 Help is at hand Showing just how important the Benevolent 12 Fund is in supporting members in need 12 Open access and us OA publishing is one of our strategic priorities, supporting our mission to advance excellence in the chemical sciences DIARY 16 Conferences 15 Upcoming meetings and deadlines 17 Events Your guide to events by region and section © Royal Society of Chemistry 2015 Registered charity number 207890 22 Notices Including vacancies and updates from across the organisation Snapshot A look at the latest news from around the world INBRIEF RSC leadership team expanded to Chemistry World app accommodate growth and success update CEO Dr Robert Parker has expanded the If you would like to read Chemistry World RSC’s leadership team, to better lead and on the go using your phone or tablet, THE RSC LEADERSHIP TEAM serve our growing, successful organisation. there’s no better way than using the app. At the December 2014 meeting Council There’s a major revamp in progress, to Robert Parker CEO welcomed the proposed changes, and the include more features and functionality evolved sta structure is now being rolled Helen Pain Deputy CEO than ever before. In the new version out across the organisation. you’ll be able to complete interactive Stephen Deputy CEO crosswords, view image galleries and use “Since I became CEO three years ago, our Hawthorne the scrapbook function to collect and membership has grown to an all-time high collate the articles that interest you. It will of 52,000, revenues have grown 15%, and Nick Hills Chief Financial Ocer also be compatible with a wider range of our investment in chemical science has Clare Viney Director, Membership phones and tablets. increased 32.5% to £53m. We’re a much bigger organisation, with many of the new and External Aairs The app will be available soon on the challenges that face big organisations,” said Apple app store and Google Play store, Frank Gibson Director, Technology Dr Parker. and Royal Society of Chemistry members can access all of our content for free. “I’m evolving the leadership team to be Karen Roberts Director, HR & OD scalable, have a broader range of knowledge As a member of the RSC, just enter your and experience, and to have more capacity Dan Dyer Director, Sales membership ID and password on the to lead this successful organisation as well as account screen for access. This step Emma Wilson Director, Publishing it deserves.” involves contacting the RSC computer system, so you’ll need to be connected With a mix of long-term RSC employees and Martin Dachs Group Financial to the internet, but once you’ve logged new, experienced talent from elsewhere, Controller the new 12-strong leadership team will in and downloaded an issue, you will Vacancy Director, Education be able to read that issue o ine. There’s set a powerful long-term vision for the organisation and support our sta and a process of constant redevelopment, Vacancy Director, members in pursuing it. Recruitment is building in new features and functions, so Communications and underway for a Director of Education and a if there’s anything you would particularly Marketing like to see, please get in touch by email at Director of Communications and Marketing. [email protected]. SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY / ROYAL CREATION © MPP IMAGE 4 RSC NEWS MARCH 2015 Faraday in INBRIEF India Dr Diana Leitch MBE Diana Leitch FRSC has been invested More than 100 crystallographers, discussions and to the participants for with her MBE for services to chemistry, spectroscopists and computational chemists, their contributions to lively and vigorous by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, from 20 countries, attended India’s first-ever discussions we have all enjoyed.” at Buckingham Palace. Faraday Discussions, held in Bangalore in “It was particularly pleasing to see the Diana is an independent consultant who January. younger participants joining in very actively is internationally respected for her work Prof Siva Umapathy of the Indian Institute of with the discussions and we were pleased as an academic librarian and information Science co-chaired the meeting – themed to have been able to award six poster prizes, professional. Temporally & Spatially Resolved Molecular from the 50 posters that were on display As Treasurer of our Chemical Information Science – with Professor Judith Howard, from across the globe.” and Computer Applications Group she from Durham University. Professor Umapathy, from the Indian has played a leading role in numerous Professor Howard said: “This meeting is not Institute of Science, said: “This has been a outreach activities including the Origins about crystallography versus spectroscopy wonderful opportunity for Indian students project with the Catalyst Science but it is about crystallographers working to learn about how science discussions at Discovery Centre in Widnes, where together with spectroscopists and international level are conducted, in depth she is also a trustee. computational scientists to take forward and with an open mind.” the science and develop important new The meetings, conceived in 1903 by the interdisciplinary areas. Faraday Society, focus on cutting edge and “The meeting has been a great success fundamental science. So far, 262 meetings thanks to the speakers and leaders of the have been held in 10 dierent countries. Diana with the Buckingham House Yeomen of the Guard. (Image © Royal Society of Chemistry). Take 1…minute for chemistry © PROFESSOR S UMAPATHY in health – voting now open! Our video competition invited undergraduates through to early- career researchers based in industry Encouraging Emerging and academia to make an original, imaginative video highlighting how Technologies entries chemistry has helped to address challenges in health. The videos are all The Emerging Technologies Competition is small chemical companies and university aimed at a non-specialist audience and our flagship event to accelerate innovation researchers at academic labs. Even in the we received some great entries which and support both cutting-edge technologies short period of time since they won, many have been shortlisted. in the chemical sciences and the people of our winners have seen the benefits: We are now asking for your help to who invent them. It was set up three years Dr Matthew Gibson at the University of vote for your favourite, the video with ago to help support new technologies on Warwick won in 2014 with his antifreeze the most votes will receive £500. the rocky road to commercialisation, as proteins (inspired by arctic fish) which can be Voting closes on 17 April 2015. Visit often the discoveries made in research used to preserve donated blood and organs. http://rsc.li/take-1-videos now to laboratories don’t make it into the real world He has since received €1.5 million in funding vote and to find out more about the where they can make a dierence. to further develop this technology. competition. Unlike most business competitions, our AQDOT won in 2013 with their intelligent entrants are judged on the potential for their encapsulation technology which has many technology to impact individuals and the dierent applications: from detergents, economy, rather than their profit forecasts pharmaceuticals and paints, to cosmetics, or how ready their invention is. The winners fragrances and personal products. They have receive a cash prize of up to £20,000, but since formed collaborations with Procter & also