Chemistry@Nottingham School of Chemistry Undergraduate Newsletter 2015
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Chemistry@Nottingham School of Chemistry Undergraduate Newsletter 2015 Exciting developments in Chemistry at Nottingham Chemistry student Chris Harrison Meet our students Innovative research and teaching Summer research opportunities University life in the words of some of Read about our groundbreaking new Find out about the opportunities open to you our current students research and teaching methods working with our research groups Welcome P2 Welcome Welcome to the School of New Engineering and Science Library Chemistry P3 Meet our students We’re delighted that you are considering chemistry at The University of Nottingham for your undergraduate degree. Here at Nottingham, we offer P4 a wide-range of academic and extra-curricular activities to ensure that you Meet our students continued make the most of your studies and time as a student. These opportunities take advantage of our links with leading chemical companies, with international partner universities and with schools. P5 Graduate profiles We continue to invest in new developments and work is well underway on the new Engineering and Science Library (see below) and on the Carbon P6 Neutral Laboratory which will house the Centre for Sustainable Chemistry. Graduate profiles We are also developing new undergraduate teaching laboratories within the School which will be fully equipped with cutting-edge, industry-standard instrumentation, as used for resesarch and in the chemical industry. P7 Periodic Table Lessons We’ve also introduced new modules that give students a taste of the business side of chemistry. On page 7 you can read about student Into the Dragons’ Den... experiences on our new Enterprise for Chemists module as they enter Chemistry’s own Dragons’ Den, and on page 8 you can learn about some P8 exciting new drug-discovery chemistry that our undergraduate students Exciting times for research and have published in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). There are Professor Jonathan Hirst teaching in medicinal chemistry plenty of other opportunities too, from study abroad and year-long industrial placements to paid summer internships in research groups (page 10). P9 ChemSoc Parenting Scheme The University also offers an extensive range of activities for you to get involved with and our provision for sport will be revolutionised by a new £40m sports village will be built on University Park Campus (page12). Our student P10 society, ChemSoc, works with the University’s Students’ Union to organise a whole host of chemistry-related events for our undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff. In addition to organising guest lectures and social events, Summer project ChemSoc runs a parenting scheme (page 9) that helps new students settle in and offers advice to students during Third-year research results their first year. On pages 5-7 you can read about some of the career paths our recent graduates have taken. The University continues P11 to be one of the top targets for the UK’s top graduate employers according to the latest study by High Fliers Research. Women in Technology It has been a pleasure to welcome so many of you to our open days, and we hope to see you in September. If you have An influential scientific mind not visited our School or University previously, then please contact us using the details on page 12; we’d be delighted to hear from you. In the meantime we wish you well for your upcoming examinations. P12 First-year student experience Professor Jonathan Hirst Head of the School of Chemistry @NottsChemistry New David Ross Sports Village New Engineering and Science Library Building work is well underway on a new Engineering and Science Library that will benefit students in the School of Chemistry. The new library, due for completion in summer 2015, is being built adjacent to the School of Chemistry. It will be a central hub for the science and engineering area of campus and will offer quiet individual study areas and group study desks, An artist’s impression of the new Engineering and together with a new cafe. Science Library 2 www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry Meet our students Meet our students Matthew Gundry (MSci Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, fourth year) explains why he chose to study at Nottingham, discusses his chemical education project and his involvement in University Radio Nottingham. “I visited several universities whilst at Hopefully this will be the start of an ongoing school, but for me nothing compared project, which will continue for several years to to Nottingham’s campus and student come. atmosphere. I’m now in my fourth year, Besides chemistry, there is so much to do at completing an MSci Medicinal and university - whatever your hobby there is a Biological Chemistry (MBC), and I am society for you - just this year the LEGO society so glad I came here, as it has been a was formed. For me, it was University Radio fantastic experience. Nottingham (URN), which I joined in my first year. I got a show with my friend and by the end I have always had a passion for science and of my third year we had a weekly three-hour the way things work, and that’s exactly what entertainment show. When we aren’t reporting on chemistry delivers. Chemistry is life, and the latest news across campus, or broadcasting everything we see and do involves chemistry our sports teams’ results, we compete at a in some way or another. My course looks national level to be the best student radio station. specifically at the biological side, and covers This year we won for the fifth year in a row, all topics like drug discovery and synthesis. thanks to the amazing people at the station. You can tune into URN now at urn1350.net.” Last year saw the start of a chemical education project and I decided to undertake my fourth year research project in this area, which was brilliant Matthew (left) with DJ Tim Westwood as I want to go into teaching after my degree. My at the Student Radio Awards last year project looks at the importance of practical work in school science, with the aims to find out what role practical work has to play; how it influences people to take up chemistry post-GCSE; and what students’ and teachers’ responses are to the government reforms to GCSEs and A levels. Philipp Langer (MSci Chemistry with an International Study Year, fourth year) reflects on his studies at Nottingham and his third Year at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. “During my A levels I was uncertain as As part of my degree, I had the opportunity to to what I wanted to do next. Eventually I spend my third year aboard at the University of went with the subject that I enjoyed the Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. I learnt a great most - chemistry. My teacher at the time deal during my time over there and still had time to enjoy the many attractions that Australia and also played a big role in this decision, the surrounding countries have to offer. I truly and I am thankful to him to this day. I had a fantastic year over in ‘Aus’ and I would applied to the University of Nottingham encourage everyone given such an opportunity to as one of my UCAS choices and when take it. I visited here for my UCAS visit day I was completely overwhelmed by the Working on my MSci fourth year project has, beauty of the campus and the friendly, so far, presented a completely different set of welcoming students and staff in the challenges. It has given me the opportunity to have my own input as well as be part of some School of Chemistry. real cutting edge science. I’m also particularly enjoying the working atmosphere and social side I didn’t have much of an idea of what to expect of working as part of a research group. from university in general let alone a chemistry degree, however, I have found that you grow with I am still undecided as to what I want to do after your tasks and at Nottingham there is plenty of graduation and am currently applying to jobs opportunities to reinvent yourself. At the same and looking into the possibility of doing a PhD. time, there is always support available if you have Looking back, I have had a fantastic time during any problems. My personal tutor in particular has my time here at the University of Nottingham and, been a very helpful point of contact regarding all if I could go back, I wouldn’t change a single Philipp Langer (MSci Chemistry with chemistry and non-chemistry related issues. thing.” an International Study Year) www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry 3 Meet our students Emily Hetherington “Nottingham quickly became my first chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques choice for chemistry following an open that I had previously covered in my first and (MSci Chemistry with a day visit. I really liked the friendly second year modules. As well as developing atmosphere and enthusiasm of the new skills, I gained knowledge of the drug Year in Industry, fourth year) development process from discovery through staff at the school, as well as absolutely describes her experience to registration. I worked on a variety of drug loving the beautiful campus setting. projects in various stages of development, of her degree so far, and ranging from oncology to respiratory disease One of the great things about chemistry at her third year placement at compounds. My supervisor was really helpful Nottingham is the wide variety of courses in making sure I got as much as possible out AstraZeneca. that are available, offering many different of my placement, as well as providing me with opportunities.