Chemistry Update Newsletter 249, 21st May 2014 Inside this Issue Calendar of Events York Chemists Win Royal Society of 2-3 Chemistry Accolades BPSI Summer Symposium Chemistry Outstanding Date: Thursday 29 May The Sun Never Sets on the 4-5 Demonstrator of the Chemistry MChem(abroad) Time: 3pm—7pm Year Awards (CODYs) Chem@York Hits 2000th Follower 6 Date: Wednesday 25 June Speed Networking Event for Pratibha Gai at Materials Research Time: 4pm—6pm Society’s Symposium X Research students and Post- Location: A102 RSC Teaching Fellows Network 7 docs Meeting Date: Wednesday 4 June Summer BBQ for Staff Time: 4pm - 6pm Duncan Bruce’s New Book Series Date: Friday 18 July Location: A122 Demonstrator Drinks Reception and 8 CODY awards – 25 June More details to follow New Year 1 Undergraduate Group 9 Photo Solvents Day Date of Next Issue: th Date: Tuesday 10 June 18 June 2014 University of York 2014 Annual Learning & Teaching Conference Time: 10am—5pm Location: IEF, GCCE Staff Interview—Dr Eric Sofen 10 Food Waste in the European Food 11 Graduate Research Seminar Supply Chain Date: Wednesday 11 June Gideon Davies’ Medical Research 12 Time: 2pm—5pm Accolade Location: A101 New Starters Chemistry Lecturers Star in Internet 13 Departmental Celebration Game Event for Staff Speed Networking Event 14 Date: Monday 23 June Time: 4pm Graduate Research Seminar 15 Location: Green Chemistry Bridget Stocker Lecture —13 June Industrial Engagement Facility, Green Chemists’ Trip to China 16-17 first floor of F block York Chemists Awarded £628k by 18 To celebrate the recent EPSRC successes in the department York Chemists Win Royal Society of Chemistry Accolades Four of the 2014 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) prize and award winners are from the University of York. Professors Gideon Davies, Michael North, John Holman and Duncan Bruce Professor Duncan Bruce, Professor Gideon Davies, Professor Sir John Holman and Professor Michael North, of the Department of Chemistry at York, have been recognised for their achievements and contribution to chemistry. It is highly unusual for four RSC awards to go to a single department in one year. Dr Robert Parker, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry said: “Each year we present Prizes and Awards to chemical scientists who have made an outstanding contribution, be that in their area of research, in industry or academia. “We’re working to shape the future of the chemical sciences for the benefit of science and humanity and these Prizes and Awards give recognition to true excellence. Our winners can be very proud to follow in the footsteps of some of the most influential and important chemical scientists in history.” Professor Sir John Holman is the Royal Society of Chemistry Lord Lewis Prize winner for 2014, a prize that recognises Sir John’s extensive influence over chemistry education policy. As well as being an Emeritus Professor in Chemistry at York, he is adviser in Education at the Wellcome Trust Page 2 and the Gatsby Foundation. He was the founding Director of the National Science Learning Centre from 2004 until September 2010, and adviser to the English government as National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Director from 2006 until September 2010. He has taught learners of chemistry and science at all levels from 11 year olds to undergraduates and currently teaches chemistry to undergraduates at York. Professor Davies has been named the Royal Society of Chemistry Khorana Prize winner for 2014, which “recognises outstanding achievement award for research at the chemistry and life science interface”. He works on the chemistry of sugars. He probes their chemistry and cellular biology, focusing on the enzymes that make and break these fascinating molecules. His work has far- reaching societal benefit ranging from industrial enzymes for biotechnology and biofuels, through to understanding the roles sugars play in health and disease. His work on how a specific sugar modifies brain proteins is leading to new therapies for Alzheimer’s diseases. Professor North is the Royal Society of Chemistry Green Chemistry Award winner for 2014. The Green Chemistry Award is for the design, development or implementation of novel chemical products or processes which have the potential to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Professor North’s interest is in making organic chemistry sustainable. Organic chemistry is the study of the structure, properties and reaction of organic molecules (those containing carbon atoms) and is crucial, for example in drug development. However, over 90 per cent of all commercially available organic chemicals are sourced from crude oil. This is unsustainable and a major challenge for chemists is to find renewable, sustainable starting materials. His approach is to understand the details of different chemical processes so that they can be made as effective and sustainable as possible. Professor Bruce has been named the Royal Society of Chemistry Peter Day Award winner for 2014. His scientific interests are in the area of materials chemistry, mostly involving liquid crystals and transition metals. Liquid crystals represent the fourth state of matter, somewhere between liquids and solids, and are now widely used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). There is not one distinct phase between solids and liquids so the different phases are described as mesophases. To characterise the different mesophases Professor Bruce’s group use a technique called polarised optical microscopy. His group varies from other research in this field as they investigate the structure and properties of liquid crystals that include a metal atom in their structure. A total of 47 previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Awards have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including Harry Kroto, Fred Sanger and Linus Pauling. Indeed, one of the 2012 Royal Society of Chemistry Prize winners, Arieh Warshel, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year. Page 3 The Sun Never Sets on the Chemistry MChem(abroad) Programme In recent years the MChem(abroad) programme in chemistry has grown substantially, both in terms of the number of students participating and the number of exchange partners involved in the scheme. Two new exchange schemes have just been approved that will see York students on placements in India and New Zealand for the first time during the 2014-15 academic year. These new exchanges offer excellent opportunities for York Chemistry students to experience world-class science in a different cultural setting and for the Chemistry Department to welcome excellent students from around the world to York. With York chemists on placements in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley, Canada (GMT -7 hours) and in Wellington, New Zealand (GMT +12 hours) the sun will literally never set on York Chemists in 2014-15! Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CEBS) in Mumbai, India Our exchange partner in India will be the CEBS in Mumbai. CEBS was formed as part of a push within India to establish new modern science undergraduate degree courses, which are highly selective and have a demanding curriculum. Initially this has happened in a few places and by and large as spin-offs from India’s well-established and highly regarded research institutions. CEBS has strong links with the University of Mumbai, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, IIT-Mumbai and the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and York students have the opportunity to undertake research projects with these partner institutions as well as in the CEBS. There is on-campus accommodation on the Kalina campus of the University of Mumbai, as well as new purpose-built well-equipped teaching buildings. We will send out two students to Mumbai in 2014-15. To the best of our knowledge we are the first chemistry department in the UK to offer an MChem degree with a year in India. Student quote: “The department has given us the fantastic opportunity to study at a prestigious institution in one of the 21st century's most exciting countries for science, innovation and culture” School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW), New Zealand Our exchange partner in New Zealand will be the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences at VUW. VUW has an excellent national and international reputation and is an excellent place to send York Chemists to perform a research project year 4. VUW is currently ranked No. 1 in New Zealand for research quality in chemistry. We will send out two students to Wellington in 2014-15. Page 4 Student quote: “Whilst I'm slightly nervous about being so far away from home I am really excited about traveling to New Zealand as it is a part of the world that I would have never have been able to consider visiting, let along studying in outside of the Year Abroad option” Photo: Wellington City MChem(abroad) in Chemistry The Department of Chemistry at York now offers students the opportunity to undertake an MChem degree with a year abroad in 11 countries around the world (Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain). Placements in these countries involve a substantial research project, which is the major component of the academic year, and our partners offer the opportunity to undertake world-class research in a range of cultural settings. The number of students undertaking placements abroad is growing steadily and we will send out 18 students in 2014-15. Page 5 Chem@York Hits 2000th Follower Prof. Pratibha Gai at Materials Research Society’s Symposium X Symposium X—Frontiers of Materials Research was a Materials Research Society (MRS) plenary which took place in the Moscone Convention Centre in San Francisco on 21- 25 April, featuring lunchtime lectures aimed at a broad audience to provide meeting attendees with an overview of leading-edge topics.