Group News

Conference papers from the SCI-RSC Medicinal Chemistry Symposium, which focussed on first disclosures and new strategies in medicinal chemistry.

I always felt the drive to understand why things are the way they are. So many things can be explained by chemistry - the way our bodies work, cooking, medicines, love, electronics... I knew I had to study chemistry and I never regretted my decision!

When your Board of Trustees last met on 16 November 2011, the key priority was to agree the rolling business plan for 2012-14 and the budget to implement this.

Water use to grow and process biomass feedstocks for fuels has recently emerged as an important controversy. In a world where several countries already face water stress – and where over 70% of global freshwater use takes place in the agricultural sector – bioenergy development might present considerable challenges, from the perspective of water quantity as well as water quality.

Combining international expertise of value to both industry and academia, SCI’s 27th Process Development Symposium is set to be a sell-out event with something for everyone

James was drawn to the rich diversity of transformations present in organic and organometallic chemistry

Fionn's research involves the use of transition metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization techniques in organic synthesis - specifically the application of iterative metal-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization reactions in the total synthesis of the telomerase inhibitor, dictyodendrin B.

MAC member Dr Williams explains how she got interested in science, and why she'd ban the word boffin

Dr Tapolczay has an international reputation in pharmaceutical chemical development, as well as an outstanding academic track record with a considerable number of patents and publications.

In December 2009, Jacob Fuller of Cambridge Wine Merchants conducted a whisky tasting for the Cambridge and Great Eastern Group.

On 28 April 2010, an event organised jointly by the Cambridge and Great Eastern Group and the University of Cambridge's ChemSoc gathered an audience of over 50 people to listen to the presentations of SCI's final-year scholars, Fionn O'Hara, Simon Beaumont, and Claire Stanley.

Erika is looking into the interactions taking place at the organic-mineral interface in bone using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

COMSOL Multiphysics is a powerful simulation tool based on the finite-element method, which can be applied to a variety of problems.

Stephanie Burns, CEO and Chairman of Dow Corning and new Honorary President of SCI, talks about her experience leading a corporation where innovation is paramount. She also discusses SCI's role in driving knowledge transference in the chemical industry, CSR initiatives and innovative ideas for the future of SCI involving community engagement and mentoring of young scientists.

SCI is always happy to welcome new volunteers and members to the Society.

On Thursday 11 and Friday 12 September 2008, SCI ran two ‘workshop and best practice sharing’ events, open to all Treasurers, Secretaries and Chairs of Regional Interest (RIG) and Technical Interest Groups (TIG).

The main aim of SCI is to bring members together and an online forum can help us do this through the web.

On Monday, 28 September 2009, SCI will be hosting a one-day ‘Volunteer Workshop and Best Practice’ day for the Honorary Chairmen, Secretaries and Treasurers of all its UK-based Interest Groups.

While the US is the fattest nation on earth, the UK is just ten years behind the US, and the increase in obesity is rising at almost exactly the same rate as in the US.

In the mid-1990s, the UK's Office of Science and Technology published a series of recommendations about the future of British science and technology. Expert panels from fifteen business sectors produced recommendations and identified futuristic scenarios for life in 2015.

In today’s commodities markets, sugar has started to peak as renewed enthusiasm in stock and commodities takes hold.

Some 30 members made their annual pilgrimage to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden on Thursday 10 June, 2010

Simon is doing a PhD at Cambridge on the heterogeneous catalysed enantioselective hydrogenation of alkenes under the supervision of Prof Richard Lambert

‘A Scientific wine tasting’ with Luke Webster took place on 26 April 2007 following the annual general meeting of SCI’s Cambridge & Great Eastern Regional Group.

Dr John Emsley led the Cambridge Regional Group on a jolly romp through the grisly world of poisons on 9 October 2008. He described five natural and five man-made poisons, then anecdotes about how they have been used - successfully and otherwise

On 6 November 2008, SCI's Cambridge and Great Eastern Regional Group held a spectacular lecture titled 'Fireworks and waterworks'.

Speaker Dr Len Fisher from the University of Bristol (pictured, with apple) is one of very few scientists to have won an ‘Ig Nobel prize’ for work that could or should never be repeated. Dr Fisher won his prize for work done on the science behind dunking a biscuit. He is also credited with inventing flammable jelly and with deducing the optimum width of cheese in a sandwich.

Levels of oesophageal cancer in the UK are amongst the highest in Europe, with over six thousand people a year dying from the disease.

The Cambridge & Great Eastern Regional Group hosted a joyful event on Thursday 10 September 2009 when Richard Naisby (founder and manager of Milton Brewery, Cambridge) gave a fascinating, informal talk about the science and history of beer.

At a Cambridge and Great Eastern regional meeting Professor Elizabeth Morris OBE, gave a fascinating and topical talk: ‘Arctic Science in the International Polar Year 2007/8’.

Moira was awarded the Edgell Sheppe project prize for her work on non-invasive cancer therapy using focused ultrasound