Group News

The role of the analytical scientist in the forthcoming Olympics was explained to the London Regional Group in a lecture on 24 Jan 2012

The Chemistry of Textiles conference papers are available.

Marking the centenary of her Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Dr Serge Plattard recently presented a lecture on 'The three lives of Marie Curie'. Here we meet them both

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.

The original devices, technology inventions and new products exhibited in the conference added to my knowledge and I discoved that some of them could be more effective than what I currently use.

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.

A chocolate tasting and other delights

Dr Oliver de Peyer is a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, and an expert in lab robotics. He also specialises in astrobiology and has worked at NASA in the past.

Dame Sue Ion has been a prominent figure in the UK nuclear industry for decades, and is internationally recognised as an expert in nuclear fuels.

Funding Agri-Innovation: New Ventures in Food Security and Biorenewables took place at SCI HQ, London on Tuesday 22 March 2011.

English Heritage unveil a blue plaque dedicated to Sir William Ramsay

Prof David Philips presented a lecture on the subject of light - from sun damage to photo-medicine as part of SCI's Public Lecture Series. The overheads can be downloaded here, and you can also listen to audio.

In June 2010 the Thames and Kennet Group hosted a visit to Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron facility

SCI regrets to announce that Dr Henry Warson died today in Solihull aged 93.

Julian Rose, a PhD student at the University of Bath, won the Eric Wharton Memorial Prize given by SCI’s London Regional Group at this year’s SET for Britain, which took place on 8 March 2010.

Owing to the success of this talk, and continued interest in Vogel and his achievements, this lecture was repeated in May 2010.

Dr Oliver de Peyer led the London Group's involvement in the SET for Britain series of poster competitions and exhibitions in the House of Commons

We are all aware of dust caused by industrial processes, but are perhaps less aware of the considerable amount of airborne dust created by nature.

Drugs are chemicals that alter brain function so why do we treat some, eg alcohol and nicotine, differently from others, eg heroin and cannabis? This was the challenge that Prof David Nutt posed to the London Group

A full day Seminar on Road Maintenance Treatments was held on 18 March 2010 by the SCI Construction Materials Group in partnership with the Institute of Asphalt Technology and the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation at SCI International HQ at 14/15 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PS, UK.

Richardson bursar Yitzchak Grant reports from Barcelona

Messel bursar Mariam Ayub reports on the 54th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting held in San Francisco, USA.

Dr Jasbir Singh Lota was nominated to receive the Distinguished Service Award by the Construction Materials Group, in gratitude for his work on behalf of the Group and his activities as liaison with the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining and the RSC.

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.

On 29 January 2008, in conjunction with University College London’s Chemical and Physical Society, SCI’s London Regional Group held an event revealing the secrets behind the production – and consumption – of ice cream, from the perspective of Unilever, the worlds largest ice cream manufacturer.

Alex Bell, Master Brewer at O’Hanlon’s brewery, shares his secrets for making the perfect pint.

Biocatalysis was held on 14 October 2010 at SCI HQ, London.

How is synthetic chemistry applied to solve real world problems? The upcoming one-day event ‘Applied Synthesis’, hosted by the SCI Young Chemists’ Panel aims to demonstrate the power of synthetic chemistry in an applied environment. The event will take place on 21 September 2009 at the Department of Chemistry in University College London.

The seminar discussed two main areas - the ‘technological development’ where first, second and third-generation biofuels will be examined and also ‘how technological issues drive business strategies’.

Mercury has captured human imagination – both as fearsome and beautiful. Dr Andrea Sella, lecturer in inorganic chemistry at University College London (UCL), gave a fascinating account of its history, and what he described as ‘its deep ties to human development’.

On Sunday 11 October 2009, sponsored by SCI’s London Regional Group, the University of Greenwich Big Band explored its swinging timeline of chemical and musical genius in ‘Mixing up chemistry, jazz and big band music’…

Peter Hambleton was born in Merthyr Tydfil and read Biochemistry at Leeds University, progressing to a PhD on microbial ribonucleic acid synthesis in 1968.