Group News

A number of events are being set up by SCI's Regional and Technical Groups for Early Career Scientists. Keep an eye on our events calendar and make the most of support being offered to PhD students, postdocs, and those starting out in industry or academia.

We look forward to putting our 2012-14 strategy into place, with the support of our members and partners. For more information on the SCI's priority objectives, see the About Us page below.

Getting too many e-mails from us? You may belong to too many technical groups. We'd recommend you limit your choice to just a couple, and one regional group.

As voted by Members at the 2011 Annual General Meeting, annual membership fees are now £90 for Standard Membership and £25 for Student Membership.

At the Board's annual planning day on 21 September 2011, we reviewed our strategic direction and rolling three-year plan, and realigned our priorities for the future.

SCI's Board of Trustees has decided that SCI should undertake a thorough review of its awards programme. During 2012, we are therefore cutting back the distribution of awards to a minimum until the review is completed.

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.

On 17 November at SCI HQ, Professor Subhash Anand, from the University of Bolton, presented a Public Evening Lecture on Nonwoven Fabrics in Healthcare and Medical Devices, where he reminded us that 'life often hangs by a thread'.

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.

The International Symposium on Applications of Ferroelectrics (ISAF) is regarded the highlight of the ferroelectrics calendar, and was this year combined with the International Symposium on Piezoresponse Force Microscopy on Nanoscale Phenomena in Polar Materials (PFM).

Read the Members' Code of Ethics, which is available online below.

EUREKA runs the Eurostars SME Programme to co-fund R&D and innovation projects in research-intensive SMEs, which have an ambition to develop ground-breaking new products, processes and services for the world market.

There have been a number of changes to tenancies at our London Belgrave Square headquarters recently.

Can you think of a fellow member worth their weight in gold? Nominate them to receive the Lampitt Medal or a Distinguished Service Award

Julian Perfect has kindly volunteered to take up the role of Hon Librarian. SCI will continue to seek additional volunteers to support Julian and to help us to ensure continuity.

On 17 November 2011, Prof Subhash Anand delivered an SCI Public Evening Lecture on 'Non-woven fabrics in healthcare and medical devices'

Andrew Ladds (CEO of SCI, 2005 - 2010) has resigned as an SCI trustee, effective 1 September 2011, citing the growing demands of his chemical-using business activities

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.

James's school allowed him to indulge his fascination with all things scientific with inspiring science teachers and an astronomy club

The SCI Electrochemical Technology Group presented the Castner Medal on 4 August 2011 to Professor Emeritus Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, from the School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia.

We have definitive legal advice on the subject of sending 'unsolicited direct marketing emails' and a few suggestions on how to guard against breach of the legislation are also set out below.

Distinguished Service Awards are presented annually at the Society's AGM. The awards celebrate the hard work and goodwill of longer-serving Members of all component parts of the Society

Is there a scientific basis for concern over human-induced climate change? This was the subject of the first Public Evening Lecture of 2011, entitled 'The challenge of climate change', given by Sir Brian Hoskins. A soundtrack of the lecture is now available

Dr Geoff Fowler reports