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.

Your chance to really get involved at SCI

From my perspective as a PhD student, one of the main advantages of this kind of symposium is the exposure to some of the cutting edge technologies that are being developed in the overlapping fields of medicinal and synthetic chemistry

The 2011 winner of the Beilby Medal and Prize is Dr Samuel Kingman, who is Professor of Process Engineering and head of department at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Nottingham.

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.

SCI and Chemical Industries Association (CIA) members recently joined forces to share views on how to attract and retain talented, enthusiastic young people who will ensure a sustainable future for our sector.

Please tell us what you think of SCI's services

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

The Chemistry of Textiles conference papers are available.

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 and the Society of Dyers and Colourists recently organised a joint event to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry. The conference on the Chemistry of Textiles was held at SCI headquarters and chaired by former UK MP Dr Brian Iddon.

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.

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.

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.

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'

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.

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.

Leverhulme bursar Dale Brownson reports on the 11th International Conference on Frontiers of Polymers and Advanced Materials (Incorporating Biomaterials Africa) which took place in Pretoria, South Africa on 22 - 27 May 2011.

Dr Claire Adjiman presented the 2011 Henry Armstrong Memorial Lecture on 21 June.

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

6-12 June 2011 sees the return of the Food Group's popular 'Ask A Food Scientist': your chance to ask an expert any food-related question!

Three top UK scientists were recognised at SCI's International Honours Presentation on 12 November 2009.

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 Robert Thomas is a fellow of University College, Oxford. He works in the field of soft condensed matter and is a pioneer in the development of neutron scattering and reflectivity techniques. This year, the Colloids Group has elected him the recipient of the Rideal Lecture for pioneering work in his field.

The College of Scholars was established to help current SCI scholars make the most of the opportunities the SCI scholarships provide

On 16 September 2010, SCI hosted a free Public Evening Lecture featuring Fred Pearce, who is currently the environment consultant of New Scientist magazine and a regular contributor to British newspapers.

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.

A profile of the newest members of SCI's governance: Dr Brian Iddon, Professor K Clive Thompson and Dr Roger Gilmour

GM Food was the subject of the third in the SCI's series of public lectures and took place on 2 December 2010.

Dr Geoff Fowler reports

SCI Executive Director Joanne Lyall recently returned from Philadelphia, where she represented SCI at a series of events on 22-23 September 2010 organised by the Chemical Heritage Foundation and SCI America under the umbrella of the Innovation Day. Here she reports on her visit.

In the six months since Joanne Lyall was appointed Executive Director of SCI, she has launched a new business plan for 2011-13.

Joanne Lyall joined SCI as Executive Director on 21 June 2010

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

On 9 November 2010, the Membership Advisory Committee held its annual Members' Forum, chaired by Dr Geoff Fowler

SCI members are not impressed with the BBC's coverage of science and think it is neither impartial nor accurate, according to a survey carried out in September 2010.

In this period of substantial public sector cuts the Chancellor has recognised the fundamental role science will play in economic recovery.

Sophie Beckett is an inorganic research chemist, specialising in X-ray diffraction and the analysis of bone, biological minerals and related materials. Her work has applications in forensic, archaeological and medical science.

Britain no longer meets its own needs in terms of metal extraction and its ability to recycle the metals it has used has declined considerably in recent years.

Liam's fascination for the sciences was inspired by an enthusiastic secondary school teacher and has developed into a passion for chemistry.

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

Philip Craven is studying a PhD towards the total synthesis of biologically active natural products under the supervision of Prof Richard Taylor.

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

Leverhulme Travel Bursar Sara Gilks reports from The Gordon Conference, Waterville Valley Resort, New Hampshire, USA.

Biological aerosol work wins Beilby Medal

Educationalist Sir David Harrison, SCI member and former chairman of the Awards Committee, talks about his perception of science in education, the media and today’s quality of teaching

REACH is an EU-led initiative to test all chemical substances imported or manufactured in quantities of over one ton in the EU by 2018.

Diane Wood started out as an SCI Member and now works for the Society providing support and customer care.

The global financial crisis has reduced access to credit, combined with a sharp decline in demand for durable goods – both of which have impacted the chemical industry.

SCI, the society established nearly 140 years ago to link science with business in the application of scientific innovation, has recognised three top UK scientists in the International Honours announced on 12 November 2009.

In July 2009, SCI entered into a broader strategic alliance with the American Chemical Society (ACS) to advance chemistry-based knowledge and address global issues of mutual interest and benefit to our members.

SCI provided very valuable resources for my career, Dr Melling tells Members News

More than 50 SCI members attended the Members’ Forum held on Wednesday 25 November 2009

SCI and its publishing partner John Wiley and Sons are launching a new range of books.

SCI’s website now features a poll on the homepage, where users can vote to express their opinions on a variety of issues.

It could be said that this waving, drowning or emerging figure represents the global chemical industry as delegates heard at the SCI Summit, since some companies are suffering badly while others are making the best they can, and others even seeing some improvement.

The Young Chemist in Industry symposium is an annual, one-day meeting, which represents a unique opportunity for younger chemists to showcase their industrial research to an external audience.

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.

Have you ever read a news story based on science that concerns you?

Sue talks about her experiences with teaching science to boys and girls, and particularly about her efforts to encourage girls into the field.

An alliance between SCI, the Society of Dyers and Colourists and the Oil and Colour Chemists’ Association will deliver reciprocal benefits to members of all three organisations

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.

The third SCI Members' Forum 2009 took place on 25 November at SCI HQ, London.

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.

Good packaging means safe and effective product delivery, as well as enhancing consumer appeal.

SCI's BioResources Group is creating an Early Careers Network for, and run by, younger members studying or researching in universities and industry.

Separation technology is fundamental to all chemical production processes. The separation techniques used are common to a range of industries and are continuously developing.

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

The second International Advanced Materials Summit took place in Tianjin, China.

Sensors have a fundamental role to play in many aspects of modern life. This encompasses applications as diverse as household safety, fire detection, healthcare monitoring, process management, security and quality control.

Advances in electronics, in energy -efficient transport technology and in energy generation from renewable sources require parallel advances in polymer chemistry.

Russell's book is the Chemical Vapour Deposition of Main Group Metal Oxides and Phosphides: Aspects of Synthesis and Functional Property.

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’.

This seminar analysed carbon footprints, ways of measuring that footprint, the footprint incurred by asphalt components and construction, examples of means to reduce the footprint, how the industry can improve its performance and how it can enhance its reputation where it currently performs well.

The UK's carbon footprint is over 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. How much of that footprint is made by the travel industry? And how much by industries that build transport infrastructure?

Risk management is becoming increasingly important in managing construction projects. Innovation and invention are very prevalent in the construction sector, particularly relating to new products.

The Chinese UK Group forms a platform through which Chinese students, scholars and researchers across the UK can exchange their research, professional and social life experiences. Our Group also bridges the link between SCI and Chinese scientists, especially those based in mainland China

SCI’s Canada Group organised its 2009 annual awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday, 26 March 2009, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

As bioplastics move out of the lab and into the mainstream of the plastics industry, potential users in the plastics industry want to know more about how to process these new polymers, and the properties that they can expect from them.

Sen Lin's Biomaterials PhD project is about Protein adsorption onto tissue engineering scaffolds made of nano-porous bioactive glass.