Does chemistry need to be in crisis?
Liverpool Regional Group: Hurter Memorial Lecture Liverpool University, UK
David Lathbury (pictured left), director of process research and development for AstraZeneca, delivered the Hurter Lecture to the Liverpool Regional Group of SCI. The audience included senior academics and industrialists from the northwest and committee members of the SCI Liverpool and Manchester Regional Groups.
In addition we were pleased to welcome from SCI nationally Andrew Ladds, Sandy Gray and John Beacham, who attended with their wives, as well as Diane Brown and Monica Iglesias. Our guests from ‘down south’ also, inadvertently, enjoyed a partial tour of Liverpool!
The lecture commemorates Ferdinand Hurter, a giant of the early chemical industry, who made major contributions to chemical processes and also to photography while working for the United Alkali Company, one of the forerunners of ICI. He was a founder member of the SCI Liverpool Regional Group, the society’s founding Regional Group, and in 1888 became its third chairman. Nationally, SCI recognised his contribution to the society by twice electing him a vice-president.
Over 70 people heard some intriguing personal views from Lathbury on the decline in both chemical education and some aspects of the chemical industry, which was most timely in the light of the recent closure of chemistry departments at Exeter and Swansea universities.
| ‘Lathbury felt that the UK has the capability to create a truly competitive fine chemicals industry but questioned whether or not it had the will’ |
Reversible decline
His aim in the talk was to achieve two things; firstly to convince us that the decline is reversible and secondly that to achieve this industry, academia and government all need to work together. At the moment there is no overall leadership for this. He went on to describe examples of current initiatives directed towards this end.
Lathbury took the audience through school chemistry – GCSEs and A levels and what he thought was wrong with them – and on to higher education. A basic fault that has created major problems in university teaching is that syllabuses have been designed from the bottom up, he said. Comparing this with a large programme in industry, the reverse would be true – start with where you want to get to and then work back.
The main focus of the talk was the inter-face between science education and industry. The large pharma companies, like his own,
are strongly involved in this, but many small to medium enterprises (SMEs) need to get involved. The latter could also get free
advice from the large companies, for example when purchasing new equipment; they only need to ask.
Potential
The lecture concluded on an optimistic note with Lathbury feeling that the UK has the capability to create a truly competitive fine chemicals industry but questioning whether or not it has the will.
Key issues are the long-term investment in both equipment and, more importantly, in skills and capability. Universities will be key players in this development but many of the skills required will only be found in big pharma rather than in academia.
The number of questions asked afterwards confirmed the quality and interest of the lecture. Mike Pitts, secretary, gave a vote of thanks, as well as acting as photographer for the evening. Alan Heaton, chairman, then presented Lathbury with a certificate to mark the event.
Some 45 invited guests then moved on to Staff House to enjoy a celebration dinner, before which Caroline Cordery, vice-chairman, Liverpool Regional Group, told the guests about some Group activities and highlighted the opportunity which the dinner afforded for networking. This proved to be the case and rounded off a most enjoyable and interesting evening.
We would like to thank AstraZeneca for sponsoring the event.
Alan Heaton (pictured right)
Chairman
Liverpool Regional Group
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