Kick-off triumph for Yorkshire and the Humber
SCI's Yorkshire and the Humber regional Group has been launched with an inspiring, well-attended lecture and a highly successful networking event
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| Prof Rob Smith, newly appointed Chair of the Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Group |
On 10 April 2008, at the
Leeds Marriott Hotel, the SCI
Yorkshire and the Humber Regional
Group held its inaugural committee
meeting. It welcomed a large and
diverse group of participants to join
in SCI’s aim of spreading the application
and knowledge of science to all
members across the UK. The
Yorkshire and the Humber area has
traditionally been strong in the field
of industrial chemistry. Although
this has declined, along with much
of the chemical production elsewhere
in the UK, there are still a
large number of specialists operating
in the area, which the Group has
already pinpointed as a target area
for growth.
The committee meeting was a great success, resulting
in the appointment of a new Chairman, Honorary
Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. In addition, three
sub-committees, covering awards, scholarships and
professional development, and events programme, were
filled by enthusiastic volunteers. The aims and roles of
these sub-committees were also defined at this meeting.
Special thanks must go to Mr Peter Reineck for the hard
work he put into preparing and organising the meeting.
Peter’s future role as the lead on the Yorkshire and the
Humber awards sub-committee ensures that he will
remain an integral part of this Group.
Professor Rob Smith, newly appointed Chairman of
the Group and Dean of Applied Sciences at the
University of Huddersfield, expressed delight with the
new committee and their great
energy and commitment to the
success of the Group’s future
activities.
The buzz from the committee
meeting set the Group up for
an interesting lecture from
Professor Kevin Roberts,
Brotherton Professor of Chemical
Engineering and Director of
Research in the School of
Process, Environmental and
Materials Engineering at the
University of Leeds.
| The Yorkshire and the Humber Group sees its role as being:
‘Helping people to lift their eyes from their feet to the horizon.’ |
Professor Roberts’ research
work is in crystal science and
engineering, directed to meeting
the needs of the pharmaceutical,
speciality, fine chemical and nutritional products
sectors. The lecture — ‘Science-based processing for
advanced chemicals manufacturing’ — related to the
challenges faced by the UK from the increasing competition
of developing economies, notably the Asia-Pacific
region. Prof Roberts focused on the commercial development
and manufacture of molecules, and how sciencebased
methodologies, such as molecular design and
in-process analysis, can effectively maintain the economic
strength of the UK’s speciality and fine chemical
sectors. This opening lecture of the Yorkshire and the
Humber calendar fascinated the audience of scientists,
academics, industry workers and other interested individuals,
at all levels of their careers.
The lecture was followed by a wine reception at the
hotel, where members from all over the region met
and networked, encapsulating the SCI mantra of ‘where
science meets business’. Future events within the region
are being planned and will be advertised on the
SCI website. Do watch out for them, because if they are
as good as this last event, they are not be missed!
SCI Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Group
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