19 Aug 2015
For over thirty years, SCI has supported and recognised the excellence of early career people, by aiding their studies in the form of an SCI Scholarship.
Since 1985, over 65 scholarships have been awarded which have not only given the recipients financial assistance, but have enabled them to broaden their network as well as strengthen their skills and knowledge. SCI Scholars receive access to publishing and mentoring opportunities and are given a platform to present their work amongst esteemed scientists and industrialists, thus raising their profile within the scientific community. In the past eight years alone, SCI has generously bequeathed nearly £115,000 of its charitable funds to SCI Scholars and the scientists of the future.
Paul Brack was awarded an SCI Scholarship in 2014. At the end of their first year, SCI Scholars present an end of year report to SCI. Read on to find out more about what Paul has done in his first year as an SCI Scholar.
‘Receiving an SCI Scholarship in 2014 was the beginning of a very good year for me. I had two papers published1, one of which was in an SCI journal, Energy Science & Engineering, another accepted, and several more are currently either under review or submitted to various journals. I have also won (RSC Chemistry World and IOP Environmental Physics Group) or been a runner-up (UKICRS and Biochemical Society) in four science communication competitions, and been awarded the prize for Most Impactful Researcher by Loughborough University Graduate School.
‘Thanks to the SCI Scholarship, I have been able to travel to showcase my research at several conferences in the UK, most notably the annual SET for Britain event at the Houses of Parliament, at which I was able to win a place to present my work to MPs and other guests. I have also been able to attend some training courses and workshops on the subject of science communication, science journalism, and patent law, which has allowed me to further explore some of the careers in science which interest me apart from research, and my suitability for such careers. In addition, I was finally able to replace my ailing second hand computer (which had been struggling on for the last 5 years!) with a new one.
‘I was able to present at an SCI Early Career Researcher Meeting at the University of Chester in November, and also attend the SCI AGM and College of Scholars’ Lunch, all of which were excellent networking opportunities. I hope to become more involved with the activities of the new SCI Energy Group over the next 12 months.
‘My plan for the coming year is to use the SCI Scholarship to fund the presentation of my work at international conferences, and to complete some online courses on patent law run by WIPO to further my knowledge in that area.’
Paul Brack, SCI Scholar 2014-2016
1Brack et al., Chem. Vap. Deposition, 2015, 21, 41-45; Brack et al., Energy Science & Engineering, 2015, 3, 174-188
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