Welcome… to our latest Chemistry Newsletter.

I hope you find these articles interesting and I look forward to welcoming you to the School of Chemistry in the near future. If you have any questions about Chemistry at Birmingham or our course, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes,Dr Melanie BrittonSenior Admissions TutorTel: 0121 414 4361ug-chemistry-admissions@lists.bham.ac.ukwww.chem.bham.ac.uk

Four months into my Year in Industry placement and I cannot believe how fast time is going. I am an assistant formulator at Reckitt Benckiser, a global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, more commonly known by its powerbrands such as Nurofen, Strepsils, Vanish and Finish amongst many more.

Since my arrival I have been working on the development and stability of Gaviscon formulations. I have been at the forefront of manufacture, which has equipped me with invaluable knowledge and experience of the pharmaceutical industry. I regularly have to demonstrate Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) which should improve my job prospects when I finish my degree.

The placement offers far more than just experience. I have gained an insight into the working world, and more specifically, the pharmaceutical industry, which has made me more aware of what I want in

the future. I have learned how to initiate and maintain good working relations, internally and externally, and how to manage my time effectively between university and placement work. In addition I have become more business-focused, working alongside fellow colleagues towards common goals. I am challenged on a daily basis, which encourages me to organise and prioritise my work effectively.

The past few months have been a steep learning curve for me, but it has been an experience I have thoroughly enjoyed. The experience as a whole has made me far more independent. I feel more of a desire to achieve and get the career that I want. I would highly recommend the Year in Industry placement to anyone considering it and I would strongly suggest that you do consider it.

In this issuen Harriet Carrn ChemSocn Science and Art Competition winnern CASE – 2010n Laura Totterdelln Scholarships and Prizes – 2010

Harriet Carr3rd year undergraduate Chemistry with Industrial Experience MSci

Congratulations to Tom Baker, winner of the 2010–2011 Science and Art Competition.

ChemSocIn 2010 ChemSoc organised two quiz nights, a Halloween party, a debate, guest talks, the Chemistry Ball and two fund-raising events for charity. This year we aim to do even more!!!

So far in 2011 we have raised £675 for Macmillan Cancer by organising a cake sale. We also held a quiz night, a demonstration lecture on fireworks and explosives, a debate evening, a guest lecture from Dr John Emsley (a popular science writer, broadcaster and author) and various other events. Still to come

is a quiz night, the annual Chemistry Ball which will be held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a visit to Diamond (the UK’s national synchrotron) and the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) headquarters.

Chemistry NewsSpring 2011

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Chemistry News Spring 2011

Scholarships and Prizes – 2010 Congratulations to our…

n Excellence Scholarship winners Rachel London and Lois Milnern Haworth Scholarship winners Karolis Daulius, Alexander Fawcett,

Dean Fletcher, Alexander Nunney, Madalina Mihai, Maria Stroe, Matthew Gough, Matthew Gray, Freya Bell, Jack Clements, Katherine Fernyhough, Anna Toner, Elspeth McGregor, Lydia Simpson, Alistair Stibbs, James Penfare, Rakesh Saroay, Stephen Carpenter, Thomas Baker, Rebecca Brough, Emma Lilley, Charlie Marsh and Dillon Molloy

n Prize winners Di Shen, Majid Ali, Alex Deeming, Daniel Crisan, James Carr-Smith, Lina Lindfors and William Brittain

Throughout my time at secondary school I always enjoyed both science and languages and although I decided that Chemistry was what I really wanted to do, I applied for the study abroad programme at Birmingham so that I could have the best of both worlds. My degree is Chemistry with Study Abroad, reflecting where my main interests lie, but I was able to take French classes during my first and second years and spend my third year studying in a Chemistry School in Montpellier, France.

I spent the first term of my year abroad in lectures with other French students. I found it quite challenging to understand the courses, not just because of language difficulties but also because I had to adapt to a different style of learning and different

expectations. However, this only made it more rewarding when I eventually came out with a good mark. The second term was spent carrying out a research project in the lab. I was trying to synthesise aminobisphosphonates using a titanocene-mediated radical reaction. I gained invaluable experience in practical chemistry and enjoyed the social aspect of working and interacting with others in the lab.

My French improved dramatically and I think the time spent in the lab really prepared me well for my final-year project, which I am doing now. However, perhaps the most valuable aspect of the year was simply the experience of living in another country. Since going to France I am more confident and more independent. I made lots of friends from lots of different countries and so I got to find out about so many other cultures, as well as French. I also had the chance to take part in social events at the school such as the integration weekend and the ball. So even if it was a difficult experience at times, I would definitely recommend it. I would also say that revision is a lot less painful if you’re on the beach and it’s 30 ºC!

In December 2010 John Fossey and Jon Preece from the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham visited East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two Institutes. This was developed with chemistry at its heart and will support joint research activities such as the Catalysis and Sensing for our Environment (CASE) collaboration and sets up a framework for multidisciplinary research-led collaborations between the two universities.

Catalysis and Sensing for our Environment (CASE) is a research initiative and conference series linking the Universities of Birmingham and Bath with East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai. The third CASE conference will be held in Birmingham (11 July 2011).

The MoU agreement between the University of Birmingham and the ECUST will allow us to build long-lasting and meaningful research programmes across international borders, which we hope will allow us to address fundamental scientific challenges and apply our discoveries to new technologies. Birmingham is ideally equipped to cooperate with universities in China: not only do we have our own offices in China, a new competitive scholarship ‘The Birmingham Li Siguang (李四光) PhD Scholarship’ has also just been launched to support Chinese nationals wishing to study for a PhD at Birmingham.

Catalysis and Sensing for our Environment (CASE) collaboration

Laura Totterdell4th year undergraduate Chemistry with Study Abroad MSci