ChemSoc Update – March 2015

Greetings to all of our Alumni,

This year has certainly been a busy one for ChemSoc! As well as a number of social events, the society has raised over £400 for charities including Age UK and the Newman Holiday Trust, which provides activity holidays for children with special needs. During the festive period we organised a food bank collection for a local homeless charity and we received over 350 donations from across the School.

Our careers team has been hard at work all year, with interactive and informative sessions for the students. A networking workshop was held with the assistance of College Careers Advisor Peggy Vazoura focused on creating a professional looking LinkedIn profile. The most successful event by far was a “Careers in Teaching” session. Prospective Chemistry teachers were able to gain an insight into the different application routes for careers, support available throughout the application process and the realistic experience of alumni currently teaching at schools.

Many of the students who attended felt better prepared in terms of how to follow their prospective career path, and found that the positive experiences of the alumni present very much motivated them to progress. Upcoming events include an “Insight into Industry” session, where students will be given the opportunity to visit the Mondelez and MacDermid chemical companies. The session will allow them to see practical applications of the chemistry theory learned, as well as being a good introduction to the chemical industry. Thank you to those of you who have volunteered to attend these sessions. If you would like to get involved in our future activities and events please email eps-community@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

The Society has been most impressed with the range of Distinguished Lectures that the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences have organised across all fields of science. Professor Jim Al-Khalili’s interesting talk at the end of the first semester on the Nine Greatest Enigmas in Science was a particular highlight.

We are currently in the process of writing a detailed and complete constitution that will cover the running of the Society. This is due to come into force starting from next year and will make ChemSoc more professional, democratic and most importantly better connected with the students and staff who support us each year.  

This is ChemSoc’s busiest and most exciting time of the year with the annual Spring Ball almost upon us. This year’s event will include an award ceremony which recognises the hard-working and enthusiastic members of the School. Tickets have sold out for this black tie event and several hundred people will be in for a great end to the year!

Finally, a long-standing member of staff (and ChemSoc’s honorary president) will be retiring at the end of this year. On behalf of the entire School of Chemistry we would like to wish Professor Richard Tuckett the very best for the future.

Best wishes,

Conaill Perry and Simon Johnson

ChemSoc Committee Chair and Vice-Chair