FC and BC Cover art-pp16 - 1.indd - Royal Society of Chemistry

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NEWS INTEREST GROUP Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector THE BIOLOGICAL AND Medicinal Chemistry Sector (BMCS) is one of the sectors in the Industry and Technology Forum. It serves RSC members that are involved in or have an interest in chemistry relevant to biological systems. The sector is primarily responsible for the organisation of scientific meetings and symposia, supporting educational activities in the UK, and advising the RSC on policies that directly affect the BMCS. Currently, there are approximately 1,200 members. The predominant areas of interest include pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, flavours and fragrances. The BMCS also acts to promote public awareness of the crucial role played by chemistry in the modern industrial environment. The sector is particularly active in the organisation of scientific meetings, and does so in collaboration with a wide variety of other groups, both inside and outside the RSC. Over the past few years, the BMCS has been especially active in promoting some of the important interfacial areas in which chemists are intimately involved. In this respect it has held internationally attended meetings with the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry, the Society for Chemical Industry, the Biochemical Society, the Society for Medicines Research, the Swedish Pharmaceutical Society and the RSC Chemical Biology Forum. Support for educational activities – such as the running of lectures and day schools, and the provision of equipment – are also an important component of BMCS activities. The BMCS also sponsors and organises the biennial Malcolm Campbell Award. ■i For further details on the BMCS and its forthcoming symposia, go to www.rsc.org/conferences. For other inquiries, contact the chairman, Dave Alker, at david_alker@sandwich.pfizer. com or the secretary, Karl Swift, at karl.swift@maybridge.com Historic backfile is made available to all universities THE JOINT INFORMATION Systems Committee (JISC) and the RSC have reached an agreement to allow all universities in the UK to access the entire digital backfile of the RSC for a peppercorn charge of £50. This historic resource covering the years 1841 to 1996 contains over 200,000 articles, all fully searchable, in some 1,200,000 pages and covers many of the RSC president, Dr Simon Campbell, said: “I am delighted that our joint initiative has come to fruition and that the majority of RSC journals are now freely available to our universities across the UK. Research depends on a thorough understanding of the prior art, which will be greatly facilitated by having such an extensive database conveniently on hand.” Information from most significant discoveries in the Prof Lehane of the University of sources like this history of chemistry. edition of The Analyst Greenwich said: “This will provide JISC has licensed the content of the archive in perpetuity on dated 31 March 1876 will be available to an outstanding impetus to new generations of chemists to absorb UK universities for a behalf of the higher education the history and culture of our peppercorn fee community. Institutions can now common heritage.” receive content for £50 – instead of £25,000 – with the option of hosting the archive locally or For further details, go to paying a service charge, which will allow access ■i www.rsc.org/archive or to the archive via the RSC’s interface. www.jisc.ac.uk/collections Industrialists criticise courses MODULAR COURSES IN the chemical sciences have been given the thumbs down by industrialists. The verdict was reached at a meeting organised by the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Sector Skills Council (SEMTA) to discuss what employers of chemists are looking for from graduates. An RSC delegation attended. The invited industrialists were asked to look at the capabilities and competencies they would like to see in chemical science graduates. Specific examples were given, but there was a general feeling that modular courses did not allow students the opportunity to gain a more holistic approach, with students finding it difficult to link modules. A write up of the meeting’s conclusions will be widely circulated to obtain a representative view from employers, and a follow-up meeting in October will give academics the opportunity to look at the industrialists’ views and offer comment and suggestions as to how the process may be taken forward. ■i For more information, contact Libby Steele, RSC Education Department, tel +44 (0)20 7440 3353, email education@rsc.org Dalton Division award winners announced CONGRATULATIONS GO TO the following Dalton Division 2004 award winners: Sir Edward Frankland Fellowship Dr Michael J Hannon (University of Warwick) Awarded biennially for the encouragement of research in organometallic chemistry or the coordination chemistry of transition metals. Laurie Vergnano Award Ms Katie Sharp (University of Leicester) Awarded to inorganic research chemists under 27 years of age who have shown independent creativity in experimental inorganic chemistry. Sir Edward Frankland Prize Lectureship Prof Richard Schrock (MITS, USA) For his outstanding and original contributions to synthetic chemistry, especially the synthesis of novel organometallic complexes that manifest special reactivities and are effective catalysts. 4 R S C N E W S | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4 W W W . R S C . O R G
ACOL celebrates 20 years offering flexible learning ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY BY Open Learning (ACOL) is 20-years old this year. The course was first planned by the then Committee of Heads of Polytechnic Chemistry Departments to counter a decline in day-release provision. Such has been the success of the programme that it is now a regular part of the RSC’s continuing professional development activities. Dr Norma Chadwick, the programme organiser, said: “Professional development was not a commonly used term in 1984, but undoubtedly the ACOL programme has provided much support for developing professionals during the past 20 years.” Many of today’s ACOL students have been encouraged by their managers, who themselves were earlier students on the programme. Many past participants have gone on to further study, upgraded their RSC membership and become Chartered Chemists. The programme runs twice a year and each course starts with a package of distance learning materials for 10 weeks. A website and personal tutors give support. The courses are completed at a three-day workshop. The academic home of the programme is the University of Greenwich which awards an Edexcel Professional Development Certificate in Analytical Chemistry for successful participants. Workshops have been held at: the universities of Greenwich, Hull, Lancaster and De Montfort (Leicester); University College Cork; Bell College in Scotland; and at John Moores University in Liverpool. Today, the ACOL programme of flexible learning for people working in analytical laboratories has evolved to provide both a source of broad analytical training for science graduates in industry and also a suite of short courses for established analysts wanting to extend and update their skills. ■i For more information about the ACOL programme, go to www.gre.ac.uk/ schools/cls/acol or contact Lorraine Hart, email hartl@rsc.org, tel +44 (0)207 440 3350 Success for UK at Chemistry Olympiad STUDENTS REPRESENTING THE UK brought back two silver and two bronze medals from the 2004 International Chemistry Olympiad, which was held in the German Baltic port of Kiel from 17 to 27 July. Christopher Kerr (Winchester College) and Parth Soneji (Merchant Taylors’ School) both won silver medals. Simon Bello (St Paul’s School) and Jason Chan (Oswestry School) both won bronze medals. ■i For more information, contact Sandra Abraham, RSC Education Department, email education@rsc.org ACS visit RSC A HIGH-LEVEL delegation from the American Chemical Society visited the RSC in July. Madeleine Jacobs, ceo, Chuck Casey, president, and Jim Burke, chair of ACS board, took the opportunity to give a presentation to a large audience of RSC staff. Mrs Jacobs said: “There is much we can learn from you. Thanks to all who made our visit so enjoyable and productive.” RA proves perfect setting for party ON AN EVENING in the middle of July more than 550 RSC members and guests gathered at the Royal Academy of Arts for this year’s RSC Summer Party. The event drew a long list of dignitaries from industry, academia, government, professional and scientific bodies, and the media. Those attending had the opportunity to enjoy a private view of the RA Summer on the carbon molecule C60 were included. It was also an occasion at which to renew old friendships and make new ones. Dr Patricia Ennis, secretary of the RSC Republic of Ireland Section and lecturer in chemistry at the Dublin Institute of Technology, said: “It was a great opportunity to meet up with fellow RSC members in a fabulous setting.” Robin McKie, the Observer’s Exhibition, which this year took drawing as its theme and included a selection of drawings RSC Summer Party-goers enjoyed the conversation and the art science editor, added: “What I enjoyed most was the chance to meet old friends in one of by people outside the fine arts. It was appropriate that some molecular modelling illustrations made by Prof Sir Harry Kroto during his work the year’s most exciting venues in London and to relax with good food and wine in atmosphere of artistic conviviality. It was a real joy.” Peter Gregory, managing director of publishing at the RSC (left), presented the ACS’s Chuck Casey, Madeleine Jacobs and Jim Burke with a commemorative plaque during their visit Web gateway A NEW WEB gateway features physical chemistry highlights plus links to the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Faraday Discussion meetings and Faraday Division web pages. ■i To view the gateway, go to www.rsc.org/science/physical.htm W W W . R S C . O R G R S C N E W S | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4 5
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FC and BC Cover art-pp16 - 1.indd - Royal Society of Chemistry

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