Author Archives: Alison Willows

Graduation 2019

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Last week we celebrated with this year’s graduates at their ceremony at the Brighton Centre. It is always a wonderful day seeing our students graduate and take all that hard work and determination forward in their lives. We wish you the very best for the future and hope you all keep in touch and come back to visit us. Join our LinkedIn alumni group and subscribe to this blog to keep up-to-date.

This year we also have some staff leaving. Course leader for Pharmaceutical & Chemical Sciences and organic chemistry lead Dr Gerry Gallacher has retired this summer. We are fortunate he will return in an honorary position for research and to help more students with projects at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Course leader and organic chemist Dr Gerry Gallacher receiving his retiriment gifts

Course leader and organic chemist Dr Gerry Gallacher receiving his retirement gifts

Our Head of School Professor David Timson is also retiring soon and was honoured at the ceremony by students and staff in the school and wider community for his service and commitment to the school with a standing ovation.

Before the ceremony we had a celebration event for the school where we award prizes to the graduates and have a little fizz and nibbles inviting their families and friends along to share their achievements. This year’s Chemistry winners were:

RSC Downland Prize for the best chemistry project – Luke Hawkins

Chemistry Division prizes for highest achiever on the course:

  • MChem – Brad Clarke
  • BSc(hons) Chemistry – Pippa Veal
  • BSc(hons) Pharmaceutical & Chemical Sciences – Jake Rigby

Alumni Prize (Chemistry) for Services to the School – Hayder Morsel

Chemistry prizewinners with certificates

Pictured from left to right: Pippa Veal, Luke Hawkins, Brad Clarke, Jake Rigby

Salters’ Institute Festival of Chemistry

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Today chemistry@brighton welcomes 21 schools from Sussex, Kent, Surrey and London for the Salters’ Institute Festival of Chemistry. Teams of year 7 and 8 children undertake two practical challenges one set by Salters and one by the university with the opportunity to compete for prizes along the way. chemistry@brighton staff are involved in judging, technical assistance, chemistry quiz and the teacher programme for the day. This is an annual event which we host each year enabling students to gain practical experience in our laboratories whilst having fun competing against other schools in the South East.

PASS needs you!

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advert for pass leader recruitment. Register your interest by end of MayWe’re recruiting for next year’s PASS leaders. It’s a great confidence booster and good way to meet the new first years, looks great on your CV and makes sure you remember all of that stuff you did in the first year. Email Dr Willows by end of May to register your interest.

Project month

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May is project month for chemistry@brighton students in their 3rd and 4th years. Third year students hand their projects in just after Easter for binding and marking before their vivas next week. The MChem fourth years have submitted their scientific articles and are busy printing posters ready for their assessment day of vivas and poster session. Both third and fourth year projects here are full research tasks, and we often publish scientific papers with undergraduates as co-authors. It really sets them up for further research and improves their project management skills. These were some third years submitting a day early, great organisation skills guys! They don’t look too bleary eyed!Third year project students submitting work Third year project students submitting work

Graduate opportunities advertised

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We’ve received information on some graduate opportunities coming up so have put them on our jobs page. Ensure you subscribe to the blog and check back regularly to see updates on vacancies we’ve been passed.

If you have a job or studentship you’d like to advertise then please contact us at chemistry@brighton.ac.uk

Day conference for A level students

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STEP UP Logo - School Transition & Experience Programme - Unlocking Potential

School Transition & Experience Programme – Unlocking Potential

As part of the STEP UP initiative we are holding a day conference for A level students on the 3rd April. Participants will:

  • get hands on experience of some of our larger analytical instruments,
  • refresh their study skills,
  • learn about applying to universities through UCAS,
  • hear from current students about what it is like to study chemistry and ask them questions,
  • experience a taster lecture on nerve agents

 

The day should be useful and fun with practical activities investigating contamination in the (fictional) Huxley vineyard’s latest batch of wine. Sussex-based schools in the University of Brighton Compact scheme should receive notification about the event. You can find out more and book here or visit our Step Up information page.

Big Visit in the labs

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Today, whilst our own students are taking their semester 1 exams, we are welcoming local schoolchildren in years 11-13 as part of the Big Visit widening participation event. These visitors will be doing some microscale chemistry in our laboratories looking at visual changes in reactions, as well as experiencing other STEM subjects on campus.

STEP UP

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This month has seen the launch of a new widening participation initiative by chemistry@brighton. STEP UP has been designed to inspire students at 16-18 level and work with their teachers to provide opportunities for those students who show promise but are perhaps not so good at the traditional exam. Working with local schools in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex our aim is to show that chemistry@brighton is a real possibility for them. We have activities lined up to supplement their current studies including a lab experience day, taster lectures, study skills and work experience. Teachers are able to highlight to us students who have potential to succeed but for whatever reason might not see that result at A level. Working with the teachers we can then offer preferential admission to select students.

STEP UP Logo - School Transition & Experience Programme - Unlocking Potential

School Transition & Experience Programme – Unlocking Potential

Staff news

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We’ve had a very busy summer here in chemistry@brighton and are looking forward to the return of students next week. Some exciting staffing news that has happened over the last few months.

portrait of Dr Lizzy OstlerProfessor Lizzy Ostler has been promoted to the university professoriate as Professor of Chemical Biology. This reflects her fantastic research into the ageing process at the intersection of chemistry and biology and major contributions to the university.

 

 

portrait of Dr Alison WillowsDr Alison Willows has been promoted to Principal Lecturer, she has been instrumental in developing the chemistry courses and this position will allow further development for chemistry@brighton

 

 

portrait of Dr Graham PattisonWe are delighted to welcome Dr Graham Pattison as lecturer in Organic Chemistry. I’m sure he’ll receive a warm welcome from all of the students when they return and already has some looking to undertake undergraduate research with him. He’s settling in well to the team and we wish him every success here with us. Stay tuned for more details.

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A level Chemistry Conference

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Today chemistry@brighton welcomes students in the middle of their A level studies from across Sussex for a day of practical work and advice about next steps. We’re really looking forward to welcoming them into our labs and showing them what the big instruments do. They’ll get hands-on experience of instruments they have been learning about and get a flavour of what it is like being a chemistry@brighton student. The day consists of a scenario where they are testing samples from the (unfortunately fictional) Huxley vineyred wineard to find out why there is a problem with the taste. Is it contamination? Did someone use the wrong preservative? Hopefully the students will use their scientific skills to figure out what is wrong so the vineyard can get back on track.