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ChemistryNEWSLETTERIssue 23 | Winter 2017/18

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We want our students to be inspired.In this newsletter you can read about some of the most inpsirational figures associated with chemistry at the University of Sheffield – from a Nobel Prize winning scientist, to the first British astronaut.

But the people who inspire us most are our students. On the centre spread, you can read about some of the amazing things they’ve achieved, the genius ideas they’ve come up with, and how our scholarship scheme can help you pursue your own inspiration in the lab.

You can continue to follow our inpsirational students, graduates and staff on social media, using the #InspireGenius hashtag. Our account details are on the back. Feel free to get in touch if there’s anything else we can help you with.

Professor Peter Styring Head of Department

Peter officially opens the new Kroto Schools laboratory – go to p7.

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Astronaut graduate returns to SheffieldDr Helen Sharman is one of our most famous graduates. She graduated from the University Sheffield with a BSc in Chemistry in 1984, and six years later became the first British astronaut and the first woman to visit the Mir space station.

Earlier this year she returned to the University of Sheffield to receive an honorary degree, and to officially open our newest multi-million pound library and teaching facility, The Diamond.

She also took time out to meet current chemistry students, and was interviewed by Zoe Smallwood for our student-run magazine, Resonance.

Zoe said: “She was very friendly and a pleasure to talk to, and seemed really interested in Resonance and our experiences as students... Her speech at graduation was lovely, and her message to make the most of the opportunities that come your way was very inspirational.” ●

Fact file

● When Helen studied in Sheffield, her personal tutor was Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

● After her PhD, Helen worked for Mars Confectionary as one of the chemists that developed Mars ice cream

● Helen first heard about the opportunity to travel to the Mir space station on the radio, and was chosen from more than 13,000 applicants

www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/sharman

Dr Helen Sharman meets Joe Clarke, Beth Crowston and Zoe Smallwood from the Resonance student news team during her visit.

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#InspireGenius: Student spotlightEarlier this year, we launched our #InspireGenius campaign to showcase the amazing things that chemistry inspires our staff and students to achieve. Here are a few examples of how students have put their scientific skills to use in ingenious ways.

In the fourth year of their MChem Chemistry degrees, Jack Weston and Chloe Baker worked with Dr Marco Conte on a research project that led to international research partnerships and a publication in a prestigious journal.

This major collaboration was sparked by some unusual results that came out of initial research by Jack (pictured) into the the catalytic activity of a rhodium polymer incarcerated catalyst.

Jack ended up conducting further investigations into his unexpected findings, working alongside Chloe, Marco, and researchers based in Newcastle, Bradford and Tokyo. A paper on the topic has now been published in Catalysis Science and Technology. ●

MChem Chemistry student Sophie Greaves (pictured) produced some of the must impressive undergraduate research in the world, according to a leading academic awards scheme.

Sophie submitted her fourth year thesis, Kinetic Resolutions by Lithiation of N-Boc-2-aryldihydroquinolines, to be judged as part of the Undergraduate Awards programme. Her project was Highly Commended by the judges, placing it in the top 10 per cent of the Chemical and Pharmaceutical category.

Projects are assessed by world experts in a range of fields. This year, Sophie’s project was one of 6,432 pieces of research submitted by students from 299 institutions across 47 countries. ●

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Scholarship scheme to inspire youWe want our students to get lots of opportunities to practice their scientific skills and put their ideas into action through research. That’s why we launched our In Undergraduate Research Scholarships scheme.

Through this scheme, some of our undergraduate students can get even more lab experience with a paid summer research placement.

Students who start their degree in 2018 and meet the criteria will automatically be offered a placement to complete during the summer immediately before the final year of their course.

You get:

• A paid six-week summer placement in one of our laboratories

• An extra chance to put your research skills into practice, working with our academic staff

• Even more work experience to include on your CV

To qualify, you need:

• AAA or above at A level, or equivalent

• To maintain an average grade of 60% or higher during your degree

Learn more about funding your degree at www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/ prospective_undergraduates. ●

For their fourth year project as part of their MPhys Chemical Physics degrees, James Baxter and John Cully worked with Dr Tim Craggs to build a next-generation microscope for observing the structure of DNA in greater detail.

John (pictured above meeting Nobel Prize winner Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart) designed optical components and built custom software from scratch, while James used CAD software to work out how to get all of the components to fit together in a safe, efficient and functional way.

The microscope (pictured below) has now been installed in the University of Sheffield’s BICEN facility, where researchers are using state-of-the-art technology to develop ground-breaking approaches to studying biological systems. ●

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Prestigious awards for Julie’s inspiring workDr Julie Hyde is one of the most well-known faces in our department. As a University Teacher, she helps to run our undergraduate laboratories where our students develop the practical skills they need for a career in chemistry.

In recogition of all of her work to promote chemistry locally, nationally and internationally, Julie has been given an award for Outstanding Service by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The prize came just as she recieved a Senate Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching – one of the most prestigious awards given to staff at the University of Sheffield.

As well as teaching chemistry students here in Sheffield, Julie has been instrumental in developing our partnership with Nanjing Tech University in China. She makes regular

trips to Nanjing to help teach Chinese students, often taking Sheffield students with her for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

She said: “I am really pleased that I have been recognised for supporting the Royal Society of Chemistry for many years. One of my first activities was arranging for the SCI Industry bus on Fargate in Sheffield to promote chemistry to the public and schools back in the early 1990’s. I would like to thank the RSC for the opportunity to take part in many activities over the years and I am delighted to receive this award.” ●

Dr Julie Hyde teaching students in Nanjing and, below, takes part in one of our regular events for local schoolchildren.

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Lab dedicated in Sir Harry Kroto’s memoryFor years, we’ve been running regular chemistry workshops for schoolchildren in our dedicated schools laboratory. Now, thanks to donations from University of Sheffield alumni, we’ll be doing it while keeping the legacy of one of our greatest graduates alive.

The schools lab has been refurbished and reopened as the Kroto Schools Laboratory in memory of Sir Harry Kroto, one of the four Nobel Prize winners who has either worked or studied in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Sheffield.

The adjacent undergraduate teaching lab has been refurbished in the process, so that our students can develop their practical chemistry skills in a revitalised space.

Dedicating the lab to Sir Harry made perfect

sense, as he made regular return visits to Sheffield to host 'Buckyball workshops' for local schoolchildren, until his death in 2016. In these sessions, he would teach pupils about the structure of carbon’s third form, buckminsterfullerene, which he discovered, earning him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

As well as inspiring the next generation of chemists, the Kroto Schools Laboratory is also a place where our own students can develop valuable careers skills by helping to run sessions for visiting schools. ●

Visitors attend the opening of the newly refurbished Kroto Schools Laboratory.

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Further information on all our courses can be found at www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry

Contact: Admissions OfficeEmail: chemistry-admissions@sheffield.ac.uk

Department of ChemistryThe University of SheffieldBrook HillSheffield S3 7HF

SheffieldChem SheffieldChem sheffield.chem

The photographs on the cover were taken at our undergraduate open day in October. You can watch a recording of our talk from the open day on our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/sheffieldchem

#InspireGenius