Thursday, 5 December 2024

Iron Age weapons join the fight against Antimicrobial resistance

On the evening of Tuesday 15 October, RSC Belgium welcomed Professor Ricardo Louro who is head of the Inorganic Biochemistry and the NMR laboratory at ITQB-NOVA – an interdisciplinary research and advanced training institute of NOVA University in Lisbon, Portugal - to talk to us about antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is an emerging concern that is threatening to burst the antibiotic bubble that has kept us largely safe from bacterial infection for nearly eight decades since the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming.

It is estimated that AMR directly caused over 1.2 million deaths globally in 2019 and was a contributing factor in just under 5 million more. Without immediate global action, AMR could lead directly to over 8.2 million deaths each year by 2050 overtaking cancer as the primary cause of death.

A new global initiative to tackle AMR was launched in September this year at the United Nations General Assembly. The UN commitment aims to strengthen efforts to combat AMR and sets important targets, such as cutting global AMR-related deaths by 10% by 2030 and developing national action plans. Additional goals include reducing the use of antibiotics in agriculture and ensuring that low- and middle-income countries receive adequate financial support to fight AMR.

Professor Louro presented the problem, described current antibiotic targets and argued that scientific discoveries are uncovering new targets that have the potential to preserve our protection from bacterial infections into the future. In particular he focused on the emergence of  “Iron age weapons” that can help us to fight AMR by interfering with the iron metabolism of the target bacteria.

The talk, which took place at the British School of Brussels in Tervuren, was followed by a lively Q&A session that extended into our usual networking social event afterwards.

YouTube Video

Ricardo's excellent talk on AMR was recorded and can be found on our dedicated Youtube channel or as an embedded video below. Enjoy!


Monday, 14 October 2024

Waterloo Rediscovered

On the morning of Sunday 22 September 2024 RSC members and friends enjoyed an entertaining and informative walk on the battlefield of Waterloo with military historian and author Jean-Philippe Tondeur.

Our party met at the Ferme du Caillou on the Chausse de Bruxelles to the south of the battlefield. This building was where Napoleon stayed on the night before the battle and was his last headquarters. This ancient farmhouse is now a museum and here Jean-Philippe described the events leading up to the battle and some insights on Napoleon’s strategy and battle plans.


The party then moved onto the Ferme de la Belle Alliance. Built in 1765, by 1815, the property was a tavern and despite being at the centre of the French lines suffered relatively little from the battle. The main building (pictured below, behind the RSC party) and the annexed stable escaped destruction, although its original outbuildings were ruined.


In Germany, the battle is known as "Belle-Alliance Sieg", the victory of Belle-Alliance, rather than the Battle of Waterloo. The Prussians observed the coincidence between this place name and the political and military alliance that brought down the Napoleonic Empire.

The tavern was also where Napoleon was mainly located during the battle and the place that the two victorious ‘allied’ commanders, Wellington and Blucher, met at the end of the day’s fighting. Today the Belle-Alliance is owned by Jean-Philippe.


Jean-Philippe then took the party along a footpath, le Chemin de Plancenoit, to describe the main elements of the battle with an excellent  view over the battlefield site. It is striking how small the main battlefield is considering the number of soldiers involved.

To complete our excursion most of our party then proceeded to the Maximus Waterloo restaurant on the Route du Lion, in the shadow of the famous Butte du Lion memorial, for a relaxing lunch.

Further reading
Our thanks to Jean-Philippe for his talk. The RSC Belgium party found his descriptions really interesting with new insights and anecdotes that added colour to the Waterloo ‘story’ and helped us understand better what was really going on during the day of the battle.

If you would like to read more about the battle, Jean-Philippe's publications ‘Les Éditions de la Belle-Alliance’ on the battle and the 1815 campaign are available to purchase. 

Les éditions de La Belle Alliance were born in 1998 and are a collaboration between Jean-Philippe and illustrators Patrice Courcelle and Bernard Coppens. All three wanted to work on an approach to the Battle of Waterloo that was more detailed and, above all, more critical and analytical than what had gone before.

Ten Years of Norman Lloyd Scholarships Celebrated

On the evening of Tuesday 10 September RSC Belgium held a special ‘Celebration of Chemistry’ event in the Brel Theatre at the British School of Brussels (BSB) to celebrate two of our initiatives that aim to support young people studying chemistry and to deepen their interest in the chemical sciences as a career.

The event was the prize giving event for our 2024 Chemistry Challenge initiative (see separate blog for the results and prize winners) for students in their penultimate year in high school and also marked ten years of our Norman Lloyd scholarships at Cardiff University. The scholarships are awarded to a first-year student studying chemistry at Cardiff.

After the prize awards ceremony for the 2024 Chemistry Challenge RSC Belgium, Chair Professor Bob Crichton described the Norman Lloyd Scholarships and how they came about.

The scholarships were established in 2014 in memory of Dr Norman Lloyd, who was one of RSC Belgium’s founding members and an active and enthusiastic supporter of the section’s activities. The scholarship fund was established following the immense generosity of Norman’s friends, family and colleagues at Dow Corning, where he was Director of Research for Europe until his retirement in 1992. 

In consultation with Norman’s family, it was decided to approach Cardiff University to establish the Dr Norman C. Lloyd Scholarships to provide an annual scholarship of £1,000 for an undergraduate student, in their first year of study and from a relatively deprived or underrepresented background, in the Cardiff School of Chemistry.

Bob outlined Norman’s illustrious career and his many valuable contributions to the section’s activities both scientific and social.

RSC Belgium secretary Tim Reynolds then presented the ten scholars that the fund had supported from 2014 to 2024 highlighting their appreciation of the scholarship’s support and its impact on their  experience at university and beyond.

Norman’s daughter Mitchko (pictured above with Bob, Norman’s widow Setsuko. and our speaker from Cardiff, Dr Tom Tatchell) responded on behalf of the family and thanked everyone who had contributed to the fund. She felt it had been a very fitting tribute to her father.

Chemistry at Cardiff

Our main speaker at the event was Dr Tom Tatchell who is Education & Students Manager at the School of Chemistry at Cardiff University and talked about the impact of the Scholarships at Cardiff.

Tom expanded his presentation to cover the general area of chemistry and education, the current chemical sciences job market, and the changing face of chemistry with respect to future trends such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) etc. He talked about studying chemistry, how it has changed from being very “bench” focussed to now needing other complementary skills like management, business and languages.

Earlier in the day Tom had visited St Johns International School in Waterloo to talk to students about careers in and further study of the chemical sciences.

After the talks, a drinks reception was held for all attendees.

RSC Belgium Chemistry Challenge 2024 Results and Prizes

The results of the RSC Belgium Chemistry Challenge 2024 were announced at our Celebration of Chemistry event on 22 September 2024 at the British School of Brussels (BSB) in Tervuren. For the 2024 Challenge, ten schools took part (four European Schools and six International Schools) with just over 100 students participating - a very encouraging number. This year saw a very good showing from students from the International School of Brussels (ISB)

As usual, the Challenge was designed to test students’ chemical knowledge and initiative and consisted of has three sections:
  • A chemistry multiple choice paper (Section A)
  • A structured questions on chemistry (Section B), and
  • A 'Thinking Matters' paper that is not chemistry based (Section C)
The top results were as follows:

Section A - Multiple choice
First prize for this section was won jointly by Juliette Martin and Nomura Rydoi both from ISB who each received a €50 award.

It was a triple tie for second place with Joaquim Dornelas Rangel from BSB, Riddhi Narlawar from the European School at Mol (ESM) and Antoni Zielinski of ISB all winning €25 prizes, while a third prize of €10 went to Jonas Baltramaitis from the European School of Luxembourg 1 (ESL1).

Section B - Structured questions
In this section the first prize of €50 was awarded to Naomi Trevelyan-Shipp of ISB with Juliette Martin of ISB picking up the second prize of €25. The third prize of €10 was awarded to Alexandre Escardino from BSB.

Section C - Thinking Matters
The top prize in this section of €50 went to Julius Jager from the European School of Brussels 1 (EEB1). The Second prize of €25 went to Alex Gal from Montgomery International School and the third prize worth €10 was awarded to Juyoung Chang of ISB.

The Keith Price Prize
With her first prize in Section A and second place in Section B, this year's Keith Price Prize was claimed by Juliette Martin (pictured below with RSC Belgium Chair Professor Bob Crichton and Dr Susan Schamp, RSC Belgium Schools Coordinator and the question setter for this year's Chemistry Challenge), who received an additional €100 reward.



Well done to everyone who took part in this year's Chemistry Challenge! Every student that entered the competition receives a certificate of participation. And, of course, we will be running the Challenge again in 2025 and look forward to further widening participation.

Tuesday, 2 July 2024

The Future of the Chemical Sciences

On the evening of Thursday 23 May 2024 RSC Belgium was delighted to be welcome the President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Professor Gillian Reid, to Belgium to talk to us about her research and update us on RSC activities around the world. The talk took place at the British School of Brussels in Tervuren.

Gill’s talk was entitled ‘The Future of the Chemical Sciences’. Gill Reid is a long serving member of the chemical science community and a passionate advocate for our discipline. As she nears the end of her two-year tenure as RSC President she talked about the highlights from her time as President and the opportunities she sees for the future of the chemical sciences.

Gill said that one of the many great advantages of the RSC is that our 50,000 members worldwide represented the whole breadth of the chemical science community from teachers introducing children to chemistry for the first time, to chemists in industry and academia who are pushing forward the boundaries of our discipline. This means that the RSC gets a very broad picture of the trends and issues that are shaping the future of the chemical sciences.

Gill shared what the society sees as the key opportunities for the chemical sciences and our priorities in helping the community make the most of these. There is no doubt that chemistry is a powerful catalyst for change and the impact of our chemistry community is incredible: from developing medicines, vaccines and diagnostics when the world needs them most to keeping our food and water safe, clean and in good supply; creating revolutionary technologies and materials to generate and store clean energy and, most importantly, inspiring generations of young minds, helping them forge their paths to fulfilling careers and lives.

Gill's presentation sparked a lively question and answer session with conversations continuing into the networking reception after the talk.

YouTube Video

Gill's whistle-stop tour of some of the most important areas of RSC activity was recorded and can be found on our dedicated Youtube channel or as an embedded video below. Enjoy!


Gill's Biography

Gillian Reid is Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and former Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southampton. Her research involves coordination chemistry, inorganic semiconductors and metal fluoride scaffolds. In 2020, she was appointed the President-elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry, becoming President in 2022 for a two-year term.

Gill became interested in chemistry whilst at high school and studied the subject at the University of Edinburgh, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1986. She remained there for her doctoral research on macrocyclic complexes. After her PhD, and a two-year postdoctoral research position in Edinburgh, Reid moved to a lectureship in the University of Southampton.

She was promoted to Professor in 2006 and under her leadership, Southampton joined the Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry. Reid leads molecular assembly and structure at the University. Her work in inorganic coordination chemistry has a particular focus on the design of macrocyclic ligands that involve chalcogen donor atoms. She makes use of non-aqueous electrodeposition to grow inorganic semiconductor alloys. Electrodeposition allows for bottom-up growth without the need for an ultra-high vacuum environment. She has also created molecular reagents that allow the synthesis of compounds for use in non-volatile memory, thermoelectric generators and two-dimensional materials.

Gill is a great believer in outreach activities and was co-founder of the Southampton Science and Engineering Day, which evolved into the Southampton Science and Engineering Festival. In 2010, Reid was made the Head of the Department of Chemistry Outreach Programme and in 2015, she co-led the Royal Society Summer Science exhibit ‘Taking Technology Smaller’, which introduced the public to electrochemistry as a means to build nanoscale electronic devices.

Zarah Ahmed reports on her Norman Lloyd Scholarship experience

Zarah Ahmed (pictured below), was the tenth recipient of a Dr Norman C. Lloyd Scholarship at Cardiff University and has just completed the first year of her MCheM degree in Chemistry at the university and has submitted her end of year report. The Norman Lloyd Scholarship is given to a new student in the Cardiff School of Chemistry who is of high academic standing and resident in Wales.


What degree are you undertaking and why did you choose the course here?

I am undertaking an integrated master's in chemistry with a year in industry. I chose to complete my course here at Cardiff as I feel that it met all my needs in a degree. It has both work-experience and the MChem within four years. As a home student I also did not have to worry about familiarising myself with the area.

What is the best thing about studying at Cardiff and how have you found your experience so far?

Studying at home has both its pros and cons but the pros outweighed the cons for me personally. Firstly, I did not have to worry about accommodation and the increased maintenance it requires compared to living at home. Cardiff is a very walkable city and so most days I can walk to and from university. The Main Building is close to the city centre so I can always quickly grab a bite to eat as well as use various cafes, libraries, etc., to study which is fantastic.

What are your plans after you graduate?

In terms of a career, I am still a little unsure. At the moment, I am interested in drug testing/toxicology, environmental science, and research. After graduating, my plan would be to find work as a lab technician/research assistant as I feel that these positions would allow me to gain valuable skills as well as opportunities to network. I am hoping to create a good impression in my year in industry so that I feel confident to apply to new companies/organisations. I also hope that my year in industry will allow me to gain more insight into what I could excel in, in the future.

What have you enjoyed most and what have you found most challenging?

During this year, I have really enjoyed my practical module. It was interesting putting core module concepts with real-life experiments and seeing the experiment prove ideas. I really enjoy following the manual and learning to work out efficient ways to carry out the experiment with my partner. I am immensely proud of my second semester lab reports and feel that my results are a big achievement for me. I improved from 64% in first semester to 88% in my second semester. I am happy that I was able to use the feedback and comments to really improve my lab report writing skills.

What do you do in your spare time/alongside your degree?

I enjoy crocheting, reading books and journal/diary writing. Next year, I would like to try the Languages for All module.

What difference has this scholarship made to you? Has it enabled you to achieve anything that you would not have been able to before?

The scholarship has given me confidence in my academic ability and motivated me to do better and to strive for higher. It has given me hope that I can realistically apply for internships and other experiences without having to worry too much about finances. I was also able to comfortably lower my part-time job hours to focus more on my studies as well as my mental health.

If you could say something to the donor who gave you this gift, what would it be?

I am so incredibly grateful that I was chosen for this scholarship, and for the stability and reassurance it has given me, thank you.

We wish Zarah every success for the future!

The scholarship

The Norman Lloyd scholarship was set up by RSC Belgium in collaboration with Norman’s family and Cardiff University in memory of our old friend and supporter Norman Lloyd. Norman was himself a student at an institution that is now part of the university. The funds raised provide an annual scholarship of £1,000 for an undergraduate student, usually in their first year of study, at the Cardiff School of Chemistry.

Sunday, 5 May 2024

Artificial Intelligence

On the evening of Thursday 25 April 2024 RSC Belgium welcomed Richard Adams FRSA to the British School of Brussels (BSB) in Tervuren to talk to us about ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) – what it is, what it can and can’t do?’. 

In an entertaining and informative talk Richard (pictured below), who is currently Head of Digital Architecture at LNER and consulting at GBRTT, outlined his vision and experience of AI and how it will, and already is, affecting our daily lives. He has a positive, optimistic view on AI and the benefits it can bring to society.

 

Richard has worked at the intersection of emerging technologies and creativity for over 30 years both in small and large enterprise scales. He has made interactive TV, games, interactive marketing, designed tiny and extremely large complex systems, games, entertainment and more. These days he can be found in the realm of Architecture where he makes sure systems work and are designed for future and emerging business needs, handling systems and complexity, fully exploiting Machine Learning and AI to solve business problems. He also is exploring the use of AI in his art works.

Some of the companies has worked at include Microsoft Studios, the RSC (the other one), BSkyB, BBC, Proximus, LNER, GBRTT, and more. He also co-founded a business and as a bonus has also worked in education as teacher, lecturer, Principal and has held Visiting Professor and Fellowship roles. He was Chair of Professors Without Borders for four years and remains a trustee.

Not surprisingly he is an in-demand speaker, keynote and chair as well as a published author and an FRSA, BAFTA and Society of Authors member. His educational background encompasses both Art and Computer Science, at Masters level and above.

Richard's talk was well attended and sparked a lively question and answer session with conversations continuing into the networking reception after the talk.

YouTube Video

Richard's talk and the subsequent discussion was recorded and can be found on our dedicated Youtube channel or as an embedded video below. Enjoy!


Wednesday, 10 April 2024

BSB at ToTB Final in Edinburgh

The 2024 Top of the Bench final took place at Edinburgh Napier University on Saturday 16th March with RSC Belgium's representative team from the British School of Brussels (BSB) taking part. The weather was rather wet and windy but the BSB team (pictured below outside Edinburgh castle), who won our eliminator round in November, thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

RSC Belgium committee member and BSB's Department Lead for Chemistry, Johnathan Norris, has sent the following report on proceedings in Edinburgh.

"The BSB team competed in the TOTB competition final at Edinburgh Napier University on the theme of "Water". The competition followed the usual format; Junior and Senior Quiz in the morning on Chemistry (our Y10/11 students had a bit of a disadvantage as some of the questions were from Triple Award rather than Double Award science) but the students felt relatively pleased with their performance.

After Lunch it was on to the experimental group task where the students had to produce a solubility curve by using different water temperatures and seeing when a solid crystallised. Whilst we were waiting for the results of the competition we were treated to a talk on "Water treatment" including a demonstration of "flocking!".

The RSC President, Gillian Reid, then gave a short talk on her varied career and how she ended up as President of the Royal Society. Unfortunately BSB were not one of the top six schools with Brighton College taking the first prize this year. 

However, the team from BSB were not too disheartened as they had been able to spend a weekend in the Scottish capital, seeing bagpipers, a double rainbow from the castle and enjoy the discovery of the delights of Marks & Spencers Percy Pigs!"
Jonathan was also able to have a chat with RSC President Gill Reid during some free time and she told him how much she was looking forward to coming to Belgium in May (see forthcoming events). In particular she is looking forward to the tram ride from Brussels to Tervuren - so let's hope it is back up and running by then!

Winners
The RSC Belgium / BSB team were one of 31 schools teams from across the UK competing in Edinburgh final. The victors were Brighton College who won a trophy, individual £25 Amazon gift vouchers and a generous £500 to bolster their school’s chemistry provision. The runners-up, from The Manchester Grammar School, were awarded a trophy and each received a £15 Amazon gift voucher. Sama Albattat from Cardiff High School received the Jacqui Clee Award for the most outstanding individual contribution.

The theme for this year’s competition was water – essential to life on Earth and a critical topic in chemistry. The competition kicked off with a 40-minute chemistry knowledge exam, where pairs of students worked together in school teams to answer a series of challenging questions. After this, groups of four students tackled an engaging 90-minute lab practical exercise.

President of the RSC, Gill Reid says the event was incredibly enjoyable, with a real buzz of anticipation. ‘It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm, determination and team work on display. I hope everyone felt proud of their achievements and inspired to continue their journey with chemistry! Thanks also to all the teachers and technical staff for their commitment to enabling the students to enjoy this experience.’

Mark Jordan, head of education at the RSC, added: ‘Our congratulations to all this year’s participants who represented their schools and a new generation of scientists so well. We’re very grateful to the staff of Edinburgh Napier University, technicians and teachers, and the RSC team for making the first final hosted in Scotland such a success.’

Edinburgh Napier University lecturer, Colin McGill shares how proud the team were to be able to host this year’s final: ‘It was great to welcome enthusiastic young chemists and their teachers from across the UK (and beyond!)’. Colin and his team worked in partnership with the RSC to organise the successful event. He extends special thanks to the events team, the technical team who organised the practical activities and more, as well as the student teachers who helped out on the day.

The Top of the Bench competition continues to inspire and challenge young scientists, offering a platform to showcase their talents and passion for chemistry. Congratulations to all the talented participants and winners.

The Top Six places are listed below with their RSC Region or section.

1st              Brighton College - Downland

2nd             The Manchester Grammar School - Manchester & District

3rd             Bradford Grammar School - Central Yorkshire

4th             Yarm School - Teesside

5th             Wellingborough School - East Midlands

6th             Mercia School - Sheffield & District

Jacqui Clee Award to Sama Albattat from Cardiff High School - South East Wales

Wednesday, 13 March 2024

Beyond COVID-19: predictions for future pandemics

On the evening of Thursday 7 March 2024 RSC Belgium member and friends were treated to a hugely informative and entertaining talk entitled 'Beyond COVID-19: predictions for future pandemics' at the British School of Brussels in Tervuren from Professor Marc Van Ranst, Professor of Virology at KULeuven and the Rega Institute for Medical Research. Marc was a very prominent figure in the Belgian media during the COVID-19 pandemic.


In 2007, Marc (pictured above with RSC Belgium chair Bob Crichton) had been appointed as Interministerial commissioner by the Belgian federal government to prepare Belgium for an influenza pandemic and in 2009 he was an interministerial commissary for crisis management during the Mexican flu pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marc was a member of both the Belgian 'Risk Assessment Group' (RAG), which analysed the risks of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 for public health, and of the 'Scientific committee Coronavirus' which advised Belgian health authorities on combatting the virus and which made - and continues to make - prognoses on its evolution and spread in Belgium.

The emergence of future pandemics is an important concern, given the unpredictability observed in past outbreaks. While pandemics are rare events, several quasi-certitudes can guide our predictions Marc said. There is a high likelihood that the next pandemic may originate in Asia, particularly in densely populated urban centres. The role of air travel in facilitating the rapid spread of infectious diseases cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, zoonotic transmission, where diseases jump from animals to humans, remains a significant risk factor for future pandemics. The likelihood that a next pandemic will be caused by a rapidly mutating RNA virus is also very high.

The mode of transmission through respiratory droplets will be a key factor to consider when preparing for and responding to future global health crises.

By exploring these predictions and understanding the commonalities among past pandemics, Marc was able to show how we can be better equipped to mitigate risks, enhance preparedness strategies, and safeguard global health security in the face of future infectious disease threats.

Marc indicated that the actual global death toll from the COVID pandemic was of the order of  22 million compared to the official recorded global toll of 6.5 million. He also showed, via data on COVID in wastewater, that the virus was very much still with us during winter 2023-24, with current variants being highly transmissible but not causing such serious infection in terms of admissions to intensive care and mortality. 

The development and deployment of effective vaccines had been key to limiting serious infections and death: the difference in mortality between states in the US which encouraged and enabled vaccination and those that were less enthusiastic was clear. 

Marc also described his personal experiences in the face of antivax campaigners - a most disturbing situation that brought threats of physical violence against him and his family quite literally to his doorstep and at one point required his family to go into close police protection.  

Marc's conclusion was also just as disturbing - that we are not ready for the next, inevitable, pandemic. 

Marc's presentation can be viewed below.






Thursday, 22 February 2024

Ninth Norman Lloyd Scholar reports in!

Benjamin Condon (pictured below), the ninth recipient of a Dr Norman C. Lloyd Scholarship at Cardiff University has completed the first year of his MCheM degree in Chemistry at the university and he has submitted an end of year report. The Norman Lloyd Scholarship is given to a new student in the Cardiff School of Chemistry who is of high academic standing and resident in Wales. The tenth recipient of the Scholarship at Cardiff has also just been announced.

What degree are you undertaking and why did you choose the course here?

I am currently undertaking an undergraduate degree in chemistry. I chose the course as a pathway towards studying postgraduate medicine.

What is the best thing about studying at Cardiff and how have you found your experience so far?

The best thing about studying at Cardiff University is its vibrant academic community, fostering both intellectual growth and personal development. So far, I have had various practical learning opportunities and a supportive network of staff and peers to assist me in my journey. From internships to student societies, Cardiff has offered me a diverse range of experiences that that are preparing me for academic success.

What are your plans after you graduate?

Currently I am still aiming towards a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon.

What have you enjoyed most and what have you found most challenging?

I have found the academic content most challenging. Specifically organic chemistry which requires highly logical thinking. However, it has been extremely gratifying to apply the theoretical knowledge I learn in practical laboratory settings.

What do you do in your spare time/alongside your degree?

I am studying financial investing alongside my degree.

What difference has this scholarship made to you? Has it enabled you to achieve anything that you would not have been able to before?

The Dr Norman Lloyd Scholarship has been massively beneficial in supporting my university journey. It has eased financial burdens, allowing me to focus on my studies. It has enabled me to give up a part-time job, which I was working for a whole semester, which allowed me far more time to revise. I directly attribute some of my success in the first year to this scholarship and the support it has given me.

If you could say something to the donor who gave you this gift, what would it be?

I am so very grateful. Your generosity has lightened my financial load and empowered me to pursue my academic goals with focus and determination. Thank you for your commitment to helping students like me succeed.

We wish Benjamin every success for the future!

The scholarship

The Norman Lloyd scholarship was set up by RSC Belgium in collaboration with Norman’s family and Cardiff University in memory of our old friend and supporter Norman Lloyd. Norman was himself a student at an institution that is now part of the university. The funds raised provide an annual scholarship of £1,000 for an undergraduate student, usually in their first year of study, at the Cardiff School of Chemistry.

The Tenth Norman Lloyd Scholar is announced!

Zarah Ahmed (pictured below) is the latest recipient of the Dr. Norman Lloyd RSC Belgium scholarship at Cardiff University. Zarah is in her first year at Cardiff on a MCheM degree course. The Norman Lloyd Scholarship is given to a new student in the Cardiff School of Chemistry who is of high academic standing and resident in Wales.

Zarah wrote to the section following her award:

“Prior to starting at Cardiff University, I did a lot of research in the different career paths a degree in Chemistry could give me. I was amazed to discover the range of industries that Chemistry can take a key role in. For example, I am particularly enjoying my year 1 optional module in environmental chemistry at the moment. I am also quite interested in forensics and toxicology which is what sparked my interest in chemistry and analytics in the first place. I was going to pursue a degree in this however, through experiences like the Seren Award and other wider reading, I came to the conclusion that I would like to keep my options open for the future and that Chemistry would be the most versatile course for this.

As an MChem student, I have the opportunity to go abroad or do a year in industry in my third year. I’m hoping this will help narrow down my interests and ideas for my fourth and final year where I will complete my Masters. I would like to thank the RSC for awarding me the Dr Norman Lloyd Scholarship which I am hoping to put towards resources like textbooks, my third year, as well as any other opportunities like summer programmes/internships. I am so grateful for your support and the opportunities that this scholarship will provide.”

We wish Zarah every success during her studies at Cardiff!  

The scholarship

The Norman Lloyd scholarship was set up by RSC Belgium in collaboration with Norman’s family and Cardiff University in memory of our old friend and supporter Norman Lloyd. Norman was himself a student at an institution that is now part of the university. The funds raised provide an annual scholarship of £1,000 for an undergraduate student, usually in their first year of study, at the Cardiff School of Chemistry.


Tuesday, 30 January 2024

2024 RSC Belgium AGM and Dinner

The 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Dinner of the RSC Belgium International section took place on the evening of Friday 19 January 2024 at the Les Amis Dinent restaurant in Wezembeek-Oppem. 

The AGM commenced at 19h35 with eleven section members present. In addition nine section members who were unable to attend the AGM sent their apologies and had asked the Chair to act as their proxy at the meeting.

The meeting first approved the minutes of the 2023 AGM that took place on 20 January 2023. No corrections were suggested, and the meeting moved (Julie Tuppeny), seconded (Rita Woodward) and unanimously adopted.

2023 activities

The section secretary, Tim Reynolds, then presented the 2023 report on teh section's activities.

“During 2023 RSC Belgium organised a Café Chimique event and six public lectures that were all face-to-face events with most recorded and then posted on our @RoySocChemBelgium YouTube channel. In addition, we held our 2023 AGM, a summer social trip to Ghent, our two annual school outreach events: the Chemistry Challenge and the Top of the Bench ‘Eliminator’, which was an in-person event again, plus four schools’ chemistry workshops with John O’Donoghue from Trinity College Dublin. Our ninth Norman Lloyd scholarship recipient enjoyed his first year at Cardiff University and we hope to hear the name of the tenth recipient very soon.

Our 2023 AGM and Annual Dinner was held on the evening of Friday 20 January at Les Amis Dinent restaurant in Wezembeek-Oppem. At the AGM Bob Crichton was re-elected as Chair, Tim Reynolds was re-elected as Secretary and Fabio Lucaccioni was elected as Treasurer. Three members were elected to the committee: Rita Woodward, Susan Schamp, and Julie Tuppeny. All positions are for a two-year term. Two committee members are in mid-term: Dr David Terrell and Dr Dharmjeet Madhav.

During the year, your section committee met just three times on 17 January (hybrid), 27 June (hybrid), and 5 September (hybrid) with one meeting scheduled for 14 November postponed.

Our 2023 programme kicked off on 9 February with a Café Chimique event at BSB on the topic of Sustainable Transport. This was followed on 23 March with a talk on sustainable e-fuels from Damien Debecker of UCLouvain.

Professor Ari Koskinen described new horizons in synthesis on the evening of 20 April and on 22 May Professor David Dexter, Director of Research at Parkinson’s UK, talked to us about ‘Therapeutic strategies for preventing Parkinson's Disease’.

Activities resumed on 9 September with a wonderful walking tour in late summer sunshine around Ghent led by Dr Paul Snell and including a (re)visit to our RSC Chemical Landmark for Kekule at the University.

September also saw a visit to Belgium by Dr John O’Donoghue of Trinity College Dublin and colleagues  Dr Fiona McArdle of the Atlantic Technological University Sligo and Dr Natalia Garcia Domenech from TCD. John gave us an updated talk on ‘Chemistry in the Movies’ on 28 September and he and the team also conducted four Current Chemistry Investigators schools’ workshops (two at BSB and two at St. Johns) on electrochemistry and electroanalytical concepts. This was the first time these workshops had been given outside Ireland and were a remarkable success. The idea of a workshop tour with John had been in the RSC Belgium planning for a few years now, but various interruptions - not least the COVID pandemic - had got in the way.

John’s Chemistry in the Movies talk was also the prize-giving ceremony for our 2023 Chemistry Challenge initiative undertaken over the early summer with the students working remotely at their schools. For the 2023 Challenge, seven schools took part (four European Schools and three International Schools) with a total of 74 students participating.

Our lecture programme continued with a talk from Prof Kevin Lam of the University of Greenwich on 12 October on Chemistry with Potential and concluded with a presentation on Hydrogen as an Energy Vector by Alexandra Kostereva of the European Gas Research Group on 22 November.

On Saturday 18 November we held our 2023 Top of the Bench (TOTB) regional heat at BSB. This year six teams from three different schools (BSB, ISF and St Johns) participated and after a very tight contest team Baekeland from BSB were declared winners and will represent Belgium at the UK National finals on 16 March 2024. Team Sodium our 2022 winners, also from BSB, had represented Belgium section at the London finals in March 2023.

Thanks as ever to Rita and Susan for developing the content for our educational activities and all the teachers and students who participated.

During the year, our ninth recipient of a Norman Lloyd scholarship at Cardiff University, Benjamin Condon , worked hard. The 2023-2024 academic year sees the tenth recipient of the award – whose name we hope to announce soon – and we also hope to organise a celebration of this milestone during 2024.

Youtube 

As mentioned earlier we now have a YouTube channel where you can find our videoed webinars. Some of our @RoySocChemBelgium ‘content’ is proving to be very popular. Our Top Three videos (as of noon yesterday - 18 January 2024) are at #3 Philip Ball with 1,181 views, second spot goes to Plasma-based CO2 conversion with 5,705 views, while Nick Lane remains top of the pops with a remarkable 19,891 views.

On a sad note, I’d like to mark the passing of one of our most enthusiastic and active supporter of the section’s activities Brian Sutcliffe. We will miss him and hope to mark his passing with an appropriate event during 2024.

We aim to run a full programme of events during 2024 and look forward to seeing many members and friends during the year. Details of forthcoming events can always be found on the RSC Belgium blog.”

There were no questions on the report, and the meeting moved (David Terrell), seconded (Andrew Dunn) and unanimously approved its adoption.

Finances

The section treasurer, Fabio Lucaccioni, presented the 2023 financial report and accounts.

The 2023 balance sheet is presented by listing revenues and payments allocated to a series of categories pre-assigned by the RSC.

The overall balance at the end of 2023 on the current account is €5,799.05 and the global expenses (receipts minus payments) were -€5,915.49. The saving account overall balance is  €4,503,27.

During the year, the total income amounted to 3,941.06, mainly from a grant from RSC headquarters (2,999.60) but also from the AGM and the annual dinner, as well as fees relating to the visit to Ghent in August.

Expenses for the year amount to 9,856.55 €. The main expenses concern: the six lectures and the “Café Chimique” organised during the year (3,897.47), with a total audience of 177 people; our annual Top of the Bench and Chemistry Challenge activities and also in 2023 some Chemistry Workshops for an amount of 677.70 (involving 160 students); social events, which are the AGM and its dinner as well as the visit to Ghent (2,130.45); and a transfer of money to the savings account (2,400.00).

This year, and following an email from headquarter dated January 11, 2024, we do not need to have our accounts audited as our entries are less than £10,000.”

The meeting unanimously adopted the Treasurer’s report.

 Chair’s Remarks (Bob Crichton)

The section chair, Bob Crichton, thanked all members of the committee for their continuing hard work and support and looked forward to continuing success in the new year.

During the Annual Dinner the Chair presented Rita and Peter Woodward with some tokens of the committee’s appreciation for their efforts in providing refreshments for our evening talks over many years.

Elections

Two nominations for committee members had been received: Dr David Terrell and Prof Ari Koskinen. Committee membership is for a two-year term. As the number of nominations equalled the number of vacant positions, both candidates were duly elected.

Other current committee members in mid-term are Bob Crichton (Chair), Tim Reynolds (Secretary), Fabio Lucaccioni (Treasurer), Rita Woodward, Julie Tuppeny and Susan Schamp.

The committee thanked Dharmjeet Madhav for his contribution to the committee over the last two years.

At the first committee meeting of 2024 Bo Dahlqvist and Jonathan Norris will also be co-opted onto the committee.

The meeting adjourned at 19h52. The first meeting of the new 2024 committee will be arranged soon.

A copy of the draft minutes of the 2024 AGM can be downloaded here. These minutes will be submitted to the 2025 AGM for approval.

Wednesday, 3 January 2024

BSB win RSC Belgium's TOTB 2023

On Saturday 18 November, the 2023 RSC Belgium Top of the Bench (TOTB) regional heat was held at the British School of Brussels (BSB). Teams from BSB, the International School of Flanders (ISF) and St. Johns International School (St Johns) participated in the competition to represent Belgium at the UK final.

The TOTB heat 'kicked off' at 13h30. This year the contest was in three parts and was devised by RSC committee members Susan Schamp and Rita Woodward. The initial task was a group challenge involving a 30-minute written Chemistry Quiz involving creative thinking exercises. All group members worked together on this activity.

After a short break the main group practical activity took place. This was a 90-minute hands-on Chemistry Investigation.

Finally, after a longer break with some refreshments, the individual team members undertook a further 30-minute, multiple choice, age-appropriate written Chemistry Quiz. Each four-person TOTB team consists of two students from Year 9 (Grade 8), one student from Year 10 (Grade 9) and one student from Year 11 (Grade 10). The Year 9 students completed one quiz and the Year 10 and 11 students completed a second quiz.

Joining Rita and Susan in observing and judging the event were Olivier Schamp and RSC Belgium Chair Bob Crichton with section secretary, Tim Reynolds, also there to take the photos. Also present throughout the day were RSC committee member and Head of Chemistry at BSB, Jonathan Norris, RSC committee member and Head of Chemistry at St. Johns, Julie Tuppeny, and chemistry teacher Beatriz Rocha from ISF.

A close result

The competition was extremely keen and it was a very tight contest. In terms of determining the final winner of the event, the weightings for the three components were: Group Challenge – 20%, Practical Activity – 50%, and Multiple Choice – 30%.

After an extensive consultation by the judging panel, Team Baekeland from BSB were declared the winners and received the coveted Keith Price Cup (see below - the team are pictured with, from left to right, Rita Woodward, Susan Schamp, Bob Crichton and Olivier Schamp).

The Baekeland team will now represent the Belgium section at the UK National finals of TOTB that will be held on Saturday 16 March 2024 at Edinburgh Napier University. We wish them the best!

Our thanks as ever to Susan and Rita for developing the written and practical tasks for our Top of the Bench event and all the teams for their enthusiasm and hard work. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who took part.

Chemistry with Potential

On the evening of Thursday 12 October RSC Belgium welcomed Prof. Kevin Lam from The University of Greenwich back to Belgium to give a talk entitled: ‘Electrifying the Pharmaceutical Industry without the BANG! When Your Chemistry has got Potential’. Professor Lam was awarded his PhD at the Universite Catholique de Louvain under the supervision of our old friend Istvan Marko and explored the use of electrochemistry and photochemistry as green alternatives to activate organic molecules. This work resulted in the development of a new radical-based deoxygenation reaction (the Lam-Marko reaction).

Synthetic organic electrochemistry has its roots in the classic work of Faraday and Kolbe on the electrolysis of aliphatic carboxylic acids. Although numerous transformations have been developed since then, many of which have been successfully applied in various industrial processes, the potential of preparative organic electrochemistry remains underestimated. However, the growing impetus to find greener and more cost-effective alternatives to traditional synthetic methods has recently led to the development of novel electrosynthetic methods.

In his talk Kevin presented new, safe, green, affordable and efficient ways to generate highly reactive organic intermediates such as iso(thio)cyanates, isocyanides, orthoesters or even diazo compounds. He also discussed the scale-up of these processes using flow electrosynthesis to demonstrate their real-world application in the pharmaceutical industry by reviewing case studies carried out with pharma giants including GSK, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

The venue for this event was the Brel Theatre at the British School of Brussels (BSB) in Tervuren.

Youtube video

Kevin's talk was recorded and can be found on our dedicated Youtube channel or as an embedded video below. Enjoy!



Hydrogen as an Energy Vector

On the evening of Wednesday 22 November 2024 the section welcomed Alexandra Kostereva from the European Gas Research Group (GERG) to talk to us about the use of ‘Hydrogen as an Energy Vector'. As usual the talk was hosted by the British School of Brussels in Tervuren.

Alexandra is Operations Manager at GERG based in Brussels and her talk introduced the relevance of hydrogen as an energy vector, and present a major project that GERG and partners have finalised this year: THyGA (Testing Hydrogen admixture for Gas Applications​). This project looked at the impact of hydrogen/ natural gas blends on commercial and domestic appliances. It included a large testing programme with end-use appliances, and provided conclusions for future regulation and standardisation of this sector. Alexandra also outlined other aspects of the work of the European Gas Research Group in the energy sector.

Biography

Alexandra joined the European Gas Research Group (GERG) team in 2019 and has been actively involved in the full portfolio of its research activities including work on hydrogen, LNG, biomethane, and methane emissions topics. She has worked on several European-funded projects. In 2020, Alexandra completed a Blue Book internship at the European Commission’s DG Energy working on the European Methane Emissions Strategy.

Alexandra has a Master’s degree in Engineering from the French Grande Ecole Centrale Lille, with a specialisation in Energy, and a Master’s degree in Economics of Energy from Université Paris-Saclay.

YouTube Video

Alexandra's talk was recorded and can be found on our dedicated Youtube channel or as an embedded video below. Enjoy!