Witchcraft’s chemical secrets: the science behind the spells

There be witches here! As a pre-Halloween treat on the evening of Tuesday 28 October 2025, RSC Belgium welcomed science writer Victoria Atkinson to Belgium to give a talk entitled ‘Witchcraft’s chemical secrets: the science behind the spells’.

The infamous witch hunts of the 16th and 17th century claimed thousands of lives (the vast majority of these victims being women), but behind the accusations lay a complex relationship between chemistry, traditional medicine and magic. In her talk Victoria explored how plant alkaloids and folk knowledge created potent and effective remedies that were both feared and sought after.

Dr Victoria Atkinson is a third-generation chemist who studied at the University of Oxford including a fourth-year master’s project working on catalytic methodology with Darren Dixon which led to her first publication. She continued on to do a PhD, with Jeremy Robertson on a total synthesis project, employing enzymatic methodology to produce agrochemical products.

However, towards the end of her PhD, Victoria found that she was enjoying talking about science much more than actually doing it and became heavily involved in science outreach – sharing her enthusiasm for science with younger students through practical workshops and school visits. Later, she focused on developing new outreach material and then made the transition to freelance science journalism via a Marriott Internship with the RSC’s Chemistry World magazine. 

Today Victoria works with a range of publications specialising in chemistry, sustainability and research culture.

You can access Victoria's article on Chemistry and Witchcraft published in Chemistry World here.

Victoria's talk was videoed and you can enjoy it again either via the embedded video below or on our dedicated RSC Belgium YouTube Channel.

Witchcraft’s chemical secrets: the science behind the spells

RIP Rita

Rita Woodward (née Blakeborough)

19 June 1942 – 3 August 2025

Over the summer the section lost one of its founding members and the leading light of our work with schools in Belgium. Rita Woodward served on the RSC Belgium section committee continuously from its founding in the early 1990s until her passing. During that time, she held the office of Treasurer twice (1998-2000 and 2011– 2016) and was Chair of the section from 2001-2002. Rita had been a member of the RSC since 1964.

Rita led our work with schools for more than three decades. She devised the experiments and developed the questions for our annual Top of the Bench competitions for school teams – Belgium being the only section not based in the British Isles to send a school team to the UK finals – and also, in more recent times, developed our Chemistry Challenge initiative for individual students.

In 2010 Rita received an RSC Award for Service to recognise her outstanding support for the work of the society. Rita was presented with this prestigious award by RSC President Professor David Phillips (see above) at a glittering dinner event during the 2010 RSC's General Assembly. Previously she had been awarded an RSC Long Service award at our 2007 section AGM.

Rita was born on 19 June 1942 in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, but her early life was in Africa as her engineer father worked on developing the railways. The family spent time in West Africa before moving east, living in Uganda and eventually settling in Kenya.

She returned to the UK for secondary school, living with her grandmother in Newport, South Wales, and developed a strong interest in Chemistry. Her first job was as a research assistant at British Petroleum in Barry, South Wales where she met her life-long partner and husband Peter, whom she married in 1965.

Initially Rita did not consider university, but she followed her passion for chemistry, studying at night school for an ‘Associate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry’ (ARIC) qualification that she completed at Aston University. Rita then obtained a teaching diploma at Keele University.

In 1977, Rita, Peter and the family moved to Belgium enrolling their two sons at the British School ofBrussels (BSB). Rita also joined BSB, initially as a supply teacher, before joining the Chemistry department. She went on to become Head of Chemistry, and later Head of Science, dedicating more than 25 years to the school. Rita designed the very splendid laboratories at BSB.

Rita remained involved with the Royal Society of Chemistry, and in particular the Belgium section, throughout her adult life, and this continued into her retirement. The RSC played a central role in her and Peter’s social life, and many lasting friendships came from it.

Rita will be missed dearly and remembered always with love. For colleagues, students, and friends, she was someone who you could rely on and respect. She embraced every stage of her life with thoughtfulness, energy, and purpose. Whether through her work, her friendships, her family, or her hobbies, she gave her time and attention generously. She had a quiet determination, a steady presence, and a deep sense of responsibility to those around her.

Rita leaves husband Peter and their two sons: Jonathan and Michael.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare and beyond

An RSC Café Chimique on Artificial Intelligence (AI) took place on Tuesday 13 May 2025 in the Social Area above the Brel Theatre at the British School of Brussels. Our two speakers were pioneering entrepreneurs of the use of AI in healthcare: Dr Dani Manjah from Professor Benoit Macq's research group at the Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain, and Thibaut Helleputte, founder and CEO of DNAlytics, a start-up specialising in data sciences applied to healthcare located in Louvain-la-Neuve.

The debate was chaired by Professor Bob Crichton, our recent past Chair of the section and the discussion was kicked off, as usual for our Cafe Chimique events, by short presentations from the two speakers.

Our first presentation was from Dani who gave a quick overview of what AI was - and was not - and then described some applications in healthcare. Dani's presentation is embedded below.

Thibaut then gave some further insights to his work on AI and healthcare. His presentation is embedded below as a pdf.

Following the two presentations an extensive and wide-ranging discussion was initiated led by questions from the audience. Issues covered included societal and socio-economic issues as well as sector-specific concepts.

As with our previous debates the audience was seated in a café-style format and gratis drinks and light refreshments were available before and during the event.

Strange Ice

On the evening of Thursday 27 March 2025, the section welcomed Professor Andrea Sella of University College London back to Belgium to give us his 'Strange Ice' talk. The talk was a highly personal journey into the world of the strange solid that all of us know and love and yet which conceals deep mysteries and dark prophecies about our shared future. 

Andrea's presentation took us from a glass of water to the skies above our heads, from the Alps to the winters of Poland and up to the Arctic, stopping to look at a variety of other ices, both crystalline and amorphous, and asking questions about chemistry, physics, psychology, climate change, disinformation and politics. Ice speaks. Can we learn to listen?

The talk was highly informative, entertaining and thought provoking and initiated a wide-ranging discussion that continued into the post-talk networking. 

A video of the proceedings was recorded and is now available on the RSC Belgium YouTube channel and is also embedded below.

About Andrea

Andrea Sella is a chemist and broadcaster based at University College London where he is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. His main research is on rare-earth metals and he collaborates with several research groups on hydrogen storage, carbonitrides, and nanotube insertion chemistry. He has been involved in numerous television documentaries, including the 2010 BBC documentary “Chemistry: A Volatile History”, which was nominated for the 2010 British Academy Television Awards. In 2014 he presented "My Family and other Ibex" and "Urine Trouble: What's in our Water" on BBC Radio 4. He has been a guest on Melvyn Bragg's “In Our Time” and appeared regularly on radio programmes like Start the Week, Weekend, Newshour, the Today Programme and the Infinite Monkey Cage. He has been consultant and contributor for the BBC World Service's series "Elemental Economics" presented by Justin Rowlatt.

Andrea had previously presented our 2010 demonstration lectures, as part of the annual ‘Printemps des Sciences’ festival in March at Louvain-la-Neuve. On that occasion (pre blog) he gave us a fascinating exposition on oscillating reactions somewhat confusingly called ‘How the Zebra got its Stripes’ - and had delivered one of the lectures in French.

ICP-mass spectrometry in the biomedical sciences: pushing the boundaries of the application range

On the evening of Tuesday 29 April the section welcomed Professor Frank Vanhaecke from Ghent University to talk about ‘ICP-mass spectrometry in the biomedical sciences: pushing the boundaries of the application range’. Frank received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s prestigious ‘Theophilus Redwood award’ in 2023 for outstanding contributions to the chemical sciences in the area of analytical chemistry. 

Frank's talk discussed recently developed analytical methodology including the use of laser ablation – ICP-MS to reveal the distribution of (trace) elements across biological tissues, the determination of metal contents in individual cells and the use of metal isotope ratios for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is the most powerful tool for trace element analysis, as a result of which it is widely used in many application areas, including clinical analysis. While in clinical analysis, determination of essential and non-essential (toxic) elements in body fluids and tissues is considered a routine application, other approaches have not reached that status yet, despite their added value.

Frank showed how through the use of laser ablation (LA) as a means of sample introduction, a thin section of tissue can be interrogated point-by-point to reveal the distribution of targeted elements in a quantitative manner. Moreover, when combining LA with an ICP-MS unit equipped with a time-of-flight (ToF) mass analyser, a nearly complete elemental mass spectrum is available for every pixel on the tissue “map”.

The detection power of ICP-MS instrumentation has meanwhile been enhanced to such an extent that it also allows quantification of the content of exo- and endogenous elements in individual cells, using either traditional pneumatic nebulization or laser ablation as a means of sample introduction.

In addition, Frank showed how high-precision isotopic analysis of essential mineral elements can provide insights into biochemical processes and diagnostic/prognostic information, as isotope ratios can pick up on metabolic changes with higher sensitivity than element concentrations can and/or provide information that is not embedded in the element concentrations.

The added value of these more novel approaches was illustrated by discussing the results of a number of interdisciplinary research projects carried out at Frank’s labs in Ghent.

A video of Frank's presentation is embedded below or can be viewed on the RSC Belgium dedicated YouTube channel.

About Frank

Frank Vanhaecke is Senior Full Professor in Analytical Chemistry at Ghent University, where he also leads the Atomic & Mass Spectrometry  (A&MS) research group that specialises in the determination, speciation and isotopic analysis of (ultra)trace elements via ICP-MS. His group studies fundamental aspects of the technique and develops methods for solving challenging scientific problems in interdisciplinary contexts. Frank is (co)author of more than 500 papers and the work of his has team received a number of prestigious awards, including the RSC’s ‘Theophilus Redwood award’ in 2023.

It’s a Gas!

On the evening of Wednesday 20 November 2024, RSC Belgium welcomed well-known material scientist and broadcaster Professor Mark Miodownik from University College London to Belgium to talk to us about his new book ‘It’s a Gas’.

Subtitled ‘The Magnificent and Elusive Elements that Expand Our World’ Mark’s new book masterfully reveals an invisible world through his unique brand of scientific storytelling. Why are most gases invisible, odourless and tasteless? Why do some poison us and others make us laugh? And why do some explode while others are content just to make drinks fizzy? 

During the evening Mark took us back to those exhilarating – and often dangerous – moments when scientists were trying to work out exactly what they had discovered in the world of gases. His talk showed that gases are the formative substances of our modern world, each with its own weird and wonderful personality. Examples included how seventeenth-century laughing gas parties led to the first use of anaesthetics in surgery, and how gases made us masters of the sea (by huge steamships) and skies (via extremely flammable balloons). The talk revealed the immense importance of gases to modern civilisation.

A Financial Times Master of Science and chosen by The Times as one of the 100 most influential scientists in the UK, Mark is Professor of Materials and Society at University College London, where he is also Director of the Institute of Making. He is the author of the book Stuff Matters – a New York Times bestseller which won the Royal Society Winton Prize – and Liquid, which was shortlisted for the same prize. He presents BBC TV and radio programmes on science and engineering such as Everyday Miracles and How It Works.

The talk was in the Brel Theatre at the British School of Brussels (BSB) in Tervuren, and was followed by a networking drinks reception with Waterstones Brussels bookshop in attendance allowing members and friends to purchase signed copies of some of Mark's books and have an informal chat with him.

Mark's talk was recorded and is now available on our dedicated YouTube channel and as an embedded video below.

Top of the Bench 2024 European Eliminator

On Saturday 16 November, the Royal Society of Chemistry Belgium Section held its annual Top of The Bench (TOTB) Competition to select a team of school students to represent the section in the UK National Finals in 2025. After a tough afternoon of competition the overall winner was Team Solvay from St. Georges International School in Luxembourg.

Our TOTB competition took place in the chemistry labs at The British School of Brussels (BSB) in Tervuren with seven teams from four schools taking part. Teams Franklin and Goodenough represented the International School of Flanders (ISF), Teams Kwolek and Baekeland came from Montgomery International School (MIS), Teams Solvay and Hodgkin travelled up from St Georges, and BSB was represented by Team Curie.

Each team was composed of four students with two students from Year 9 UK (3rd year or Grade 8), one student from Year 10 UK (4th year or Grade 9), and one student from Year 11 UK (5th year or Grade 10). The competition itself was split into three parts: a 30 minute group challenge Chemistry Quiz involving creative thinking exercises; a 90 minute group practical activity; and finally age-appropriate individual multiple-choice quizzes with the students having 30-minutes to complete them.

All the teams enjoyed the competition and when the scores from the various elements were added up Team Solvay from St George’s (pictured above with RSC Belgium TOTB organiser Susan Schamp) were first with Team Curie (pictured below with Susan) from BSB second and Team Goodenough from ISF third. This year individual cups were awarded to all team members of the first and second placed teams.

Team Solvay will now be representing RSC Belgium in the UK National TOTB Final which will take place at Cardiff University on 22 March 2025.

The Cardiff competition will be the last TOTB UK Grand Final as the RSC is discontinuing the event. However, the Belgium section is looking to continue our own TOTB event, or a similar practical-orientated team competition, possibly with a modified team age profile that could help widen participation from schools in our area.

Our immense thanks to everyone who took part in the competition or were involved in the organisation of the competition. In particular to Susan who developed the competition elements with Rita Woodward and to Jonathan Norris for use of the labs at BSB.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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!

New Horizons in synthesis: click chemistry and beyond

On the evening of Thursday 20 April from 19h30 RSC Belgium welcomed Professor Ari Koskinen, Emeritus Professor of Organic Chemistry at Aalto University, Finland to talk to us about ‘New Horizons in synthesis: click chemistry and beyond’. The event was held at the British School of Brussels in Tervuren and was followed by an opportunity for RSC members and friends to network and ask informal questions of the speaker over drinks and snacks.

A central feature of chemistry is to produce novel connections between atoms, in other words chemical synthesis. The state of the art of organic chemical synthesis is defined by the complexity of the target structures one can produce in an efficient manner. Especially during the past two decades, different economies of synthesis have taken a central role in the development of synthetic chemical strategies. Thus atom economy, step economy, redox economy are valid targets for synthesis research.

‘Click chemistry’ and biorthogonal chemistry are timely subjects and Ari took us through a brief history of organic synthesis and introduced us to the latest trends in this important part of chemistry. 

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal, and Barry Sharpless for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.

As usual, the session was recorded and you can access it direct via the RSC YouTube channel here or via the embedded video below.

Our speaker

Professor Ari Koskinen (pictured below) received his M.Sc. (Chem. Eng.) in 1979, his Licentiate in Technology in 1982 and his Doctor of Technology in 1983 from the Helsinki University of Technology.

After postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley he accepted an appointment as a Project Leader in New Drug Development at Orion Corporation – Fermion, Finland where his research group was among the first in Scandinavia to adopt computer aided drug design as well as computerized database handling protocols in new lead identification. Returning to academia, he joined the University of Surrey as a lecturer in 1989 and was then appointed as Professor of Chemistry (especially Synthetic Organic Chemistry) at the University of Oulu, Finland in 1992, and transferred to the Helsinki University of Technology in 1999 (Aalto University since 2010) as Professor of Organic Chemistry.

Prof. Koskinen is a member of the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters since 2003. He is the author or co-author of some 190 publications, 15 patents and three books. He retired from active academic work in October 2021, but as emeritus professor, he keeps his finger on the pulse of organic chemistry through activities in IUPAC (Division of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry) and EuChemS (secretary, Division of Organic Chemistry).

BSB at Top of the Bench Final

Our 2022 Belgium Top of the Bench champs – Team Sodium from the British School of Brussels (BSB) – competed in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2023 Top of the Bench national final on 25 March at the University of East London (UEL). The BSB team were the only non-UK team in the 31 competitors. The competition tests the chemistry knowledge of 14–16 year-old students through written and practical exercises.

Students had to complete a 40-minute chemistry knowledge exam in pairs, followed by a 90 minute hour practical team exercise in UEL’s labs. The theme of the final was sustainability with a practical challenge on sustainable energy that included a calorimetry task, density determination and finally an analysis of some possible “future fuels”. 

The teams also had a talk from Tony Raynham, the course leader for the University of East London Chemistry department, about the course (a new course only just set-up), his life history and journey about how he got to where he is now and then a talk on apprenticeships from an RSC speaker. 

Tony Raynham said that UEL was delighted to host the talented young chemists in the Bioscience department.

Unfortunately, BSB did not win; Winchester College (winning team pictured above) took top place. The winning team received a trophy and Amazon gift vouchers, and will be sent £500 for their school to spend on science equipment. The first runners-up, four students from Colchester County High School for Girls, received Amazon vouchers. Hannah Addiscott from The Grange School was awarded the Jacqui Clee Award for the most outstanding individual contribution.

BSB chemistry teacher and RSC Belgium committee member Jonathan Norris escorted the BSB party and commented: “The students really enjoyed themselves, despite a long day.” The BSB team made the trip to and from London in a day.

Despite not winning all the students came away with a free t-shirt and a periodic table and the accompanying teachers got a thermochromic mug, a RSC lanyard, and a fetching RSC tote bag.

Next year’s final will be in Edinburgh and RSC Belgium will be planning to send a team as usual.