RSC Belgium 2021 AGM goes online

On the evening of 29 January 2021 the RSC Belgium section held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) as a webinar event via Microsoft Teams. The meeting commenced at 19:35 with nine section members present: Bob Crichton, David Terrell, Hendrik Emons, Julie Tuppeny, Fabio Lucaccioni, Rita Blakeborough Woodward, Susan Schamp, Tim Reynolds and Tracy Ehiwe. Also in attendance was co-opted Committee member: Bo Dahlqvist. And in addition, we were pleased to welcome our guests RSC President Professor Tom Welton and RSC interim CEO Dr Helen Pain.

Eleven section members who were unable to attend the AGM had asked the Chair to act as their proxy for the meeting if a vote was required. These members were: Prof. Dr Arthur Van Aerschot, Brian Sutcliffe, Christopher K. Kariuki, Eveline Volcke, Giacomo Canciani, James Franklin, Joshua Holloway, Richard Green, Steven De Feyter, Thomas Vranken, William Darnley and Marie-Beatrice Madec.

You can watch the AGM proceedings below or via our dedicated YouTube channel and the draft minutes of the meeting are pasted below. The full formal draft minutes can be downloaded here and will be presented to the AGM of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Belgium Section in 2022 for approval. 

1. Welcome and introductory remarks from RSC President Professor Tom Welton and RSC interim Chief Executive Dr Helen Pain

Section Chair Bob Crichton opened the AGM and welcomed Tom and Helen to the meeting.

Tom (below) said it was a great pleasure to join the AGM and described the RSC as still, despite recent political developments, very much a European Chemical society.

He said that his presidency had been quite different to his expectations due to the restrictions of COVID. He hoped the portfolio of vaccines that have been developed would herald at least the end of this phase of the pandemic. He noted how we have all adapted to this new normal and how we have all learned new ways of working virtually. He thought that the use of virtual connections would likely continue when normality, or near normality, was restored.

His president’s themes for 2021 focused on sustainability – he has been a professor of sustainable chemistry for over 15 years – and this was especially important to him both in terms of how we do chemistry and for society as well. 2021 will see the COP26 meeting in Glasgow and the RSC was determined to take an active role in it. This was the right moment to be laying out the RSC’s plans for strategy in this area, which will be presented to members over the next few months.

Helen Pain (right) also thanked the section for the invite to the AGM. During 2020 she and Tom had attended nine regional meetings in the UK, and it was important to continue to meet and talk to members, especially in these difficult times. The RSC is thinking how it can connect better with its members and be more inclusive. The RSC wants to hear more from its members to ensure that the society remains relevant. It must retain its vision and ambition and work to make a difference in the world.  Helen looked forward to continuing cooperation and collaboration around the world and especially in Europe with its involvement with EUChems and IUPAC. In that context she noted the appointment of previous CEO Robert Parker as RSC Ambassador to Europe and the Commonwealth – he would be the RSC’s voice in Europe.

Both Tom and Helen wished the section well and looked forward to returning to be able to work in Burlington House as soon as possible. Tom noted he had yet to touch the Presidents medal!

Bob Crichton thanked Tom and Helen for their contributions and hoped to be able to welcome them both to Belgium once COVID has been vanquished.

2. Apologies for absence

There were no further apologies were noted.

3. Approval of Minutes of 2020 AGM

No corrections were suggested, and the meeting moved (David Terrell), seconded (Bo Dahlqvist) and hence unanimously adopted the minutes.

4. Committee Report on the Section’s 2020 Activities (Tim Reynolds – Secretary)

The Secretary presented the 2020 report.

As with most other aspects of our lives, the COVID crisis in 2020 had a major impact on RSC Belgium’s programme of activities. Yet despite the challenges raised by the various lockdowns, travel bans and social distancing restrictions, during 2020, RSC Belgium managed to organise three public lectures (one physical and two virtual), held its AGM and a fund raising social, and our two annual school outreach events - the Chemistry Challenge and the Top of the Bench ‘European Eliminator’ – were successfully undertaken. We also welcomed our seventh Norman Lloyd scholar at Cardiff University.

Following our 2020 AGM and Annual Dinner on 17 January, we kicked the year off with a lecture from Prof Joris Proost from the Universite Catholique de Louvain on the evening of 11 February entitled 'Towards the Hydrogen Economy: Challenges and Pitfalls'.

Our next planned event would have been with Prof James Durrant of Imperial College on 31 March talking about ‘Solar driven synthesis of sustainable fuels: photochemistry meets catalysis’, but the first pandemic lockdown intervened. We hope to rearrange this event, either physically or virtually, in February 2021.

Despite the lockdown we managed to organise our 2020 Chemistry Challenge competition for senior high school students over the summer term.

On Saturday 12 September, with COVID restrictions eased momentarily in Belgium we were able to hold an appropriately socially-distanced fundraising event for our Norman Lloyd Scholarships at our section treasurer Julie Tuppeny’s abode that raised some EUR 870 raised for the fund.

Later in the year we welcomed our seventh recipient of a Norman Lloyd scholarship at Cardiff University: Cara Watkins. Cara is in the 1^st year of her chemistry degree at Cardiff.

September also saw our first attempt at a virtual evening lecture event. On the evening of 24 September Professor David Cole-Hamilton, Past President of the European Chemical Society and Irvine Professor of Chemistry at the University of St. Andrews talked about ‘Elements in Danger’ from his home in St. Andrews. The webinar was also the occasion for the announcement of our prize winners in our 2020 Chemistry Challenge including this year’s overall winner and recipient of the coveted Keith Price Award.

Our final lecture event of the year was on 12 November when Dr Brigitte van Tiggelen gave a virtual talk to the section on 'Women in Science' and in particular their contribution to the chemical sciences and the periodic table.

Our Top of the Bench regional heat was also a virtual affair taking place in late November and early December. Due to the various restrictions only four teams from two schools (St Georges in Luxembourg and ISF Waterloo) were able to take part in the written and practice exercises set, as ever, by Rita Woodward. But, also as ever, all the teams performed well with the overall winner being Team Phosphorus from St. Georges school who will be representing Belgium section at the virtual TOTB finals in March 2021.

We hope to be organising more events in 2021 – either virtual or physical depending on the situation – and look forward to seeing many members and friends on screen or face-to-face during the year. Details of forthcoming events can always be found on the RSC Belgium blog but our first two events will be on 11 February with Prof James Durrant of Imperial College on Solar Fuels and 18 March with Prof Annemie Bogaerts of Antwerp University on plasma chemistry for CO2 conversion.

There were no questions on the report, and it was unanimously approved.

5. Financial Report of 2020 (Julie Tuppeny – Treasurer)

The treasurer presented the 2020 financial report and accounts.

Like previous years 2020 was planned to be another busy year, until restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw cancellations and lectures moved online for the Section and its committee.

The main highlights of the year were our two online lectures from Brigitte van Tiggelen and David Cole-Hamilton and a live lecture from Joris Proost. Our two annual competitions for schools were organised to comply with COVID restrictions. Our Chemistry Challenge Competition  was well attended and was performed online, and the Top of the Bench (TOTB) Eliminator Round was organised in schools with four teams from two Schools taking part.

On 1 January 2020, the net assets of RSC Belgium Section were €5 929.46. The Annual Grant for 2020 received in June 2020 from RSC UK was € 6 589.00 which was less than the € 10 307.50 that was asked for.

The major item of expenditure for the year was € 865 to organise the Chemistry Challenge, of which €675 was prize money.

For the Year ending 31 December 2020, the net assets of RSC Belgium Section amount to €10,709.91.

Bearing in mind that under Belgian Law, the status of the RSC Belgium Section holds the three Officers personally liable for debts arising from the activities of the Belgium Section, a grant request of € 2 000 will be requested from RSC UK to cover all the activities planned for 2021.

The meeting unanimously adopted the Treasurer’s report.

6. Chairman’s Remarks (Bob Crichton)

The Chairman thanked all members of the committee for their hard work and support during a difficult year. It had been satisfying to have organised several events despite the COVID situation.

He hoped that all section members were managing well under the lockdown regime and looked forward to a more active year in 2021 with a fuller programme – either virtual or physical or a bit of both.

7. Election of committee members and section officers

The following nominations had been received:

Section Chair:             Robert Crichton

Section Treasurer:       Julie Tuppeny

Section Secretary:       Tim Reynolds

Ordinary members of the committee: Fabio Lucaccioni, Susan Schamp, Rita Woodward

Election to the committee is for a two-year term.

There being no further nominations and the number of nominations being less than the number of vacancies (A maximum of five ordinary members are allowed and David Terrell is mid-way through his current term as an ordinary member of the committee) the nominees were duly elected to the committee for 2021.

At the first committee meeting of 2021 Bo Dahlqvist will be co-opted onto the committee.

8. Auditing arrangements for 2021

Having reviewed the section rules (which state the section auditor could be any member of the section who was not a current member of the committee) and the financial audit requirements for the section reports to RSC HQ (no formal audit required) at the first committee meeting in 2020 it had been decided to approach a section member (Lance Smallshaw) to review/ audit the section accounts, rather than seek to continue an external audit by an accountant.

9. Any Other Business

It was noted that the first event of the 2021 programme will be on Thursday 11 February 2021 via Teams with Prof. James Durrant of Imperial College talking about Solar Fuels.

The meeting Adjourned at 19:55. The first meeting of the 2021 committee will take place on Tuesday 16 March 2021 via Teams from 19h15.

Sustainable Solar Fuels

On the evening of Thursday 11 February 2021 Prof. James Durrant, of Imperial College London gave the section an online talk on 'The solar driven synthesis of sustainable fuels: photochemistry meets catalysis'.

In the webinar Prof Durrant talked about the increasing interest in the development of artificial photosynthetic systems for solar driven fuel synthesis. He started by discussing the challenge of the solar driven synthesis of sustainable fuels and chemistry, and its potential role in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. He then went on to review approaches to artificial photosynthesis, and the lessons which can be learnt from biological photosynthesis. 

Prof Durrant introduced his own particular research interest, the role of charge carrier dynamics in determining the efficiency of such systems, focusing on photocatalysts and photoelectrodes for water oxidation and reduction. His talk primarily focused on metal oxide materials, although he also covered organic polymer photocatalysts and hybrid molecular / inorganic systems for solar driven proton and CO2 reduction. Experimentally, these studies are based around transient absorption spectroscopy on timescales from femtoseconds to seconds, which are correlated with the results of photoelectrochemical analyses of device efficiency. These studies address the dynamics of charge separation and recombination, as well as the kinetics of water oxidation / reduction at semiconductor / liquid interfaces.

During the talk Prof Durrant addressed issues including the underlying photochemistry of oxides, the role of the space charge layers at electrochemical junctions in spatially separating charges, and the role of heterojunctions and catalysts layers in enhancing system efficiency. Particular consideration was placed on the mechanism of water oxidation / reduction, and the extent oxide surfaces function as heterogeneous catalysts for this reaction.

The presentation given by Prof Durrant can be accessed here and you can relive the entire event above or via our dedicated YouTube channel! Enjoy!

St George's retain RSC Belgium TOTB trophy

Despite the challenges and restrictions due to COVID, RSC Belgium successfully organised and ran its annual 'international eliminator' for the Royal Society of Chemistry's Top of the Bench (TOTB) competition in 2020 - and the results are now in. This year, the competition was run remotely during late November and early December with the results evaluated over the Christmas holiday period. The winning team, who will now represent Belgium in the TOTB grand final in March, is Team Phosphorus from St. Georges International School in Luxembourg. The school therefore retains the Keith Price Cup as their Team Sulfur was Belgium's TOTB winners in 2019.

Our 2020 TOTB eliminator retained the usual elements of the competition: a written test component for individual team members and a practical group exercise. Also as usual the questions were set by RSC committee member Rita Woodward.

TOTB teams need to be composed of four students with two students from Year 9 (UK equivalent to 3rd year or Grade 8), one student from Year 10 UK (4th year or Grade 9) and one student from Year 11 (5th year or Grade 10). With COVID restrictions/ bubbles this added an extra complication to the event.

The competition itself was managed remotely by the participating schools and consisted of a Multiple-Choice ‘Written’ Section, with questions and marking schemes tailored to the three age groups that was delivered in an appropriate 'timed' manner at the schools and a practical element with input from all four team members. The practical task for 2020 was to construct a calibration graph and use it to determine the percentage of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) present in a commercially produced baking powder. Practical kits were sent to participating schools.

Challenging event

In the end four teams from two schools were able to complete and return a full set of results for evaluation. The participating teams were teams Barium and Nitrogen from the International School of Flanders (ISF) in Waterloo and teams Magnesium and Phosphorus from St. George's International School in Luxembourg.

The competition was close but the overall winner - ranked first in the practical test and second in the written test - was the Phosphorus team from Luxembourg.

Our congratulations to Team Phosphorus and our thanks to everyone who took part in the TOTB eliminator this year. RSC goodies are on the way to participants at ISF and St. George's. Thanks to St. George's for providing photos from their eliminator.

Women in their element

On the evening of 12 November, Dr Brigitte van Tiggelen gave a virtual talk to the section on 'Women in Science' and in particular their contribution to the chemical sciences. Brigitte is joint editor of a recent significant book on the subject -'Women in their Element' - that traces the contributions of many women to shaping the chemical sciences and the evolution of the Periodic Table.

When telling the history of the periodic system, it often seems that only (white and often bearded) men contributed. Women however are far from absent. Brigitte’s talk focused on a number of significant female contributions, beyond the well-known personalities such as Marie Curie or Lise Meitner, with the aim of making historical women chemists more visible, and also to shed light on the multifaceted character of their work on the chemical elements and their periodic relationships. Her stories of female contributions looked to create new stories that may contribute to a better understanding of the collaborative nature of science as opposed to the traditional depiction of the lone genius.

The stories of female scientific input illustrated by Dr van Tiggelen also provided a spectrum of 'recognition' covering the full range from universal fame to invisibility. For instance, Marie Skłodowska-Curie and her discovery of polonium and radium in collaboration with her husband Pierre Curie are well celebrated by the general public: she rose to fame, even during her lifetime, as the awardee of two Nobel prizes, among other achievements. The same goes, to a lesser extent, for Lise Meitner or Irène Joliot-Curie. But others, like Harriet Brooks, Stefanie Horovitz, Erika Cremer or Yvette Cauchois are known only to specialised circles of scholars despite their important contributions. Indeed many female contributions have remained almost invisible, for example Toshiko Mayeda or Maria Del Carmen Brugger and Trinidad Salinas, even though they spent most of their life working at the laboratory bench, and participating actively to their field of interest.

Biography

Brigitte Van Tiggelen is Director for European Operations at the Science History Institute, Philadelphia, USA and member of the Centre de Recherche en Histoire des Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.

Her latest book is devoted to Women’s contribution to the Periodic System: Women in Their Element, ed. with Annette Lykknes, published in August 2019.

Seventh Norman Lloyd Scholar announced

Cara Watkins (pictured below) has been selected as the seventh recipient of a Dr Norman C. Lloyd Scholarship at Cardiff University. Cara has just started 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.

Cara was absolutely delighted to be selected for the award.

"I am very grateful to be selected as the beneficiary of the Dr Norman C Lloyd Scholarship for this year," says Cara. "As an aspiring chemist I believe this will help me significantly invest in the resources I need to complete my degree. It is an honour to be associated with Dr Norman C Lloyd as he has achieved many great things and is an inspiration for Welsh students."

"I first started to consider a career in chemistry after watching a detective drama when I was younger," she continues. "It was through this that I was introduced to how chemistry is much more than just reactions and elements and opened my eyes to how chemistry can be used in areas outside of research science. Ever since then I've dreamt of becoming a forensic scientist and I believe a degree in chemistry will bring me closer to achieving this. I'm sure that the skills and experience I gain through my degree will play a pivotal role in my success in becoming a CSI."

Our best wishes to Cara and our congratulations on her selection for the scholarship. We will hope to follow her progress with interest and wish her 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.

Sixth Norman Lloyd Scholar report is in!

Annabel Hendley-Jones (pictured below), the sixth recipient of a Dr NormanC. Lloyd Scholarship at Cardiff University, completed her first year of her MCheM degree in Chemistry at the university and she has submitted an end of year report. The Norman Lloyd Scholarship is given to a new student to the Cardiff School of Chemistry who are of high academic standing and resident in Wales.

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

Currently, I am in my second year studying Chemistry (MChem) at Cardiff University. I chose to undertake chemistry as a degree as it incorporates many appreciated skills such as critical and analytical thinking, a strong dedicated work ethic which allows you to be composed in tough situations, academic and practical strengths and knowledgeable about a wide range of specialties. I chose to do the degree at Cardiff University due to its state-of-the-art laboratories, lecturers, research projects, investment for the future and sandwich year placement opportunities which all stood out to me more than any other university I considered. Since coming to study here in September 2019 it has exceeded all expectations.

What’s the best thing about studying at Cardiff?

The best thing about studying in Cardiff is the strong sense of a community in and around the university that is a very present and large part of the fabric of the city. It’s an exciting and safe place to live and study with large open parks and all shops desired all within a stone’s throw of the university buildings and accommodation and not much further out are areas of great natural beauty from beaches to mountains. These great attractions mixed with the strong academic lectures and research Cardiff University and the Chemistry degree provide mean Cardiff is a fantastic place to study. 

Do you have a particular career in mind after you graduate?

I have taken particular interest over the past year in environmental and energy resources chemistry. Seeing how chemicals created in our environment interact with each other either around us in the air or below in the soil or water sources and how humanity can affect and be affected by these reactions and chemicals has really engaged me, in particular atmospheric chemistry. I hope to specialise more to this area of chemistry during my masters with the hope to go into either analytical testing or lab development regarding atmospheric environmental chemistry after my graduation.

Do you have any hobbies outside of studying?

Outside of studying play for the chemistry netball team based in the university’s IMG league, where I am on the committee and hold responsibilities covering social sessions for players and leading coronavirus safety and hygiene whilst training. I enjoy taking time to relax by sketching and doing art as well as further unwinding by going on runs 4 times a week. I have also begun a beginner’s course in Welsh for All to learn the Welsh language as an extra skill and for a hobby centred around my country.

What difference has the Norman Lloyd scholarship made to you?

The scholarship has made a greatly positive change to me. It allowed me to access extra resources and specific academic books that previously I would not have bought due to financial limitations. For example, I purchased Atkins’ ‘Elements of Physical Chemistry’ which was popular at the library and so owning it personally allowed me to take my time to read and fully appreciate its contents more competently than having to return it in a specific time-frame. The scholarship also allowed me to think more freely about pursuing a year abroad placement with more monetary savings to achieve this goal and feel comfortable doing so.

If you could say something to the fund donors, what would it be?

Thank you very much, it was a great surprise when I found out I was the recipient of the Dr. Norman C. Lloyd scholarship and continues to be a great gift and an honour to this day. It has given me a newfound confidence in my chemistry learning and future allowing me more opportunities to explore and eventually accomplish.

We all wish Annabel every success as she continues 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.

Elements in Danger!

On the evening of Thursday 24 September from 19h30 RSC Belgium presented its first ever webinar event. The subject was ‘Elements in Danger’ and our speaker was Professor David Cole-Hamilton, Past President of the European Chemical Society and Irvine Professor of Chemistry at the University of St. Andrews. The webinar was also the occasion for the announcement of our prizewinners in our 2020 Chemistry Challenge and this year’s winner of the coveted Keith Price Award.

The webinar was run via Microsoft Teams with our Chairman and master of ceremonies Bob Crichton in a seminar room at Universite Catholique Louvain with technical maestro Fabio Lucaccioni and Prof Cole-Hamilton (pictured below at a previous RSC Belgium event) 'broadcasting' from his home in St. Andrews.

A couple of rehearsals were arranged before the event itself to iron out any technical glitches and the systems worked well on the night. 

Elemental

As part of their contribution to the International Year of the Periodic Table, the European Chemical Society produced a new Periodic Table (see below).

It is an amazing thought that everything we see, touch, and smell is made up of only 90 building blocks: the 90 naturally occurring chemical elements. The new periodic table only displays those 90 elements + technetium and promethium.

The area occupied by each element relates to its abundance in the earth’s crust and in the atmosphere (on a log scale) and the colour indicates how long we shall be able to use these elements if we carry on as we are. Four elements are coloured black because they can come from mines where wars are fought over mineral rights.

31 of the elements are used in making smartphones (indicated by a phone symbol). All four conflict minerals are included amongst the elements in a phone and six will be dissipated within less than 100 years unless we do something.

Prof Cole-Hamilton presented the new Periodic Table and discussed selected elements with a view to understanding how we can continue to have the lifestyle we have and protect the 90 vital elements that make up our beautiful and diverse planet.

More details on the new Periodic Table including notes for teachers and learners, translations into most European languages and a link to a new Video Game 'Elemental Escapades - A Periodic Table Adventure' can be found at on the EuCheMS website.  

Revisit the webinar

The webinar was recorded using the Teams software and is now available to view whenever you want.

You can also access a copy of the powerpoint presentation used by Prof Cole-Hamilton here.