Royal Society of Chemistry
ANNUAL RSC GROUP REPORT FOR 2012
RSC Groups are asked to complete this form and return it to:
Interest Group - interestgroups@rsc.org
Local Sections – networks@rsc.org
GROUP NAME
Submitted by
Signed (may be signed
electronically)
Date
Thames Valley Local Section
Dr John Oversby (Secretary)
John Oversby
28 February 2013
Please list below the dates of your proposed AGM and Committee Meetings for 2012 (where
applicable).
Annual General Meeting 2013 (if being held)
Date: 19th March 2013
Venue: Reading University, Chemistry Department
Proposed Committee Meetings Dates 2013:
The next committee meeting is being held on 5th March 2013. Future dates are decided on a
meeting by meeting basis.
FINAL ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2012
Please attach a copy of the financial report you have sent to the RSC Finance
Department
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ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN IN 2012 - Events
Please attach any meeting reports, newsletters or other reports which are
relevant
Please report below on activities undertaken by the Group in the past year. If you have more detailed
information about any particularly successful events, or advice for other Groups please use a separate
sheet. For more events continue as necessary.
http://www.rsc.org/Membership/Networking/LocalSections/ThamesValley/TVPreviousEvents2012.asp
AGM & Lecture (20th March 2012)
This year’s AGM was held at the University of Reading within the Chemistry
Department. The evening included an opportunity to speak to other members and
the local section committee over a free buffet dinner. This was followed by the
AGM, and then the lecture-demonstration given by Prof. Howard Colquhoun
(University of Reading), titled 'Our Light Materials'. The lecture covered the
discovery and development of many well-known materials such as Nylon and
Kevlar®.
Annual Guest Evening 2012 - Food and Beer (11th May 2012)
This year's Annual Guest Evening, where RSC members
bring along friends, colleagues and family, was focused
on how different beers compliment food. Our Guest
Speaker Dr Debbie Parker provided a fantastic and
insightful discussion on how the variety and diversity in the
flavour of beer can be used to compliment any meal. Of
course, the only way to fully appreciate the theory was with
a little practical testing! The event was kindly
hosted by Johnson Matthey Technology Centre - located
at Blounts Court, Sonning Common, Reading.
enGENEious Conference (25-26th June 2012)
The RSC Thames Valley Local Section sponsored a student and post-doc organised conference held at
Christ Church, Oxford. RSC members received a discounted registration fee of only £115, instead of
£145. In this meeting the world's leading scientists were invited to highlight the recent advances in
microbial engineering, along with discussions on the challenges and future directions in the field. One
aim was for young investigators and scientists to ask how to piece together knowledge of chemistry and
biology to participate in this field.
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Careers/CChem - Presentation/Networking Event (3rd July 2012)
A careers event was held at Rewley House, Oxford, for
members and their guests to learn more about the RSC,
CChem status, CPD and an opportunity to meet other scientists
in the Thames Valley area.
Presentations were given by three RSC members currently
working towards CChem, including the role of Chemistry in their
work and what CChem meant to them and their career. A wide
range of Chemistry roles was covered - Nuclear
Decommissioning, Glycobiology and Environmental Chemistry.
Charlotte Ashley-Roberts (RSC Careers) also gave a
presentation on getting the most out of your CPD, who would
have thought flower arranging could be included as CPD?
Andrea McGhee (RSC Professional Standards Specialist) and Charlotte were on hand for one-to-one
discussion, and several attendees went away planning to register for CChem!
Annual Dinner 2012 (7th September 2012)
This years Annual Dinner was held at New
College, University of Oxford, and was
attended by 36 members and their guests.
The evening included: a drinks reception;
guided tour of the College; three course meal
with coffee and wine; and our after dinner
guest speaker - Professor Stephen Davies
(Waynflete Professor of Chemistry, Oxford).
Retired Members visit to The Living Rainforest (26th September 2012)
18 Retired Members enjoyed a guided tour of The Living
Rainforest, followed by tea and cakes.
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Reading Mixer Meeting (2nd October 2012)
*** Centrally organiwed by RSC HQ ***
This year's Reading Mixer Meeting was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Reading. These meetings are
informal events which encourage members within the Thames Valley local area to network with one
another. They offer an ideal opportunity to introduce non-members to the RSC, and bring many
organisations and institutions together. The meeting was very informal and a buffet was provided along
with wine, beer and soft drinks.
This meeting was also preceded by an 'Industry Hour' which included a short presentation by a local
member from industry. The aim was to give students and early career members a chance to learn about
the variety of jobs there are in chemistry, and act as an introduction to a local employer.
Retired Members Pub Lunches (May-October 2012)
This year has seen yet another fantastic turn out at the Retired Members Pub Lunches, with one in
three members who were invited accepting their invitation. The lunches were held across the Thames
Valley section, following the theme of 'by the river'. 60 Retired Members in total enjoyed lunches at the
following venues:
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17May - Banbury, Olde Reindeer (8)
30May - Henley, Little Angel (7)
14Jun - Oxford, Victoria Arms (4)
27Jun - Abingdon, Old Anchor Inn (11)
12Jul - Newbury, Lock Stock and Barrel (5)
25Jul - Pangbourne, The Swan (4)
16Aug - Sherfield on Loddon, Longbridge Mill (7)
13Sep - Wantage, The Lamb (5)
11Oct - Wargrave, St George & Dragon (1)
24Oct - Boulter’s Lock, Terrace Bar (8)
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Joint Lecture: 'Blood Sugar Sensors Monitoring Diabetes: Electrochemistry and Enzymes put to a Useful
Purpose' by Prof. Allen Hill and Prof. Tony Cass (31st October 2012)
Joint lecture held with the 'Society of Biology
Thames Valley Branch'. Following the RSC
Landmark Award awarded earlier this year for
the research into the Blood Sugar Sensor;
Prof. Allen Hill and Prof. Tony Cass both
provided excellent talks on the research,
development and future of these sensors,
which are used by millions of diabetics every
year. The lectures were preceded by a free
buffet dinner and drinks, which provided
members of both the SoB and RSC an
opportunity to socialise together. Over 30
members attended this event.
Chemistry Challenge 2012, Thames Valley Heats (November 2012)
The Thames Valley section heats for the Chemistry Challenge 2012 saw 22 entries from 7 schools. The
heats were run as a postal quiz, the results of which showed some interesting gaps in knowledge
(materials used in the construction of a car) and some amusing answers - an element which shares its
name with a London theatre - the intended answer was the 'Palladium', one entry gave: 'O2'.
- 1st place: ‘Team 1’ from Headington School, scoring 59/70.
- 2nd place: ‘Team 2’ from Headington School, scoring 58.5/70.
- 3rd place: ‘Team 5’ from Cherwell School, scoring 55/70.
Top of the Bench 2012, Thames Valley Heats (6th December 2012)
The year's local section heats for the Top of the Bench competition was held at the Physical and
Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford.
The competition is aimed at 14-16 year olds, who form teams of 4 comprising 2x Year 9 students, 1x
Year 10, and 1x Year 11.
The challenge was to construct a chemical timing device to switch off a torch bulb at a specified time
(4:00:00 PM), as set out in the instructions (in the attached file). All teams successfully completed the
experiment to construct a chemical based timing device, the best three being within one minute of the
target time! The afternoon proved a valuable team-building exercise for the different Years taking part.
The results were:
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1st place: Wallingford School, 3:59:30 PM,
2nd place: Abingdon School, 3:59:15 PM,
3rd place: Wellington College, 4:00:50 PM.
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ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN IN 2012 – Awards and Bursaries
SCIENTIFIC MEETING SCHEDULE 2013
Please report below on activities proposed for 2013. For more events continue as necessary
Event Name
Events in 2013 are under discussion or arrangement. Details will appear on the Thames
Valley Web site, as is normal. See below.
Comments
Other information/comments:
For Newsletters, Committee Meeting Minutes, and previous Annual Reports please visit:
http://www.rsc.org/Membership/Networking/LocalSections/ThamesValley/TVDownloads
.asp
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RSC Group Committee Membership
(this information will be used to update the RSC membership database and your RSC Group web page
where appropriate)
Position
Name
Chair
Mr David Knox
(Younger Members Rep)
Secretary
Dr John Oversby
Treasurer
Dr David Matkin
Dr Bryan Pierce
(Honorary President)
Dr Ellen Norman
(Immediate Past Chair)
Dr Tuan Ly
(Vice-Chairman)
Dr Victoria Smith
(Vice-Chairman)
Ordinary
Members
Dr Pauline Gavan
(Benevolent Fund Rep)
Dr John White
Dr Michael Jenkins
Mrs Rameya Arulanantham
Co-opted
members and
their affiliation
Committee Expertise
(e.g. sensor
technology, food
science, Education,
European legislation)
spectroscopy,
nuclear, materials
ageing.
Chemical education,
teacher education,
climate change
education, history and
philosophy I science
teaching
Dates elected to
committee position
(20xx – 20xx)
[Date first joined the
committee]
2012 – 2014
[2008]
2012 – 2014
[1992]
2012 – 2014
2010 (Indeterminate)
Investigative analytical
chemistry
Research Scientist:
Crystallisation,
Ultrasonic and
Analytical Chemistry
synthetic and physical
organic chemistry
Forensic Scientist for
37 years, specialising
of late in chemical
trace evidence
2012 – 2014
[2008]
2012 - 2014
[2010]
2012 – 2014
[2010]
2012 – 2014
[2010]
2012 – 2014
[1990s]
2011 – 2013
[1996]
2012 – 2014
[2010]
Prof. Russel Egdell
(Oxford University)
Dr Ghulam Shabir
(Oxford Brookes University)
Prof Graham Richards
(ex-officio)
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