Royal Society of Chemistry
ANNUAL Local Section REPORT FOR 2010
Thames Valley Section Trust
The charitable status of the RSC means that it must ensure that its funds are used for the purposes outlined in its charter. As
such it is essential that we monitor the activities of the Local Sections. There are 35 Local Sections throughout the United
Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Each has its own programme of activities, which typically cover the following themes:

Scientific lectures

Public lectures

Schools demonstrations

Social activities
The report below builds on the Section's Annual Report for 2010 to RSC HQ. It was a collaborative effort with strong input from
Dave Knox, Ellen Norman, John White and John Oversby. I believe we can claim to be Advancing the Chemical Sciences and
meeting the needs of the whole range of our members. I am most grateful to all committee members for their helpful and
insightful input.
The Society’s general membership shows a slight increase. I have not collated figures from the Section this year but presume
that it shows a similar pattern as previously. I will report more specifically on membership figures next year.
I have also attended the Committee for Local Sections (CLS) on behalf of the Section. Business has followed traditional formats of
updates on the Society’s activities at regional, national and international levels. We have been able to share experiences, and to
discuss fully proposals for governance changes. The latter involve greater regionalisation in terms of reporting and
accountability, providing greater depth of discussion in a smaller meeting than the whole CLS or the General Assembly. I have
supported these moves in these meetings. Some members, including the Chair and Secretary, have attended Regional Meetings,
where the discussions have included a wide range of issues.
The Secretary is also Chair of the South East Education Committee, which meets three times a year to share news and
experiences of activities in the 4 component Sections, and to plan collaborative activities such as competitions.
You committee is very strong and active, with enough members to share the responsibilities of voluntary work. We now have a
new Benevolent Fund Representative, Dr Dave Matkin, and two new accredited visitors. The education work has again reverted
to our Past Chair, Dr John White, as family responsibilities curtailed the input from a committee colleague. John has maintained a
good education programme, as he did last year. We will seek for a new committee member to take on some of the education
work.
Dr John Oversby: Honorary Secretary. Email j.p.oversby@reading.ac.uk Phone 07888738595
RSC Local Section Committee Membership
Chair
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer
Ordinary Members
Co-opted members and
their affiliation
Dr Ellen Norman
Dr John Oversby
Dr Dominic Ehrismann
Dr Bryan Pierce (Honorary President)
Mr David Knox
Dr John White (Immediate Past Chair)
Dr Caroline Foulkes
Dr Tuan Ly
Mrs Rameya Arulanantham
Dr Victoria Smith
Dr David Matkin
Dr Kevin Langley
Dr Pauline Gavan
Dr Aldo Guiducci
Ms Louise Audoire
Dr Michael Jenkins
Prof. Russel Egdell
Dr Ghulam Shabir
Dr Neil Maxted
Dr James Robinson
Oxford University: Prof. Russell Egdell
Reading University:
Oxford Brookes University: Dr Ghulam Shabir
Prof Graham Richards, ex-officio
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012
2010 –
2008 – 2011
– present
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2011
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012
2009 – 2012 (Abroad)
2008 – 2011
2009 – 2011
2009 – 2011
2010 – 2012
2010 – 2012 (left committee)
2010 – 2010 (left committee)
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Royal Society of Chemistry
ANNUAL Local Section REPORT FOR 2010
Thames Valley Section Trust
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN IN 2010
Please report the programme of activities undertaken by the Local Section in 2010. If you have more detailed information about any particularly
successful events, or advice for other Local Sections you may use a separate sheet. For more events continue as necessary on the next page.
Event 1
The Healing Property of
Plants
Date
Venue
Number of attendees
& type of audience –
industrialists,
academics, students…
How was event
publicised (before and
after event)?
What type of
event was this –
23-Feb-10
Not recorded
Not recorded
Before
RSC News.
Lecture.
Any other comments?
After
Thames Valley website
Event 2
Annual Guest Evening – Prof.
Robin Wilson ‘Lewis Carroll
in Numberland’
23-Apr-10
Event 3
Mixer meeting
14-Sep-10
Johnson Matthey
Technology Centre,
Blount’s Court,
Sonning Common,
Reading
Older members.
Number not
recorded but around
30
Before
RSC News.
3B’s Bar & Cafe,
Reading
Mainly industrialist,
some academics.
Number not
recorded but around
30.
Before
RSC News, emails.
Lecture, meal,
networking.
After
Thames Valley website
Networking,
Social.
Very successful in
meeting new
members.
After
Thames Valley
website.
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Royal Society of Chemistry
Event 4
Aston Pottery
Event 5
Annual Dinner. Guest
speaker – Prof. Tim Softley
Event 6
Xmas Lecture – ‘The Magic of
Oxygen’
ANNUAL Local Section REPORT FOR 2010
Thames Valley Section Trust
Date
Venue
Number of attendees &
type of audience –
industrialists, academics,
students…
How was event publicised
(before and after event)?
What type of
event was this
Any other comments?
29-Sep-10
Aston Pottery
Retired Members.
Number not
recorded but around
15.
Before
RSC News.
Networking,
Social.
Included cream teas in
café afterwards.
Number not
recorded but around
50, including all
types and ages and
guest.
Before
RSC News.
Networking,
social.
An excellent social
evening.
Lecture,
educational.
This fun, explosive and
well attended lecture
was presented by Mike
Batham and Rob James
(Open University).
Competition,
educational.
Crystal Garden
Competition - the Phil
Smith Trophy goes to
Didcot Girls School for
growing the best crystal
garden.
22-Oct-10
9-Dec-10
St Hugh’s College,
University of Oxford.
After
Thames Valley website
After
Thames Valley website
Before
Inorganic Chemistry School pupils,
families.
Number
not
RSC News. Emails.
Laboratory at Oxford
recorded.
University.
After
Thames Valley website
The Phil Smith Trophy 2010
Secondary school.
Number not
recorded but around
60, including staff
and pupils.
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Royal Society of Chemistry
ANNUAL Local Section REPORT FOR 2010
Thames Valley Section Trust
Also within the Thames Valley – a RSC Landmark Award presented on 30-Nov-10.
Oxford University's Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
Oxford University's Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory was awarded an RSC Chemical Landmark on 30th November 2010 to mark 30 years since
the research that led to the development of the lithium-ion battery was published. The lithium-ion battery is now one of the world's most
popular rechargeable batteries and is used to power many essential everyday technologies such as mobile phones and laptops. The first
commerical lithium-ion battery was manufactured by Sony, but researchers John B Goodenough, Philip Wiseman, Koichi Mizushima and Philip
Jones at Oxford University, are widely recognised as the technology's 'discoverers'.
For more information please visit out webpages at:
http://www.rsc.org/Membership/Networking/LocalSections/ThamesValley/
or
Google: “RSC Thames Valley”
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