RSC Education award for Dr David Wright


Dr David Wright, chemistry lecturer on the International Foundation Year, has been awarded the 2012 Royal Society of Chemistry Schools Education Award for his enthusiasm, commitment and inspiration in sharing his love of chemistry with students, teachers and technicians leading to an increased understanding of the subject.

David has taught students in the Department for two years and was until recently chemistry teacher at the local Kendrick girls’ school. 

 

 
David states: 

‘I  am surprised but honoured and delighted  to receive this award.  I taught Chemistry in schools for many years, and  after my retirement from Kendrick School I joined the International Foundation Programme at the University of Reading, teaching  Chemistry to students from a wide range of countries. I really enjoy working with students from many different cultures and backgrounds, and sharing my enthusiasm for the subject with them.  It is also a pleasure to work with colleagues both in IFP and in the University of Reading  Chemistry Department, on whose expertise I often draw whilst teaching the Foundation course.’

This is the third RSC Education award won by staff at Reading in the past 3 years.

Professor Mills awarded “SUNAMCO” Medal of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics

Ian Mills FRS, Professor Emeritus in Chemistry, has been awarded the “SUNAMCO” mdeal of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. This award is for Ian’s work over the past fifteen years to re-define the standard units of measurement (the “SI” system) in terms of fundamental constants of nature such as Planck’s constant, rather than by reference to man-made artifacts such as the “standard kilogram”. The medal was presented to Ian last week at conference in Washington D.C.

Ian is President of the Consultative Committee for Units of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, based near Paris. The new approach to defining units such as the kilogram, the mole and the ampere was recently and unanimously approved by the international Conference on Weights and Measures.

Undergraduates get involved in research

Welcome to our third year undergraduates Daniel Cook (centre) and Patrick McIntyre (second left) who started recently as vacation students with Professor Christine Cardin (left) and Dr John Brazier, of the School of Pharmacy (right). The studentships are funded by UROP and by EPSRC, and the students will be following up Professor Cardin’s recent Nature Chemistry paper on ruthenium ‘light-switch’ complexes binding to DNA.

Class of 2012: Graduation and Prizes

On the 5th July, our Final Year MChem and BSc Students attended their graduation ceremony at the Great Hall, London Road, followed afterwards by a reception held in the Chemistry Department.  There was also a prize giving ceremony to recognise the students who have excelled during the course of their studies.

Pradip Songara receiving the Paul Holt Prize

 

Several students received awards:Pradip Songara received the Paul Holt Prize for the Top Student in Organic Chemistry.  Russell Balster received the CEMAS Prize for the Most Improved Chemistry Student and Becky Swanston received the INCO Prize for the top Student in Inorganic Chemistry.

 

 

Prizes were also awarded for the Top Student in Physical Chemistry. The Edward Guggenheim Prize which went to Gavin Chiu and the Paul Beswick Memorial Prize for Best Performance in MSc in Chemical Research which went to Claire Boyles.  

Becky Swanston receives the INCO Prize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The academic and technical staff congratulate our new graduates on their success and wish them good luck in their future careers.

Russell Balster receives the Most Improved Chemistry Student Prize