From plotting pictures of cows on a Google map, to writing the facts about nanomaterials, to organising events at the Chemistry Centre, my first few months on the grad scheme have been incredibly varied.

My first rotation is in the Higher Education, Industry and Regulations department (each rotation is six months). The graduate scheme gets you involved in as many areas of your rotation as possible – so I’ve found out about the RSC’s work with SMEs (small and medium enterprises), displayed data and highlighted trends in higher education, recently enjoyed the RSC’s Emerging Technologies competition final, and the list goes on…
My newest project is more involved with the regulations side. I’ve started writing one of the “why do we worry about ” notes on the website, designed to inform non-science specialists about potentially concerning topics that often appear in the media. Aside from being a fascinating subject in itself, I’m also enjoying the genre-change, having recently been plotting lots of graphs for Higher Education presentations. The variety is one of the highlights of the job.
 
There’s also the opportunity to find out about other departments. Graduates meet up every week to discuss what we’ve been working on over tea and cake. This has been a great way to find out more about the rest of the organisation, and make links between other’s projects and your own. We also meet up for lunch with the publishing graduates regularly. The RSC-wide sports and social club provides a way to get to know others in the organisation, and learn skills from sushi making to squash (although after nearly four months at the RSC, my squash ability is sadly still minimal!)
 
I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few months of this rotation will bring. I joined after uni (grads can join at any time – it’s fine to have worked in-between), and would thoroughly recommend the scheme for anyone looking to explore different career areas in the chemical sciences. (And, if you were still wondering, the cows were on a Google map of locations of agricultural chemistry-based SMEs).
 

Jenifer is a Graduate currently working in the Higher Education, Industry and Regulations Team on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here.