As a new face at the RSC, this is my first ever grad blog! I’ve already been to our offices at Burlington House in London, on recruitment visits, interviews, and even to a photography shoot.
Two months ago I had my first day at the RSC, like Isobel, in the
Member Services team. Slightly overwhelmed by the prospect of managing our
175 Faces of Chemistry project, I was wondering how I was ever going to sit at my desk for a whole day! Previously working in industry, I thought it would be hard to shake off my lab roots and I’d miss the occasional reflux, NMR and Suzuki reaction but I’ve enjoyed every single minute.
Not only have I had the pleasure to meet and write profiles for inspirational chemists (including my old lecturer, a textbook writer and jungle outreach worker to name but a few) but I’ve also attended the 20
th anniversary
CamAWISE event. Our past president Lesley Yellowlees talked about women in Chemistry as well as speakers from other STEM organisations. It was my first networking event and albeit scary at first, I found my inner confidence got into some fascinating discussions.
As part of the Graduate Scheme, I’ve also been involved on university recruitment visits to UEA, Liverpool and Bangor. Battling through the London underground with a pop up stand, a bag of lab goggles and a suitcase was certainly an unforgettable experience. The best thing was talking to students about how we can help with their studies and career opportunities through our
membership.
Recently, I’ve started working on
ChemNet, our online platform for 14 -18 year olds. Knowing nothing about HTML, coding or anything website related, I was over the moon when I was finally able to upload an event to the events page. I think I’ve got a long way before I’m a fully-fledged ChemNet user but I’m enjoying getting involved with the education side of the RSC. As of last week, I was also trained as a Librarian at Burlington House (and yes it does remind me of the
library in Beauty and the Beast!)
Within the next few months, I’m getting stuck in with 175 Faces of Chemistry, working on some exciting up and coming competitions for ChemNet as well as a group Grad Christmas Party fancy dress theme in my spare time! Watch this space; over and out.
Jenny is a Graduate currently working in the Member ServicesTeam on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here
As a new face at the RSC, this is my first ever grad blog! I’ve already been to our offices at Burlington House in London, on recruitment visits, interviews, and even to a photography shoot.
