These monthly newsletters aim to keep all member networks updated with news describing how to get involved, as well as information of relevant events, services and new initiatives from the RSC Networks team. If you require further information about any of the items in the newsletter, or have any comments or ideas for content please contact the Networks team.

Committee members and representatives are encouraged to disseminate this information, as appropriate, to colleagues and other members. E-alert request forms can be downloaded from the Useful Forms and Documents page. Up to date lists of members can be obtained by emailing the Networks Team.
 

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The February 2019 Networks Newsletter sees a special update from the Regions team about the Royal Society of Chemistry Education Coordinators and how they can support member networks. You can find your find your local Education Coordinator here.


From improving teacher confidence and recruiting the next generation of chemistry teachers to supporting outreach activities and forming connections, find out what our Regions Team is up to and how you can get involved.

The Regions Team works on the ground, connecting teachers, students, members, other partners and the general public with each other and the Royal Society of Chemistry to inspire and engage the next generation of chemical scientists.

Our Education Coordinators (ECs) play a key role in engaging teachers, education partners, and you, our members, with the Royal Society of Chemistry. Education Coordinators organise and contribute to a variety of activities to engage secondary school teachers of chemistry, from teacher conferences to industry site visits and smaller network meetings all advertised through regional newsletters. In addition, ECs introduce the RSC support available to trainee teachers and primary teachers at workshops and teacher sessions.

Education Coordinators also work closely with our local sections and members to support activities with schools including Top of the Bench and Schools’ Analyst Competition. They work with you to support local education funds and organise public outreach activities. If you are looking to find out more about a region, make contacts with schools, teachers or to find opportunities to get involved and volunteer at our outreach activities then your local Education Coordinator may be able to help.

In addition to the Education Coordinators, we have six Regional Programme Managers. The RPM’s role is to develop opportunities, foster partnerships and coordinate activities to help support regional priorities and deliver the RSC’s strategy across the UK and Ireland. RPMs also support RSC regional governance structures such as the RSC’s Regional Steering Groups and Regional Education Division Committees. RPMs share intelligence gathered from the Regions Team with colleagues and partners, and coordinate our work across the regions to ensure that key promotional messages are timely and consistent

In line with the RSC Education Strategy the main focus of the Regions Team is working with teachers, and the key areas that we support are:

 

  • Secondary teachers
    We aim to support retention and development of teachers of chemistry. We achieve this by engaging teachers with their local chemistry community such as universities, businesses and industry and by promoting our resources and CPD offering. A particular focus for 2019 and beyond is to develop our support for schools in our free Learn Chemistry Partnership programme and to provide targeted support to priority audiences such as early career teachers through a regional Secondary Teacher Engagement and Professional Support plan.
     

  • Potential teachers and trainee teachers
    We aim to increase the numbers of specialist chemistry teachers and support their professional development by introducing trainee chemistry teachers to the support available from the RSC by running bespoke sessions during their teacher training. We also promote teaching as a career and support the Department for Education Teacher Scholarship scheme in England and support probationer teachers in Scotland.
     

  • Primary teachers
    We aim to improve confidence of primary teachers to teach science (with a focus on chemistry). We achieve this by running workshops for primary science leaders to help them disseminate resources and ideas for teaching science in their schools, clusters of schools and RSC supported Primary Science Quality Mark hubs.

  • Members
    In addition to our work with teachers, the Regions Team works closely with members. We support regional member groups and structures such as local sections and Regional Steering groups.

As part of the RSC strategy to engage members as advocates, we offer opportunities to engage with schools and the public. The Regions team organises Outreach activities from attendance at Science and Technology Showcases for school-aged students to busking at train stations and stands at language, music and food festivals. Throughout 2018, 288 members participated at 37 events, engaging 14,734 members of the public with hands-on chemistry. These events are a fantastic opportunity for you to support our aims to increase the science capital within the population and provide a chance for you to develop skills and experience in delivering outreach.

If you would like to express an interest in volunteering at our Outreach events across the regions, you can contact the Education Coordinator in your region.

You can also meet members of the Regions Team and hear more about our work at our Regional Meetings; look out for further details about these events in upcoming newsletters.

Posted by Aurora Walshe on Jan 31, 2019 2:07 PM GMT
Dear all,

Welcome to the Networks Newsletter!

This Newsletter is to keep our member networks up to date with RSC activities, services and new initiatives; you are receiving the Newsletter as the role of network.

This month in the spotlight we have a special update from our Regions team about the Royal Society of Chemistry Education Coordinators and how they can support you and your members, and from Anna Aldred, our Public Engagement Officer, about International Year of the Periodic Table events and activities.

This month’s Newsletter contains:
 
  • Upcoming Administration Deadlines
  • Upcoming Events
  • Spotlight: Expanding our network across the regions
  • Spotlight: International Year of the Periodic Table
  • Communications from across the RSC
  • Latest updates on our policy work
As always, full-length articles will be published on the RSC Networks Newsletter blog.
 
 

Upcoming Administration Deadlines

8 February        Deadline for member network financial reports
12 February      Deadline for E-alerts going out on 21st February to additional networks
14 February      Deadline for E-alerts going out on 21st February
25 February      Deadline for member network Annual Reports
25 February      Deadline for application for Undergraduate Research Bursaries (students in UK or ROI only)
7 March            Registration deadline for ‘LCMS Training: A Hands On Approach’ courses in Kenya
 
 

Upcoming Events

18–20 February  Hot-electron science and microscopic processes in plasmonics and catalysis Faraday Discussion
26 February        EU Nationals Living in the UK Webinar
5 March              2019 RSC Twitter Poster Conference
25–27 March      Artificial photosynthesis Faraday Discussion
14 May               Investment Catalyst
3–5 July             Indo-UK Researcher Links Workshop on Waste Water Management, Chandigarh
8–11 July           14th International Conference on Materials Chemistry (MC14)
 
 

Spotlight: Expanding our network across the regions

From improving teacher confidence and recruiting the next generation of chemistry teachers to supporting outreach activities and forming connections, find out what our Regions Team is up to and how you can get involved.

Read the full article on the Networks Newsletter blog or find your local Education Coordinator here.


Spotlight: International Year of the Periodic Table

The International Year of the Periodic Table is now underway! The official IUPAC international launch, sponsored by the RSC, took place on 29th January in Paris. RSC CEO, Robert Parker took the stage to give one of the opening addresses, take a look at the RSC news pages to learn more about this prestigious event.

Read the full article on the Networks Newsletter blog or contact Anna at outreach@rsc.org with any comments or questions.
 
 

Communications from across the RSC

Here are updates about events and activities from our Outreach, Careers, Events, International, and Research & Innovation teams, as well as the Chemists’ Community Fund and RSC Publishing.


International Year of the Periodic Table digital resource pack now available
If you are planning activities for the International Year of the Periodic Table, you can find information about RSC IYPT grants and resources on rsc.li/iypt, and we’ve created an online digital resource pack to help you and your members celebrate #IYPT2019.


Undergraduate Research Bursaries applications open now – apply by 25 February
The Undergraduate Research Bursaries (http://rsc.li/undergraduate-bursaries) are now open for 2019 applications until noon 25 February, with a new increased value of £250 per week (£275 in London) for up to 8 weeks.

These research bursaries are to fund short (6-8 weeks) summer research projects for talented undergraduate chemical science students in the middle years of their course, based in the UK or ROI.

The purpose of the awards is to give experience of research to undergraduates with research potential and to encourage them to consider a career in scientific research.

For more information, please see the Undergraduate Research Bursaries webpage.


EU Nationals Living in the UK Webinar
Tuesday 26th February, 12.30-1.30pm

Hosted by Alex Russell, Principal Associate from Mills and Reeve LLP, this session will include a comprehensive overview of developments of the new settled status/pre-settled status applications, as well as common questions and difficult issues relating to this status. The session, which will include some time for questions, will also give members a brief overview of actions that members should consider now.

For more information, please visit the event website, or register for the webinar here.

Please share the details for this webinar with members in your network who may be affected.


Voice of the Future
Tuesday 12 March 2019, 8:00am, Houses of Parliament, London UK

Voice of the Future is an opportunity for scientists aged 18–35 to question the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, Ministers and other key figures in science in Parliament about science policy issues. Check out this video from last year to see how the event works.

We are inviting early career chemists to represent the Royal Society of Chemistry at the event or to submit questions. If you or a member of your network would like to take part, please email your question to policy@rsc.org by Friday 8th February and include their full name, date of birth, email address and occupation (e.g. PhD student at the University of Nottingham).

Please remember that the best questions are usually the most concise and should not be of a detailed scientific nature but relate to science and policy.

You’ll be able to follow and contribute to the Twitter feed using #VOF2019.


14th International Conference on Materials Chemistry (MC14)
8–11 July 2019, Birmingham, UK

The 'MC' conference series has been shining a spotlight on materials chemistry for two decades now, and is the flagship event of our Materials Chemistry Division.

We regularly reach an audience of more than 500 delegates. So if your work aligns with any of our key themes, don’t miss this chance to showcase your research in front of a large and engaged audience. 

Key themes:
 
  • Magnetic, Electronic & Optical Materials
  • Energy & Environment
  • Nanomaterials & Porous Materials
  • Soft Matter & Biomaterials
Abstract submission is now open. Secure your place by registering online now: rsc.li/mc14


Investment Catalyst
The Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) is running an event for chemical SMEs to pitch to angel investors on 14th May in London. If your company is looking for some investment, this could be the opportunity you were looking for.

Click here to fill in the pitch application form.

To be eligible to pitch, you need to be a member of EnterprisePlus, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s dedicated service to support UK SMEs. We support over 300 SMEs by providing access to expertise, knowledge, funding and talent to facilitate growth. It’s free to join and is a very quick application process. For more info about the service (including the application form), click here.


Hands on training in analytical techniques held across Africa throughout 2019
Applications are open for two training courses to enhance the capabilities of African scientists in modern analytical techniques:
 
  • ‘GCMS Training: A Hands On Approach’ courses will take place in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria throughout 2019.
  • ‘LCMS Training: A Hands On Approach’ courses will take place in Kenya on 1-5 July 2019 and 19-23 August 2019. Apply online by 7 March 2019.
These training courses are Pan Africa Chemistry Network workshops supported by GSK and will cover the practical aspects of Gas or Liquid Chromatography, method development, quantitative analysis and spectral interpretation.

To find out more and to apply, visit http://www.rsc.org/events/africa. There are only 15 spaces available per course, so don’t miss out!


Nanoscale Advances: the first issue is out now
We have published the first full issue of Nanoscale Advances, our new, gold open access journal for the nanoscience community published in collaboration with the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) in Beijing, China.

Nanoscale Advances joins our established nanoscience journals, Nanoscale and Nanoscale Horizons, to offer a venue for the publication of quality, reproducible new work that makes an important advance to the existing literature.

All papers published in the journal will always be free to access. We are waiving article processing charges for the first two years, so until mid-2021 the journal will be completely free to publish in for authors, as well as free to read.

Read issue 1 now


Energy & Environmental Science Readers’ Choice Lectureship
We are delighted to announce that Professor Guo-Liang Chai has been selected by the EES Editorial Board as the winner of the 2018 “Energy & Environmental Science Readers’ Choice Lectureship”. The Lectureship is awarded annually to one outstanding early career scientist (within 10 years of receiving their PhD) who has published in the journal. The winner is selected by the EES Editorial Board from a shortlist of authors of the most-read articles from each issue of EES in the previous year.

Find more updates from RSC Publishing on the journal blogs
 
 

Latest updates on our policy work

With a programme of activities spanning research funding, mobility of scientists, open access, chemicals regulation, teacher supply, curriculum and much more, our goal is to shape the development of policy relevant to the chemical sciences.

Read about some of this month’s activities here:
 

Thank you for reading the RSC Networks Newsletter blog; please feel free to encourage other members of your committee to read the newsletter online.

We welcome any feedback you have on what you would like included in this newsletter; please email any suggestions to networks@rsc.org.

Kind regards,

The Networks Team
Fiona, Aurora & Becky

 
Posted by Aurora Walshe on Jan 31, 2019 2:06 PM GMT
Dear all,

Welcome to the first edition of the Networks Newsletter for 2019 and happy International Year of the Periodic Table!

This month we have a special update about Royal Society of Chemistry activities for the International Year of the Periodic Table from Gemma Wood and an update about the RSC Publishing Author Experience Project from Journals Operations Manager Steve Wilkes.

This month’s Newsletter contains:
 
  • Upcoming Administration Deadlines
  • Upcoming Events
  • International Year of the Periodic Table – RSC activities and events
  • Member Network Updates
  • Communications from across the RSC


Upcoming Administration Deadlines

8 January          Deadline for E-alerts going out on 17 January to additional networks
10 January        Deadline for E-alerts going out on 17 January
14 January        Deadline for IYPT Grant applications
15 January        Close of nominations for 2019 RSC Prizes and Awards
29 January        Deadline for E-alerts going out on 7 February to additional networks
31 January        Deadline for E-alerts going out on 7 February
31 January        Deadline for March Chemistry World inserts
9 February        Deadline for member network financial reports
12 February      Deadline for E-alerts going out on 21 February to additional networks
14 February      Deadline for E-alerts going out on 21 February
25 February      Deadline for member network Annual Reports

 

Upcoming Events

29 January        Launch of the International Year of the Periodic Table
31 January        Retirement in Sight Workshop
18-20 February  Hot-electron science and microscopic processes in plasmonics and catalysis Faraday Discussion
5 March             2019 RSC Twitter Poster Conference
25-27 March      Artificial photosynthesis Faraday Discussion

 

International Year of the Periodic Table – RSC activities and events

A longer version of this article is available as a separate Networks blog article. Please contact Gemma and Anna at outreach@rsc.org with any comments or questions.

We’re excited to be leading the UK chemistry community’s contribution to the international IYPT celebrations headed by IUPAC and have a range of activities and initiatives lined up to celebrate this year.

We’re sponsoring the official IUPAC IYPT opening ceremony in January 2019 where our CEO, Dr Robert Parker will be giving one of the opening addresses. Throughout the year we’ll be hosting several activities including:
 
  • A periodic table themed exhibition in Burlington House, curated by Dr Peter Wothers (Cambridge University)
  • A series of high profile periodic table themed public lectures to be held across the UK
  • Joint public outreach activities including lectures and demonstrations and hosted in collaboration with other professional bodies and relevant partners
  • An IUPAC global women’s breakfast event hosted by our President, Dame Carol Robinson to showcase the RSC’s commitment to supporting women in the chemical sciences
  • A strand of policy work focussing on research and communication to inform public engagement and member activities on resource efficiency and scarcity of elements
  • Dedicated periodic table themed content in Chemistry World including guest editorials and dedicated monthly content focussing on element discovery
These activities represent just some of the work that is happening centrally to celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table. We’ll be updating you on specific events via the Networks Newsletter, Voice and Update and further information can be found online here: www.rsc.org/IYPT
Our new Public Engagement Officer, Anna Aldred, has recently joined the Member Communities team to support our IYPT activities and will be in touch in the near future with additional information. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email outreach@rsc.org if you have any questions.

 

Member Network Updates

Member Network Conference outputs
A summary of discussions and sessions from this year’s Member Networks Conference in Liverpool is available on the Useful Forms and Documents page.

The Diversity team have also published some Guides for networks to support member networks.


IYPT promotional materials in the Brand Centre
There are now promotional items branded with the ‘Celebrating International year of the periodic table’ logo available in the Brand Centre and we would encourage these to be used through 2019. If you have any questions or would like any further information please contact caps@rsc.org.
More information about the Brand Centre – including a user guide and FAQs – can be found on our Useful Forms and Documents page.


Chemists’ Community Fund now in the Brand Centre
Members can now order Chemists’ Community Fund leaflets and postcards from the Brand Centre to help promote the Fund and its services within your community. The newly launched postcards contain information on: Advice Services and Legal Information, Careers and Employment, Coping with Bereavement, Financial Support and Information, Health and Wellbeing and Support From Local Members, whereas the leaflet contains general information.
 
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Communications from across the RSC

Outreach community – call for expressions of interest
We want to support our members who are involved and interested in Outreach and are looking to get your views on what this could look like. If you would be interested in being a part of this community then get in touch with us by Thursday 31 January by going to https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CFZCY6D.

Any RSC member who has an interest in science outreach is invited to register their interest using the above web link to be kept informed of updates and will be able to help support us to shape what an RSC outreach community could look like. Please also pass this on to members who you feel would be interested but may not have heard about it.


Volunteer recognition
Over 2000 members volunteer their time to support our initiatives, from sitting on committees to going out into the community and delivering outreach. We want to make sure that we are recognising our volunteers for what they do and are keen to hear from all of our community on how we could do this better. Whether you are an RSC volunteer or not we would love to hear your thoughts on recognition and would like to invite you to complete a short survey that can help us ensure that our volunteers are appreciated at all levels.

To share your opinion please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3YNQXJV by Thursday 31 January.


RSC Publishing Author Experience Project – call for user testing and focus groups
The Author Experience (AX) project is a multi-year strategic initiative, being run by the RSC to address challenges our authors face from new Open Access initiatives (e.g., cOAlition S), piracy sites and questions about the industry business model. In an Open Access world, our customers are not institutions subscribing to our journals, but instead it’s the author paying us money in the form of the Article Processing Charge (APC). And those individual authors are used to the customer service and online experience of the likes of Apple, Google and Amazon.

We have started a six month pilot, aiming to move the needle on some key metrics in our flagship journal, Chemical Science. Between November 2018 and April 2019, the pilot team have an ambitious roadmap to address the length of time submission takes (currently an average of 1h 49min) and the volume of status enquiries (by providing visibility of where the article is in the publishing process).

We’ll also be centralising other customer interactions for Chemical Science so that we can improve visibility and data collection on author pain-points. Then, through the bigger AX project, we will tackle frustrations through the whole publishing journey taking an Agile, iterative approach to development that directly relates to our AX project vision to deliver a “researcher-led publishing experience through services that simplify and enhance the communication of the chemical sciences”.

We’ve started taking prototypes of our ideas out to real academics for their feedback; any member interested in participating in the AX project through user testing or focus groups can contact Steve Wilkes at ax@rsc.org.


2019 RSC Twitter Poster Conference (#RSCPoster)

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#RSCPoster is back! An online event held entirely over Twitter, #RSCPoster brings members of the scientific research community together to share their research, network and engage in scientific debate. The 2019 RSC Twitter Poster Conference will be live for 24 hours, beginning 09:00 GMT Tuesday 5 March 2019.

Find out more and get involved at rsc.li/rsc-poster-2019 or contact RSCPoster@rsc.org.


Thinking about your career goals for 2019?
It’s always a good time to think about developing your skills or planning your career. Our career management team are here to support you and your career, wherever it may take you. Our qualified Career Specialists will be visiting Sheffield, Oxford, Swansea, Nottingham, Belfast, Bath, Dundee, Aberdeen and Brighton during spring 2019. Book online now or email the team to arrange a remote appointment or find out how we can support you.


2019 ChemCareers webinar programme launched
This year we are covering a wide range of topics starting with our teacher scholar scheme on 16 January. We will also be looking at careers in science policy, how you can meet each Chartered Chemist attribute, how to develop your teaching career, transitioning from Academia and managing your profession development. This year promises to be an exciting year.

See the full programme and register for our free webinar series now.

 

Thank you for reading the RSC Networks Newsletter blog; please encourage other members of your committee to read the Newsletter online.

We will be making changes to the Networks Newsletter in the coming months and we welcome any feedback or suggestions you have for content or format; please email any suggestions to networks@rsc.org.

Kind regards,

The Networks Team
Fiona, Aurora & Becky
Posted by Aurora Walshe on Jan 7, 2019 12:00 PM GMT
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