A new start on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme, in my first rotation in the Strategic Partnerships team

I have been at the Royal Society of Chemistry for just over a month now and it has been a very busy month! 
I was delighted when I found out that I had been selected for the Graduate Scheme and moving to Cambridge was pretty hectic but I found the people here extremely helpful. Especially the lovely Cambridge taxi drivers, who basically gave me guided tours along the way, with lots of helpful tips and advice about Cambridge!
 
Starting at the RSC was daunting, but everyone was very welcoming and supportive. I knew about the RSC somewhat as a former student member, but after working here it has been an eye opener as to the amount of effort and conscientious work that goes into the RSC’s activities in publishing, professional training and accreditation, charitable initiatives and in public policy.
 
The Strategic Partnerships team have been going through an immensely exciting time and have launched three new charitable funds in the UK, India and Africa, to support UK chemistry education, new education collaborations with India and science capacity in Africa. Our aim is to raise over £12 million by 2018.
 
The funds needed new webpages and an accompanying eye catching video to raise awareness, which is what I started working on at the start of my rotation. Having no experience in video editing; storyboarding and knitting together various clips was a challenge but was a great new experience! With the help and expertise of other departments and individuals such as the Design team and our Web- Editor, I learnt a lot and we launched the webpages for the new funds. Focussing and fine tuning our webpages and our video’s message really helped to improve my communication skills. 
 
Currently I am working on the new Strategic Partnership webpages and I am researching companies that the Strategic Partnerships team could work with in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility. These projects in particular and the previous ones above have given me a great sense of responsibility and satisfaction in seeing my work come to fruition.
 
Visiting Burlington House in Piccadilly, our London offices, is always an exciting experience and never ceases to charm me with its period features. Exploring the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly, the grand department stores and shops, on my Induction day was lovely!
 
The first weekend in Cambridge I helped out in the Cambridge Science Festival with the other lovely Graduates on the Graduate Scheme, which I really enjoyed. I was working on the traffic light stall which involved showing how oxygen affects the colour of indicators in solution. The looks on children’s faces when the solution turned bright colours encapsulates a part of what we as the RSC are trying to do- to get people excited and involved in the wonders of Chemistry!
 

Anu Daniel is a Graduate currently working in the Strategic Partnerships Team on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here