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Over a month into the graduate scheme and I'm enjoying being responsible for projects at the forefront of RSC strategy.

I joined the graduate scheme at the beginning of September not as a fresh graduate but as a science teacher looking to make an impact on the wider scientific community.  My first rotation was a new one for the graduate scheme and so far I’ve loved being the guinea pig.  I am based within Membership in the Accreditation and Qualifications team; a team that focuses on accrediting university degrees and company training schemes in the UK and abroad, and awarding professional recognition to those working in the chemical sciences. 

My current projects are related to the promotion of the new professional registers for science technicians and the accreditation of more apprenticeship schemes.  These are closely linked to one of the RSC’s strategic priorities, “To cultivate skills and knowledge in the chemical sciences”, and if there’s one thing to note about the graduate scheme it is that you are given high impact projects from day one.

With the RSC based in Cambridge and London there are plenty of opportunities to be whisked down to the capital.  On day 2 I found myself in London attending a meeting with staff from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and five educational awarding bodies to discuss one of the projects I would be involved in; a daunting prospect but also an amazing opportunity to see how influential the work of the RSC can be.  On day 4 I was at Burlington House in Piccadilly for our induction day: a chance to find out about the vision and aims of the RSC, the work of its different teams, and the impact it is having globally.  And there are opportunities to travel further afield too; I have been all over the country visiting universities, colleges and even the company responsible for creating the fake chocolate in the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!

Lastly, one of the RSC’s biggest assets is the feeling of community it promotes. Staff at every level are approachable and willing to help, there is always cake to be shared, everybody is welcome to sing in the RSC choir (if that tickles your fancy) and you will often see groups of RSC employees enjoying a leisurely lunchtime stroll (or run!) around the science park.

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Charlotte Still is a Graduate working in the Membership Accreditation and Qualifications team on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme.  To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC graduate scheme click here.

My second rotation in Membership Services has been an enjoyable insight into our community; through working with the Diversity, Careers and Networks teams, I now have a much deeper understanding of the needs of our members and what services we provide to meet them.
 


Alongside producing the monthly Networks Newsletters, in this rotation I coordinated the 40^th edition of the Trends in Remuneration Survey and worked on all aspects of 175 Faces of Chemistry - an exciting project that showcases diversity in the chemical sciences. I’ve written many profiles and discovered that it’s a fantastic way of learning about the work of outstanding chemists and is a true insight into their lives, career paths and diversity related issues.
 
I also worked on an exciting creative project in partnership with a lovely team of developers at Texavi. I’m very happy to say that my nutritional game idea was released earlier this year as a new mobile and tablet application, Elements of Nutrition! (Let me know if you can beat my top score of 1460!) I’m now continuing my work in the science games world on a new release in time for Chemistry week, better get your pirate hats at the ready for some swashbuckling fun!

Emily James is a Graduate working on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here

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With just three short days left (boohoo) in the Communications team until I start my rotation in the Strategic Innovation Group, I thought that I would share with you a brief overview of the Communications team and my highlights of the rotation.

The Communications team falls within the Communications, Policy and Campaigns directorate at the RSC. The team works closely alongside the Media and Government Affairs teams - areas that I also previously knew little about - it has been an added bonus to gain an insight into the work they do!

The work of the Communications team ranges from public outreach activities and planning the RSC’s social media strategy, to communicating with our members through RSC News and Grapevine. They also provide support to other colleagues with policy reports, speeches and brand related issues.

Therefore, as part of my rotation I was given a ‘Speechwriting 101’ lesson, and have since written several speeches for members of the leadership team and past RSC Presidents. Speechwriting is a skill unlike anything I have ever done before, and it was a chance to write in a flamboyant and exaggerated manner – something that was at first a challenge, but really fun to do!

I have also had the opportunity to work closely with the editors of RSC News, contributing to several issues of the magazine. I interviewed people for ‘Profile’ articles and researched and wrote a feature about the chemistry of space!
Public engagement has also been one of my favourite parts of the rotation. Every couple of weeks I work in our London office – which in itself is lovely and very exciting to work in London! It is also a chance to get to know our London colleagues.

Every month we put on public lectures at our Chemistry Centre, and I have volunteered at quite a few. My favourite speaker was Paolo Belluti – he is part of the team at NASA who drives the Mars Rover Curiosity.  You can catch up on all these lectures online!

From my rotation I have also gained experience in project managing – I was the project manager of a team of four responsible for organising the internal launch of our refreshed brand. Seven weeks of creative brainstorming, crazy logistics and a task list of over one hundred items resulted in the best day I have ever had at work (and four free ice creams!).

 

I am currently just under a month away from the end of rotation number 2 and, I have to admit, I will be sad to leave the Science team.

Science was a team I had my eye on from the very start of the graduate scheme and the rotation hasn’t disappointed. I have been involved in diverse projects working in science policy, event and competition management and promotion, and on a large scale campaign lobbying Government to increase and protect science funding.
 
Writing summaries for some of our excellent policy reports in areas like Human Health and Disease, and Solar fuels and Artificial Photosynthesis, gave me a valuable insight into science policy writing. The project required me to look at each report in-depth and work with the report authors which also gave me a greater understanding of some extremely interesting and globally important science and research.
 
Real responsibility has also been a recurring theme: as part of the Chemistry: We Mean Business campaign to influence Government’s decisions on science funding, I have been a core project team member responsible for co-ordinating the team in all work streams. Last month I met with a Labour MP and BIS Select Committee member to convince her of the value of our campaign and discuss other work the RSC does that was of interest to her. Most recently I took the lead in producing an infographic to promote the campaign in ModernGov magazine, a publication for director-level decision-makers across Government and the public sector (so no pressure!).
 
I am also working on our Take 1…minute for chemistry in health video competition, that challenged young researchers to explain how chemical scientists can tackle global challenges in human health to the public. I worked on the initial project set up and then the promotion of the competition during the entry stage, learning a lot about social media and other marketing tools. I have since taken ownership of the promotion for the RSC Organic Division Poster Symposium  using the knowledge I gained from the competition, as well as learning about trackable links and Google Analytics to monitor the efficacy of your promotional tools.
 
Now, for Take 1…, we are waiting for the judges to shortlist the top 5 videos before the voting gets under way so watch this space and the website to vote for your favourite!

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On Tuesday evening, we were part of a fantastic event; the annual Royal Society of Chemistry's Summer Party, held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London


Equipped with essential oils, the Queen’s perfume, Adamas, and a ‘danger pot’ containing the vile smelling butanoic acid (think fish mixed with vomit and an added dollop of disgusting), we were ready to entertain guests prior to their entry to the Royal Academy of Arts with an activity named Chemistry makes scents. Those who were brave enough to take part had a chance of winning a bottle of Champagne and a bouquet of flowers.

Guests were asked to smell the contents of the pots and match up the molecule that contributes to each smell to their corresponding molymod molecular structure – adding an element of chemistry to the whole affair. We had a lot of guests taking part in the activity, and they really enjoyed it. That was despite gusts of wind threatening to overturn the table, and having to take strict control of the Queen’s perfume or risk ending up in the Tower (when donating the perfume to the Queen the RSC promised that no one would wear the perfume but her)!

After finishing work, we quickly changed into our ball gowns, and had the opportunity to browse the Summer Exhibition, eat delicious food and socialise with RSC members and distinguished guests.

It was truly a night to remember!

Top photo: RSC Grads (from left to right: Rachel, Emily, Jenny, Marie and Jon) with External Promotions Manager   Pauline outside the Royal Academy of Arts

Bottom photo: To the ball we go! (From left to right: Rachel, Jon, Emily, Marie and Jen.)











 




 

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Nearly five months into my time as an RSC graduate and I am thoroughly enjoying my time working in the Strategic & Commercial Partnerships team.
 
I joined the Royal Society of Chemistry at the beginning of March, with my first rotation in an area of which I had relatively little prior knowledge. On day one, I was thrown straight into the deep- end by attending a team planning day; a brilliant chance to meet all of those that I would be working closely with over the next six months.

From managing a breakfast event for a number of trusts & foundations to writing application proposals for funding, my day-to-day work has thus far been very varied and very satisfying. The RSC expects graduates that are hired to undertake ‘real’ work with ‘real’ implications and although this can initially feel overwhelming, team- members, fellow-graduates and just about everyone else in the organisation are always willing to help!

Away from my team, there has been ample opportunity to get involved in many other events and learn more about the great work that is carried out by my colleagues. For example, I have volunteered for a number of our Public Lectures held at the Chemistry Centre in Burlington House, worked at our fantastic Meet the Universities event and written a book review to be printed in our monthly magazine Chemistry World.

Cambridge is a city with which I was fairly unfamiliar prior to applying to the RSC but I have settled in brilliantly, thanks in no small part to the active Sports and Social Club. I have joined the squash ladder and also play football regularly. Not long ago, I had my first ever attempts at both bouldering (something that my arms were feeling for the following week) and sushi- making, and next week I am looking forward to taking on some of my fellow colleagues at go-karting!

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Jonathan Wells is a Graduate currently working in the Strategic and Commercial 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

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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).
 

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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.

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I’m sad to say this will be my last post on the graduate scheme blog, as I have started a great new job on the Chemistry World editorial team.

It’s been a great year overall: I have learned a lot over four rotations – membership sales, science, communications and Chemistry World. I also got involved in several graduate team projects, including writing for On This Day in Chemistry, organising lectures at the Chemistry Centre and helping to run outreach activities at the Cambridge Science Festival. I’m sure all the skills I have picked up along the way will stand me in good ste
ad for my new role.

My last rotation was in the Chemistry World team, helping to put the magazine together each month. I really enjoyed this, so was thrilled to be offered a position as a science correspondent.

My new role involves writing news and feature articles – I scour press releases and recently published papers for cool chemistry stories, then interview different scientists about the research and write about it. I’ve also participated in recording the monthly podcast, and have written some podcasts for the Chemistry in its Element series. Part of my job is to report from scientific events and conferences, and I am really excited about going to the 2013 Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting in Germany later this month.

Though I’m thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure, I am sorry to have to leave the grad team – and not just because of the delicious cakes at weekly meetings! But I know that lots of grads stay at the RSC in permanent roles, so I’m sure I won’t have to say goodbye anytime soon.

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Emma is a past Graduate of Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here

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When we were allocated our new rotations, I was intrigued to be going into the marketing department. Having no marketing experience previously, I didn’t know what to expect from the rotation, but one of the best parts of the graduate scheme is the experience of trying new things!

Luckily for me, the marketing department (as is the whole of the RSC) were very welcoming and helpful in showing me how much marketing takes place at the RSC.  I was given the opportunity to work on several different projects, including the Westminster Fellowship Scheme. Working on the scheme introduced me to so many different ways of marketing, from e-mails to LinkedIn advertising. As with most projects within the RSC, I was working with several departments, including another graduate in membership development who was very helpful in tweeting about the scheme from the @teamMyRSC twitter account.

Both of my rotations in Marketing and Higher Education, Business and Industry incorporated many different projects that involved data analysis. Working on these projects helped me to identify my enjoyment of working in this area. While in marketing, a postion in the Business Intelligence team came up and with the support from colleagues I applied. At the end of May I finished in marketing and the graduate scheme to start my new role as a business intelligence analyst.
 
The graduate scheme was a fantastic opportunity for me to work with many different teams and also receive lots of training, plus it was lovely to be able to work with the other grads on the graduate projects. The two graduate projects that I have worked on since being involved in the graduate scheme have been great fun and a brilliant opportunity for the grads to work together. Just after joining the scheme, I was involved in the organization of the policy lecture series and in January the graduates were given what seemed the mammoth task of organising the RSC stand at the Cambridge Science Festival. Whilst a huge task, working together and with other staff it was a success, with a few laughs along the way – the giant Benedict Cumberbatch, lots of star jumps, bath bombs and a large quantity of dried fruit!

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Melissa is a past Graduate of Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here