Hi all.

Apologies for absence of late; became a homeowner at the start of February so writing took a back step.

This is just a quickie to highlight a blog of a friend. And yes, a lifetime spent in inter-disciplinary research has forced me to make some unusual friends, including biologists!

It's nice (I think!) to know that some problems facing early-career scientists transcend the disciplines and the genders, but Sara also highlights some issues unique to early career women in science.

Well worth a read.

Just thought I’d look back at some of my highlights from 2014.
 
First and foremost was YMS2014. Over 200 early-career chemists from across the world converged on Birmingham for a fantastic one day conference covering all the chemical disciplines. I’m already involved in the plans for YMS2016 – mark your calendars and watch this space!


Delegates at the YMS2014 poster session
 
I also really enjoyed participating in I’m A Scientist, Get Me Out Of Here. I managed to reach the final, losing to Sarah Ashworth from the University of Manchester. At least the two of us managed to beat the Manchester Metropolitan contestant!! You can view the report of each of the 12 zones here.
 
IAS is a great event for anyone thinking about getting involved in outreach, as it can be done from the comfort of your own home and does not take up too much work time. Just make sure you look up some finger stretching exercises! The next round will be in March 2015, so there is plenty of time to sign up!
 
Finally, I enjoyed working with my biology colleagues during our departmental open day. We worked really hard to pull together a set of experiments and games that illustrated the drug discovery process. I’m looking forward to refining these experiments in 2015 and performing them for the public again in the Dundee Science Centre in the New Year.
 

Explaining the virtues of being clean and tidy to a chemist!