Networks Newsletter - September 2021
Dear colleague,Welcome to the September Networks Newsletter, our way to keep our member network committee members and representatives up to date with RSC activities, services, and new initiatives.
This month’s Newsletter contains:
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Upcoming Events
- Our strategic approach to sustainability
- Communications from across the RSC
- Latest updates on our policy work
07 September
09 September
13 September
27 September
28 September
30 September |
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Deadline for E-alerts going out on 16 September to additional networks
Deadline for E-alerts going out on 16 September
Application deadline for Inclusion & Diversity Fund
Close of call for abstracts for Organic Division poster symposium
Deadline for E-alerts going out on 7 October to additional networks
Deadline for E-alerts going out on 7 October |
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02 September
08-09 September
14 September
16 September
16 September
07 October |
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| Our strategic approach to sustainability |
As part of our ongoing Chemistry, Sustainability & Circular Economy (CSCE) campaign, we have been taking actions to put sustainability in the spotlight. Here are some updates for member network committee members:
For information about how members of our communities can get engaged with the CSCE programme or enquiries about our strategic approach to sustainability, contact Georgia Thomas on our Special Projects Team.Learn more about our activities and how your committee can get involved
| 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.Guidance for setting up and running competitive prizesWe recently shared a first draft of guidance for RSC member committees with the Chairs and Secretaries of our Interest Groups. This document is intended as a guide to support RSC member committees in running a competitive prize scheme, and to share good practice and learnings from the Review of Recognition. The scope of the guidance is most relevant to the types of prizes that Interest Groups may administer, but there will be best practice that should be considered across different forms of recognition and prizes.Prizes: Guidance for RSC member committeesWe would welcome any feedback, comments or questions that you have about this draft. We would particularly welcome any suggestions of good practice, either drawn from your group’s experience of running prizes, or examples you have seen elsewhere which have worked well. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the RSC Prizes team at awards@rsc.org.
Any feedback that we receive by 15 September 2021 will be considered by Member Communities Board at its meeting in early October. Member Communities Board aim to communicate updated guidance, including the process for considering new prizes, by the end of the year.Outputs from August drop in sessionsThank you to all who attended our drop in sessions in August, it was great to see so many faces and to catch up with friends old and new.Two common themes were setting up and running virtual events, and using social media to promote your activities, so we wanted to share here our online event FAQ document, which includes information about the three platforms available for member networks to use for free, and the recording of the Using Social Media Effectively discussion session from December, which has lots of advice from PMG and FSTG committee members for getting started and engaging with your community on different social media platforms. Use our online event FAQ to get started running virtual eventsWatch the Using Social Media Effectively discussion sessionResearch Enablement Grant is open for applicationsThe Research Enablement Grant provides up to £10,000 for new projects and to complete those disrupted by COVID-19, and can include funding for consumables, equipment and a salary contribution for a group member. Up to two applications per department can be made and is available in the UK and Ireland only.Help us spread the word and share with your networks.Apply by 2pm on 11 October at rsc.li/researchenablementgrantInterested in applying for the Inclusion & Diversity Fund?Do you have a great idea for a project that will help make the chemical sciences community more inclusive and diverse? If so, you could apply for our Inclusion & Diversity Fund, which provides financial support typically up to the value of £5,000.
There are two rounds of applications each year and the current round closes on 13 September 2021. Open to everyone, applicants will be notified of the funding decision by 29 October 2021.Learn more and apply onlineChemistry Week grants to support Sustainability projectsThis year's Chemistry Week has been themed around ‘Sustainability’ and extended over 1-12 November 2021 to align with COP26. As usual we want to support our members and member groups with any activities and events you may have planned for Chemistry Week, from inspiring the next generation to celebrating the diversity of chemistry within our community.We have Chemistry Week grants of up to £750 available to support these activities but if you want to plan something larger then this can be done via the Outreach Fund (up to £10,000). If you don’t have anything planned we would like to encourage you to consider whether you or other members you know would be interested in planning an activity.We have two deadlines to review grants before Chemistry Week which is Monday 6 September and Monday 4 October. More information can be found on our website, or get in touch with the team to ask any questions you may have.Learn more about Chemistry Week and get involved onlineFind a new home for your researchWe are delighted to announce that our three newly launched journals are now open for submissions: Digital Discovery, Environmental Science: Advances, and Sensors & Diagnostics are ready to receive your research.
Helping your work reach the largest possible audience, all three journals are Gold Open Access with article processing charges waived until 2024. They’re free to read and free to publish in!
Find out if they are the right fit for you:
Digital Discovery
Environmental Science: Advances
Sensors & DiagnosticsLGBTQ+ STEMinar 2022 abstract submissions and travel grantsThe LGBTQ+ STEMinar 2022 abstract submissions are currently open until Monday 20 September. We encourage LGBT+ chemical scientists to participate in this great event to present and learn about research, and network with other LGBT+ people across STEM disciplines.
To support this, in addition to our sponsorship of the event, the RSC is offering enabling grants of up to £150 to chemical scientists attending the STEMinar in person, to pay for travel costs to Glasgow if the 2022 STEMinar is in a hybrid format. For more information please see the STEMinar website or contact diversity@rsc.org. RSC Grants for Carers and Accessibility Grants are also available, which apply to virtual and in-person events.For more information and to register visit the websiteCall for abstracts – Organic Division poster symposiumDedicated entirely to posters, the competitive symposium provides a fantastic opportunity for final year PhD students working in organic chemistry (in its broadest sense) to showcase their research and network with peers as well as leading academic and industrial chemists.
The online symposia on Monday 6th December will showcase the top 40 submitted abstracts as selected by the Scientific Committee. Prizes are awarded to the best posters, including an Industry Prize awarded to the best research poster that demonstrates potential for industrial application.
Please encourage your students to submit their poster abstracts.Find further information on our website2nd Commonwealth Chemistry Posters event (30 Sept – 1 Oct)This free online event aims to celebrate and elevate the role and practice of the chemical sciences across the Commonwealth – and you can be part of it.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are the pressing concerns that unite us – the Commonwealth chemistry community – to find solutions. Join us at this virtual poster event to engage with top chemists, find potential collaborations and network with your peers.Register for free now
| 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.Digital and Data Science SkillsThe Education Policy team are doing some work on the use of digital and data science skills, and would like to improve our understanding of how these are applied day-to-day. It would help us to know how much of your job, if any, you spend on each of the following?
- Data management
- Statistical handling of data
- Data visualisation
- Automation (computational or physical)
- Simulation
- “Design of Experiments” (DoE/DoX)
- Coding/programming
Contact Oliver Burnham to share your answers or learn more about the project
The Networks Newsletter goes out on the first of each month as a tailored communication to all of our volunteers. All of the updates are published here each month, if you see any content here that is relevant to you but you didn’t receive, please let us know!Send us your feedbackKind regards,
The Networks Team
Fiona, Aurora and Debbie
