Dear Member,
 
Welcome to the April edition of the Networks Newsletter.
 
Chemistry for Tomorrow’s World 2012 Lecture Series
 
Following on from the ‘Chemistry for Tomorrows World’ lecture series in 2010, the RSC are launching a series of high profile Roadmap events throughout 2012 focusing on the areas identified in our 2009 report Chemistry for Tomorrow’s World: a roadmap for the chemical sciences. These events will bring together an audience of academics, industrial representatives and policy makers to engage in lively discussion focussing on the challenges facing our society and how chemists can tackle these issues.

The last event in the 2012 Roadmap series was the lecture on Healthcare Innovations: ‘The Discovery of Brilinta – daring to be different’ given by Dr John Dixon. 
 
Over the last 30 years, improvements in healthcare and technology have led to an increase in life expectancy and a general rise in the level of health. The UK has for decades been a world leader in medicines discovery and research. The Discovery of Brilinta is a unique example of drug discovery excellence and is a potential blockbuster for the treatment of antithrombotic conditions for use in reducing heart attacks and cardiovascular death.  The nature of drug discovery is changing and is under considerable pressure due to escalating R&D costs and high drug discovery failure rates.  The RSC organised this event to highlight the discovery of Brilinta and provide a forum for discussion for anyone who has an interest in the future for UK drug discovery.
 
View the lecture online here
 
For more information about upcoming events visit the website

The Booksellers’ Hub
 
We’ve just launched a new Booksellers’ Hub.
 
The new hub, featuring a wealth of RSC book information, went live in time for London Book Fair 2012 (April 16^th-18^th 2012).
 
Knowing how to access RSC books support and promotional materials can sometimes be difficult. Who to ask and where to go?
 
If you’ve ever felt in the dark when trying to spread the word about our great books publishing programme, you’ll probably want to add the new Booksellers’ Hub to your favourites!
 
Primarily designed with the bookseller in mind, the resources provided in the hub also make an ideal one stop information point for all local and international RSC representatives industries and universities, international and local section secretaries and chairs as well as volunteer visitors and local interest groups.
 
Visit the hub today! Register for free book newsletters, read the books blog or download free promotional materials. See how this new information can help support and keep your networks up-to-date with all the latest RSC book news.
 
Let us know what you think! Email jeevesr@rsc.org

Announcing the very first articles published online in ToxRes
 
‘View the very first Toxicology Research articles published online, now available as advance articles, including a review by Catherine Priestley and colleagues at AstraZeneca (UK), focusing on the emerging field of epigenetics and its relevance to drug safety.
 
Led by Professor Nigel Gooderham and published in partnership with the British Toxicology Society and the Chinese Society of Toxicology, the journal covers all aspects of physiological toxicology research. All articles published in 2012 and 2013 are free to access online, so why not take this opportunity to find out more about our new journal on the ToxRes pages.
 
Do you want to get involved in Toxicology Research?

• Submit your latest research – there’s still time to be considered for one of the first issues
• Sign up for the contents alerts and newsletter – keep up to date with the latest research published in the journal’

 
The Science of Materials Summer School 1-3 July 2012 - University of Sheffield
 
The Science of Materials Summer School is a 3-day residential course which gives chemistry teachers access to cutting edge materials science research which they can use in their teaching. Held at Sheffield University, in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the course gives teachers exclusive access to their laboratories and equipment, and offers them the chance to learn from researchers.
The course is made up of

• Lectures and seminars providing information about the latest advances in materials science
• Practical experiments which can be taken away and used in school. These simple experiments present existing material as materials science and also offer opportunities for extension material for the more able pupils
• Discussions focusing on career opportunities in materials science  

 
Who should attend?
The event is aimed at chemistry and science teachers who want to learn more about the latest advances in materials science and how these can be used in their day to day teaching. Visit the website.


RSC Representatives group on MyRSC
This is the group for RSC Representatives in industry and academia. If you are an official RSC Representative, join this group to request and download resources for your organisation, network with other RSC Representatives and contact the RSC membership team.

If you are interested in becoming the RSC Representative at your place of work, please contact info@rsc.org.
 
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Placements
 
Are you interested in finding out how science can influence policy? 
 
We are funding a fantastic opportunity for RSC members to spend three months working in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), getting to grips with explaining scientific research to policy makers in Westminster and learning more about the policy making process.
 
For more details of how to apply for this scheme, visit the website.  The deadline for applications is 25^th May, so get writing!

Registered Scientist and Registered Science Technician
 
The RSC is one of 7 professional bodies that now have a pilot licence to award the designations RSci and RSciTech. The Registered Scientist and Registered Science Technician designations are aimed at people who are non-graduates and who have taken a vocational approach to learning, e.g A-levels, NVQ Level 3, HNC/HND, Foundation Degrees, Apprenticeships etc. It is also applicable for undergraduates studying for a degree on a part time basis while working in industry.
 
We are very pleased that scientists working as technicians/apprentices will soon be able to get the recognition they deserve!
 
In relation to this, a project is currently ongoing that involves market research to understand the current provision for technicians working in industry and to determine the future landscape.
 
With this in mind, if you are working for an organisation that employs technicians and/or apprentices please get in touch with Steve Ward (wards@rsc.org).
 
RSC Corporate Partners
 
The successful RSC Partnership Programme has now been developed into the RSC Corporate Partner Programme.  This programme is open to organisations of any type across the world whether academic, educational, industrial, commercial or not-for -profit and offers a  clear and public association with the RSC together with a range of benefits such as discounts on membership, reduced rates on advertising, special rates on use of the chemistry centre in London and discounts on journals.  If the organisation you work for is already spending in excess of £3000 on journal subscriptions, membership, advertising etc it will be worth looking at the advantages of the RSC Corporate Partner Programme and the benefits of a very public association with the RSC.
 
For details see www.rsc.org/partners
 
Company Accreditation
 
The RSC has for some years been successfully accrediting company training schemes and have recently added BP, UCB Pharma and Nucleargraduates to this list. These schemes offer the employee a 'fast-track' route to the professional award of Chartered Chemist (CChem) while providing employers with the confidence that their training is of a recognised high standard. 
One of the major advantages of having a training scheme accredited is that employees can participate in a company training scheme and at the same time work towards the widely recognised professional qualification of Chartered Chemist.
Advantages to the employer include: 
Aiding the recruitment and retention of high quality employees
Cost efficient use of training resources - graduate trainees can be involved and meet as a group for some parts of the scheme
Assurance that the outcomes of the training scheme meet the RSC's professional requirements for the award of CChem
Assurance that the company's scheme stands comparison with good practice elsewhere.  
 
Advantages to the employees are that they are part of a group with common aims and interest, they receive continuous monitoring and support from the company through an experienced colleague who acts as a mentor, and they can advance to CChem in the shortest possible time. That is, CChem can be achieved after 4 years rather than the 5 years required through the RSC's normal application procedure.
The advantages to the RSC include the ability to set, monitor and maintain the professional standards for the award of CChem, and to gain a better understanding of the needs of employing organisations.
 
If you think your company may be interested in accreditation, please contact the RSC’s Professional Standards Specialist, Sarah Harrison: harrisons@rsc.org
 
Local Sections and Interest Groups
 
***Deadline for applications extended to 14th May 2012***

Funds (in memory of Angela and Tony Fish) are available to assist RSC Interest Groups organising a scientific meeting. These funds are to be used, in particular, to help students attend meetings and not for speakers' expenses. Submissions should normally be made by the Group Secretary. Applications should be submitted by 1st January, 1st April, 1st July or 1st October to be in time for the next upcoming meeting
of the Travel Grants Committee.

Selection criteria

• Only one application per Interest Group will be considered each year.
• Novel proposals are particularly welcomed.
• Up to a maximum of £2,500 per annum will normally be available for any one Group.
• The panel will take into account the level of funds held by the Groups as well as whether the Group has been successful on previous submissions.
• Applicants should be RSC members at the time of the meeting they will be attending and for which the travel bursary is being given.

Successful applicants will be expected to supply a short report of their meeting, once
completed. These will be incorporated into the annual report made to RSC Council
and will normally be made available on the web.

Further details can be found here.


NB: RSC Travel Grants are only available for sending RSC Members to RSC meetings.

Volunteer Resource Area

We have now created the Volunteer Resource area on MyRSC, accessed via the knowledge centre.  This provides access to a variety of resources available to our members to help when planning and running events on behalf of the RSC.
September inserts for Chemistry World – early notice
                                                           
If you wish to add an insert or programme card to the September edition of Chemistry World, please note that the deadline to send print-ready Word documents is 30 July. Templates for the programme cards are available on request from msadmin@rsc.org
 
One programme card and up to 3 inserts can be included; inserts are single or double sided, black and white and printed on A4 paper. Please send your inserts and/or programme cards to msadmin@rsc.org by 30 July at the latest.
 
2012 Regional Meetings

This year’s series of Regional Meetings is now complete. A presentation of the main RSC activities over the last year and information about RSC strategy for 2012 and beyond was delivered, by a different member of RSC Council in each of the 9 regions across the UK and Ireland. Members in attendance were invited to provide feedback and make suggestions for future strategic direction and some lively and thought provoking discussions ensued.  For more information and to view the notes from the meetings visit the website or view the MyRSC group.
 
Late submission of 2011 Annual Reports
 
The template for the 2011 annual reports, to be completed by all RSC member groups, has been sent to all RSC Local Section and Interest Group Secretaries. The purpose of these reports is to ensure that RSC staff are up to date with all member activities and to identify opportunities for us to better support RSC Groups in the future. The form is also available to download from the RSC website.
 
The deadline for completed reports was 20^th February 2012. Reports outstanding should be sent to networks@rsc.org. If you have any questions about completing the report please do not hesitate to get in touch.
 
RSC Networks Blog
 
The RSC member services team will be updating the Networks blog each month with reports and summaries of the activities of the various Networks.  Any RSC Section or Group wishing to have something added to this blog should email their request to networks@rsc.org
 
Read the latest post on Local Section schools and public events 2011


RSC Events Deadlines

Major deadlines coming up – check out the individual websites for more details and all the key dates.

EVENT	DEADLINE
Webinar: Demystifying the R&D Funding Landscape 2 May 2012 at 13:00 (GMT)	Event approaching - register now!
2012 Scientific Laboratory Show and Conference 16 May 2012 Nottingham, UK	Event approaching - register now!
Molecular Reaction Dynamics in Gases, Liquids and Interfaces: FD157 25 - 27 June 2012 Assisi, Italy	Final registration deadline: 25 May 2012
Analytical Research Forum 2012 2 - 4 July 2012 Durham University, UK	Poster abstract and early bird deadline: 4 May 2012
Soft Matter Approaches to Structured Foods: FD158 2 - 4 July 2012 Hof van Wageningen, The Netherlands	Poster abstract and early bird deadline: 11 May 2012
Challenges in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (ISACS8) 19 - 22 July 2012 Toronto, Canada	Poster abstract and early bird deadline: 18 May 2012
Crystallisation - a Biological Perspective: FD159 23 - 25 July 2012 Leeds Metropolitan University, UK	Poster abstract and early bird deadline: 25 May 2012
4th EuCheMS Chemistry Congress 26 - 30 August 2012 Prague, Czech Republic	Bursary, call for papers and early bird deadline: 5 May 2012
Directing Biosynthesis III (DBIII) 19 - 21 September 2012 University of Nottingham, UK	Oral abstracts deadline: 11 May 2012