Chemistry for everyone
In February 2016, we will celebrate our 175th anniversary.
Just over three years ago, an idea was born to celebrate diversity and the anniversary at the same time. Although we embrace diversity in all of our activities, this project was a special one to gather some of the most amazing life stories of chemists from every walk of life.
As president, I had been asked about my themes for my presidency," recalls Professor Lesley Yellowlees, "and as the first woman president in a hundred and seventy something years, I felt I should highlight women in chemistry. Gender is so important, but the idea grew broader, to become about inclusion of all kinds and making chemistry for everybody.
Working with the leadership team and colleagues across the organisation, the project was refined to become the 175 Faces of Chemistry – 175 different stories to be told on average once a week leading up to the 175th anniversary.
As the anniversary draws nearer, the Diversity team has unveiled a new design for the website, to display the profiles better and make the stories easier to search.
It’s been a chance to highlight lots of different things chemists can do. When I pick up a magazine, I love to read the real-life stories, and I thought this was a great opportunity to capture human experiences connected to life or work in chemistry,
says Lesley. “These are just one collection of the extraordinary stories from our community, and the stories demonstrate how chemistry can help people to succeed.
I also see it as a great resource for those considering studying chemistry. It shows that chemistry is a true enabling subject. Chemistry teaches people how to solve problems, and to use frameworks to solve problems. We can point to these profiles and show why we do chemistry, and develop these skills, because what we teach in chemistry is a real-life skill, in posing questions and finding ways to answer them.
Nominations for people to be included in 175 Faces of Chemistry have come from all over the world. Some of those nominated were chosen by friends or colleagues who knew them well; some by fans who were inspired by chemists who are famous for their scientific work or for other skills, while some of the nominees are the great historical chemists who laid the foundations of the discipline over hundreds of years.
Let’s highlight these people, and highlight what’s going on in chemistry. We should paint a picture of what we can achieve together.
As human beings we are looking at global challenges and how to address very complex problems. These are problems that will not be solved by single research groups, or even single disciplines alone. Chemists by themselves will not be able to solve them, any more than any other group of scientists by themselves. We as chemists have had to learn the languages of other disciplines to communicate better – we need to keep learning to speak these languages such as those of social science and other sciences – that’s how we will find solutions.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, an exhibition featuring the 175 Faces will be held at Burlington House from 22 February – 4 March 2016. The exhibition will be open to the public, and will give visitors the opportunity to learn more about scientists and about Burlington House, as well as interactive activities emphasising diversity in the chemical sciences.
Ensuring that diversity in the chemical sciences is a challenge that will continue long after the 175th anniversary is celebrated.
There is still a lot of work to do on inclusion,
says Lesley, "I’m anxious that people might think we’ve solved it. But we haven’t. It’s not ok. At least not yet.
"We still need to support people from different backgrounds. To encourage new people to take chemistry up, we must make the opportunity there for everyone. That’s a positive message we can bring wherever we go - chemistry is for everyone."
Each of the 175 Faces of Chemistry is extraordinary in their own way – we asked some of those who nominated people for inclusion what inspired their choice.
Australian Nobel laureate John Cornforth was nominated by Emma Stoye, Science Correspondent for Chemistry World. The Rita and John Cornforth Award, named after this unique couple, promotes and rewards scientists working in collaborative research teams in chemistry and life sciences:
While I was writing an obituary for John Cornforth, who passed away a couple of years ago, he struck me as one of a kind. He became completely deaf at the age of 20, but refused to let it hold him back. I can’t imagine studying without being able to hear lectures, but he managed it, in partnership with his wife Rita, who was also his interpreter, and went on to win a Nobel Prize. It’s an inspiring story about overcoming challenges.
Giulia Paggliola selected Mexican chemist Cinthia Mena-Durán, who battled to pursue her love of chemistry, and now works to improve education:
We often take for granted the opportunities we have to pursue our intended studies, career and passions.Cinthia Mena-Duran had to fight for all this and keep up her strong motivation against all the economic and cultural barriers she faced. I admire her strong sense of citizenship and her drive to pass on the results of her efforts for the benefit and development of her indigenous community. I find her a truly inspiring woman.
Toby Underwood, RSC Accreditation Manager, nominated David Price, who’s faced the challenge of serious illness mid-way through his career as a medicinal chemist:
I first met David when I started work at Pfizer down in Sandwich. He really was one of the go-to guys. Somebody who was always willing to down tools and help if you had a question or problem. I nominated David as in my opinion he’s an inspiration for people in similar positions.
PhD candidate Stephen McCarthy picked science teacher Karen Field:
I believed 175 Faces should aim to represent the whole diversity of people connected with the chemical sciences, and that includes trans people, who regularly face discrimination. Simply showing that not only do trans people exist, but are also contributing to the chemical sciences, is important. Karen is also a teacher, and with her bright blue hair and corseted lab coat, she sounds much cooler than any science teacher I ever had!
Chemist and restaurateur Holly Redman was put forward by our CEO, Robert Parker:
Not every chemist works in a lab, and Holly is a great example of how a chemistry degree can be a gateway. She’s combined the skills from her degree with a passion for food to found her own company, creating meals for people with food sensitivities. Holly’s determination and talent make her a wonderful ambassador for chemistry.
175 minutes for chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry was formed 175 years ago by a group of scientists who volunteered their time for scientific discussions and we want to provide members with more ways to remain and become engaged with us. As well as celebrating diversity in science we also hope to celebrate our milestone with as many of our members as possible. So, throughout 2016, we would like to ask you, our members, to pledge 175 minutes for chemistry, celebrating it worldwide.
Many of our members already give well over 175 minutes to Royal Society of Chemistry-related activities and, with this initiative, we want to recognise this and support them in return.
You might consider spending your minutes through attending an RSC event or conference, getting involved with chemistry outreach, writing to your local MP about the importance of science funding, taking up a member benefit such as our one to one career consultations and so much more.
Over the coming months we will let you know some of the many ways you can get involved. We want to make sure that all members can take part, and see how many hours in 2016 our community can give to chemistry.