Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprenticeship Team

Q&A with Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprenticeship Team

How would you describe the nature of the team in a single sentence?
Please describe as feels most comfortable to you.

For example, ‘a team from X working with collaborators from Y and Z’, ‘a collaboration between X, Y and Z’, etc.
A team of hard-working individuals who share one goal, to help our students maximise their potential and realise their ambitions.

Please provide a brief statement what winning this Prize means for your team: (Please also provide a name we can attribute this quote to) Dr Paul Schofield – As an RSC member for over 25 years, I am honoured for my team to be recognised with this award from such a prestigious body.
For the last six years we have strived to produce the best degree apprenticeship programme possible, and this award recognises the hard work the team and I have put in over the years.

What would be your advice to educators who are working with colleagues going above and beyond, but are yet to nominate them for an RSC Education prize?
Be proud of the hard work your colleagues are doing and help them get the recognition they deserve.

How did you first become interested in chemistry or science?
Dr Paul Schofield - My mum and dad bought me a chemistry set when I was a child, and I am not sure how I didn’t burn the house down or end up in A&E. I was obsessed with it, and I quickly progressed to many of my mum's cooking ingredients and cleaning products which would never be allowed today.

Dr Helen Casey - I became interested in science from an early age, my dad was a physics teacher, and we went on a family holiday to Florida and visited the NASA Kennedy Space Centre.
I was fascinated by the scale of the rockets and amazed that humans and science were capable of achieving so much.

Dr Ian Ingram - My dad is an engineer who spent his career working on everything from high-pressure steam and high voltage electrical systems to huge presses for car bodywork, and my mom worked both as a medical lab technician and then in the computing sector (a long time ago, writing code for green-screen Unix mainframes!
). So I suppose it was inevitable that I’d grow up with an interest in science and technology.

Who or what inspires you?
Dr Lucy Heap - My students! The way they handle and navigate their way through a full-time job, and a degree whilst pursuing their personal interests and hobbies is astounding! Their dedication and commitment to our programme are truly admirable, and they make me incredibly proud to work in degree apprenticeships and inspire me to continue putting in my all to make their experience as positive as possible.

Dr Edward Randviir - I fundamentally believe that all people add value to society when they pursue good work.
With my work teaching the chemical and biological sciences, I see so many apprentices come through our programme and I find all our apprentices inspirational, particularly the ones from less privileged backgrounds, when they establish themselves as valuable employees within their companies.

What motivates you?
Dr Nicola Wood - Seeing the impact of work that I’ve done on others, whether that be working on a companion diagnostic product that makes a real impact to the quality of life for a patient, or, working with a student to ensure that they achieve everything they possibly can.

Dr Edward Randviir - I’m motivated by doing good work for society.
I like to think that my work helps open career avenues to less privileged but hard-working people through my teaching at ManMet. I am also motivated by solving real-world challenges through my knowledge exchange work, where I usually consult on projects to recycle materials from demolition waste, through to road sweepings, clothing, and food waste.

What are the qualities that make your team special?
Dr Ed Randviir - The best thing about our team is our authenticity in who we are and our proactive approach to the work that we do. We are a team of working-class academics and skills coaches who understand what an apprenticeship is and how it differs from a traditional degree. We always think about our course delivery from a student perspective and continually update our approach to keep it relevant to the student body in an ever-changing world. We constantly review our programmes, listen to student feedback and make reasonable amendments to the way we do things in our pursuit of perfection on the programme. It also helps that we all get on at a personal level!

Dr Lucy Heap - We are all down-to-earth, relatable individuals who share the same level of passion for the programme to make it the best it can be for our students.
From this, we all bring in our own areas of expertise and qualities e.g. empathy, knowledge, enthusiasm, attention to detail, organisation, creativeness.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
Dr Helen Casey - Be prepared for the field to change and be open to adapting your skills to the best of your ability, to fit in to new emerging opportunities in the field, but most of all, enjoy yourself!

Dr Ian Ingram - Be curious!
There are no more powerful tools in the universe than the two questions: “I wonder how that works?” and “I wonder what will happen if I try this?” (Be safe with that last one, though!)

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?
Dr Tim Gabriel - Reducing energy usage and moving towards a zero-carbon energy world is very interesting, and innovative ways of extracting lithium is key. Scientists are devising ways of efficiently extracting lithium from natural water sources. This is done by hanging engineered cellulose fibres in brine and sea water and allowing the lithium to crystallise on their surface.

Dr Nicola Wood - The development of AI.
In itself, the development of AI and the ethical questions it raises is fascinating, but, the potential of AI to impact so many different branches of science, from the discovery of new antibiotics, and the optimisation of crop yields by predicting weather patterns to the streamlining of manufacturing processes to reduce waste and energy consumption, is amazing.

Why is chemistry important?
Dr Edward Randviir - Everything around us, be it solid, liquid or gas, is built from atoms and molecules, and understanding the way those countless different atoms and molecules behave within the countless environments they find themselves within is a hugely important endeavour. Understanding material change is important for all manner of current challenges, from energy and food security co Circular economy and drug design.

Dr Tim Gabriel - Chemistry shows us how the world works and helps us solve the big and small problem we face as a society.
It can be a universal language drawing people together from all walks of life.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?
Dr Paul Schofield - Seeing the majority of my students pass their End Point Assessments this year and their gratitude for my support.

Dr Helen Casey - The highlights of my career are achieving my PhD and working in my current position as a skills coach.
Having studied at MMU, I absolutely love working with the next generation of chemists and guiding them through their apprenticeships.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?
Dr Tim Gabriel - As a lecturer, there are a multitude of roles and responsibilities you undertake: lecturing, project and citizenship roles, personal tutoring, and laboratory work, coupled with teaching on both full-time and apprenticeship programmes, is difficult to juggle at times.

Dr Ian Ingram - I had quite a hard time at university, a lot of the (old fashioned) teaching didn’t suit me, and I really struggled to get to grips with some subjects – this left me with really bad exam nerves, made worse by the fact that (apart from an MChem thesis) we didn’t do any coursework, it was all exams!
For years after leaving university I’d have terrible nightmares about having an exam in the morning I wasn’t prepared for! Although it came out of a really horrible and stressful experience, I think it has made me a better lecturer and given me a bit more empathy for students who are struggling with a particular subject or are worried about an exam.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?
Dr Helen Casey - The chemical sciences are solving real-world problems, and better still, some of these problems are being solved by our very own apprentices working in various fields across the chemical sciences in the UK.

Dr Ian Ingram - Chemistry is at the core of the technologies we rely upon for our improved standard of living, from the development of new medicines to better-insulated homes, cleaner and warmer clothes, to electronic devices which can make us better informed and better connected than ever before.

How can good science education support solving global challenges?
Dr Paul Schofield - It is our role to look at the facts and draw scientific conclusions without bias, in my opinion. There are always two sides to any argument, but the role of a science educator is to evaluate the facts and promote a balanced argument that allows a general audience to make its decisions based on truths, not propaganda.

Dr Lucy Heap - Science continues to address the fossil fuel crisis – a huge global challenge.
Both biology and chemistry offer promising and successful alternatives to producing energy from renewable sources to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Cleaner renewable energy will reduce CO2 emissions and global warming.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
Dr Ian Ingram - One person can’t be an expert in everything! Outside of purely academic research, real-world problems require a team of people with complementary expertise. Even setting aside the need for technical expertise, working in a team with people who bring their own ideas, and are prepared to be constructively critical of yours, always results in a better thought out plan than working alone.

Dr Tim Gabriel - Scientific research has become multidisciplinary.
The complexity of the research requires the minds, funding and resources of many groups, it's just too difficult for one person to have the answers to everything.

For a bit of fun.
....What is your favourite element?Amie Bentley - Titanium ... which is also a great song by David Guetta.

Dr Tim Gabriel - I can't remember the element at the moment, but it's on the tip of my tungsten.