The £23 million cafe opens 1

New Student Residences 1

New Head of Department 2

Professor of Nanotology? 2

Plastic Blood 3

Annual Chemistry GraduateReception and Prizes 3

Spotlight On: Chemistry withEnterprise Management 4

Contents

Issue 4 September 2007

CHEMISTRY NEWSLETTER 4

Chemistry

Newsletter mistry

The £23 million café opens

New Student Residences

With features that include 24-hour access, a café, Wi-Fi networking,and even comfy sofas it is not surprising that the University’s newlyopened, futuristic study centre, the Information Commons, has rapidlybecome one of the most popular places on campus. Find out more about it at: www.shef.ac.uk/infocommons

And now the redevelopment of studentaccommodation at Sheffield is well underway as well.Building at the main Student Village began in earnestduring the summer and this stage will be finished inSeptember 2008. The new high-qualityaccommodation will provide en suite rooms with dataand phone connection point, clustered around a socialspace containing cooking facilities, fridge freezer,microwave, sofa units, TV, and other studentessentials. At the centre of the new site will be TheHub, a social centre providing catering, bar and cafefacilities as well as a state-of-the-art IT suite for studyand personal use. For more pictures and informationon the new Student Village visit:www.shef.ac.uk/newresidences/themasterplan.html Facilities at the new student village opening Sept 2008

The newly opened Information Commons

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New Head of Department

In September 2007, Prof. Mike Ward became ournew Head of Department, taking over from Prof.Richard Jackson. Richard’s time in charge sawthe department go from strength to strength:the multi-million pound Richard Roberts Buildingand newly refitted undergraduate labs wereopened, while a large number of new researchand teaching appointments were made. “It hasbeen a challenging time;” said Richard, butachieving these goals; “has been a source ofsatisfaction.” He can now dedicate more time tohis research on new methods for the synthesis oforganic molecules; work that attracted fundingfrom several internationally leadingpharmaceutical companies.

Richard leaves the department in good hands -Mike Ward is an inorganic chemist with aninternational reputation; his research into lightactivated molecular device and materials hasgarnered several important prizes. Speaking onthe day of the handover Mike said; “Richard’shuge success in steering the department hasbeen an inspiration. I look forward to thechallenge of maintaining his high standard of leadership.”

Prof. Richard Jackson (right) hands over the role ofHead of Department to Prof. Mike Ward (left)

As mentioned in the last Newsletter, Prof. Fraser Stoddart,a long-serving former member of the department andcurrently Head of Chemistry at the University of Californiaat Los Angeles, was recently awarded a knighthood for his“services to chemistry and molecular nanotechnology.” Asthis genuine dialogue from the ceremony reveals, TheQueen seems to know more about the “science bit” thansome of her staff:

Lord Chamberlain: “May I present to Your Majesty,Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, for Services to Chemistryand Nanotology”

The Queen: “He got that wrong, didn't he?”

Sir Fraser: “He certainly did, Your Majesty.”

The Queen: “What should it be then, nanotechnology?”

Sir Fraser: “You’ve got it right, Ma’am”

The Queen: “It’s about very small things, isn’t it?”

Sir Fraser: “Indeed, it’s about tiny things that are 100,000times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, Ma’am”

The Queen: “That’s exceedingly small. You work in Americanow, I’m told.”

Sir Fraser: “That’s so, Ma’am”

Professor of Nanotology?

Arise Sir Fraser

On Graduation day the Department hosts a reception forthe new graduates and their family. It is also when wehonour our highest achieving students with a series ofprizes, which are entirely funded by kind donations fromex-members of the department and science basedcommercial companies.

This year the celebration were especially keen as a seniormember of the department, Prof Charles Stirling wasawarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree by theUniversity for his work in; “raising the public understandingof science.” In previous years, Charles has delivered theRoyal Institute Christmas Television Lectures and heregularly talks and facilitates popular science activities atprimary and secondary schools, as well as colleges.

ANNUAL CHEMISTRY GRADUATERECEPTION AND PRIZES

Plastic Blood

You may have seen Senior Lecturer Lance Twyman onBreakfast TV recently. Apart from the BBC, his researchinto “plastic Blood” attracted huge international media andpress attention, from as far a field as the USA and the FarEast, when a sample of his research group’s artificial bloodprototype was displayed at a recent Science Museumexhibition. Consisting of polymer molecules containingIron-based oxygen-carrying sites, chemically related to thehaemoglobin found in blood, Lance suggests that in the

future artificial blood like his could be used in emergencysituations; “One obvious application is the battlefield or siteof a major incident where replacing blood loss quickly cansave lives.”

Senior medical doctors were also fascinated by the newdiscovery - Professor Adrian Newland, president of theRoyal College of Pathologists was quoted in an article inThe Guardian as saying that Lance’s artificial blood was; “a very interesting concept.”

Left; Lance Twyman and researcher Mitesh Patel discuss the synthesis of a sample of Plastic Blood (shown on the right).

Prof Charles Stirling and the departments prize winningstudents

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Celebrations on Chemistry Graduation Day

Chemistry

Newsletter Chem

SPOTLIGHT ON:

CHEMISTRY WITH ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

Contact: Admissions OfficeEmail: admissions-chemistry@sheffield.ac.uk

Department of ChemistryBrook HillSheffieldS3 7HF

Adam Ellis and his fellow M. Chem. student Kelly Simkisscelebrate their graduation in Chemistry with EnterpriseManagement.

Further information on ALL the courses thedepartment offers can be found at its web site:

www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry

We don’t just teach Chemistry. One of the strengthsof the Department is the wide range of courses weoffer and this regular section focuses on one of themore unusual and newer Chemistry based coursesat Sheffield: Chemistry with Enterprise Management.

Because their subject requires numeracy andanalytical thinking, many chemistry-trainedgraduates develop successful careers in thecommercial and financial world, rising to seniorpositions in management, sales, accounting, patentlaw, insurance, and banking. The aim of this degreeprogramme is to train and produce high qualitystudents for this particular employment market.Among the first crop of students to graduate with aM. Chem in Chemistry with Enterprise Managementwas Adam Ellis, who says that one of the highlightswas the course; “allows you as an undergraduate towork closely with companies, which is a greatexperience and allows you to develop anunderstanding of the way businesses operate.”

Indeed a degree in Chemistry with EnterpriseManagement will not only give you scientific skillsand knowledge of developments in chemistry, butalso - thanks to the additional enterprise modulesthe Department has developed with the UniversityManagement School - the confidence to exploit ideasand develop them to maximum advantage in abusiness context. The degree can be done as a threeyear BSc or a four year M. Chem.