Page 11 - Periodic Issue 01

C hemistry

AT THE 'ARDEN

Chemistry graduate Dr Alison Foster scary to the general public, correct
(Jesus, 1992) is now Senior Curator of misconceptions, and help people
the historical Oxford Botanic Garden, and see nature in a different way. I am
is working in close partnership with the passionate about provoking and
Department to inspire the public using sustaining interest in the essential links
the chemistry of nature. between chemistry, horticulture, and
the natural world.
(ORTICULTURE ISN T AN OBVIOUS CHOICE
FOR A CHEMIST n CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT (OW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED
YOUR CAREER PATH WITH THE $EPARTMENT OF
I left Oxford in 1996 and worked as a #HEMISTRY
medicinal chemist for GlaxoWellcome Soon after starting in the Senior
before completing a PhD in Cambridge on 1,2-anti-diols Curator role, I was approached by the Department about
as building blocks for natural product synthesis. After celebrating the International Year of Chemistry (2011).
six years working as a process chemist for AstraZeneca This collaboration led to a number of exciting projects,
my passion for plants finally got the best of me and including a poster exhibition, an audio discovery trail,
I decided to undergo a career change and enter the the upcoming Science Strolls, and a stand at the Royal
field of horticulture. In order to do this, I completed a Society Summer Exhibition (see pg.13).
correspondence course
leading to the RHS First, an enthusiastic group of undergraduates,
general certificate in DPhils, post-docs, lecturers, and support staff
horticulture in my spare from the Department developed posters describing
time, while still working compounds derived from plants, and the chemistry and
for AZ. After two years methodologies required to discover, extract, mimic and
as a trainee and another utilise those compounds. Trails around the garden were
year as a horticulturalist, also developed, identifying relevant plants and displaying
I became Senior Curator chemical structure models of active compounds. The
of the University Botanic resulting “Chemistry at the Garden” exhibition highlighted
Garden in March 2011. research from within the Department and made current
and future investigations accessible to the public in a fun
At this point, did and innovative way. An audio trail, highlighting the plants
YOU LEAVE CHEMISTRY that have provided inspiration for research projects and
BEHIND FOREVER voiced by the researchers themselves, was created in
Absolutely not! My summer 2012 and continues to be available to all visitors
new role included to the Botanic Garden. You can listen to podcasts of this
responsibility for trail for free at http://itunes.ox.ac.uk/!
the Garden’s public
education programme This successful collaboration will continue in 2013 as
and I began to give Oxford chemists give their own tours of the Garden during
guided tours on the the Summer Science Strolls, and I am looking forward to
incredible chemistry of future projects including a celebration of The International
the garden, including Year of Crystallography (2014).
medicinal plants and
the science behind 4HE "OTANIC 'ARDEN IS EVEN LOVELIER WITH ITS
colours and scents. SCIENCE ON SHOW &OR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
My background as a 3CIENCE 3TROLLS AND TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT PLEASE
chemist meant this was SEE THE BACK COVER OF THIS MAGAZINE
a perfect opportunity
to make chemistry less

11
Periodic
The Magazine of the Department of Chemistry