Page 3 - Periodic Issue 02

N ews & Achievements

www.chem.ox.ac.uk

From Sir Robert Robertson’s chemical collection, to new Professor David Clary has been elected
ways to fight cancer, to strange materials whose future Einstein Professor of the Chinese Academy
functions we can’t even imagine, explore the cutting-edge of Sciences. This award is made to
research being done right now in the Department. Our distinguished international scientists working
“Chemistry for the Future” podcast series features the voices at the frontiers of science and technology.
of current students and academics and is growing all the
time. Watch them online at bit.ly/oxchempodcasts. Professor Kylie Vincent and Holly Reeve were
awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s
Join the conversation! @OxfordChemistry Emerging Technologies Prize 2013 for their
has the most Twitter followers of any chemistry research on ‘HydRegen’: enzymes on carbon
department worldwide and we’d love to chat with beads for hydrogen-driven chemical synthesis.
you. Professor Vincent was also included in Wired
Magazine’s Smart List for 2013.
Senior Lab Demonstrator & Chief Technician Alan Howe
retired in August 2013 after over 30 years in the Department. Cell Stress Society International have presented the Alfred
Thank you to Alan for his outstanding contributions to the Tissières Award to Justin Benesch for his research into the
student experience, and thank you to everyone who joined biophysics underpinning molecular chaperone function. The
us in celebrating his extraordinary achievements. To date, award is named after one of the pioneers of the heat shock
alumni have generously donated over £4,000 to the “Alan and cell stress field, and includes a book describing the
Howe Prize for Best Junior Demonstrator”, ensuring that 1954 British expedition to Rakopashi, an iconic peak in the
it will be awarded in perpetuity and promote excellence in Karakoram, that he led.
the teaching labs. Alumni donations also support fantastic
outreach and public engagement projects as detailed below The Boxabio Team, with Dr. Tiancun Xiao representing Oxford
and on page 12. Chemistry, has been awarded the top prize in the China-
UK Entrepreneurship Competition 2013. The team has
What do giant rubber gloves, developed a multi-vegetable based, natural functional food,
gut bacteria, and artificial which is effective for curing illness in the digestive system,
photosynthesis have in common? such as mouth ulcers, constipation, and heartburn.
We are using all three to deliver
public engagement projects Dr Andrew Goodwin has been awarded
highlighting the positive impacts Oxford Chemistry research is the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Marlow
having on global challenges like sustainable energy. In 2013, Award for 2013, given annually in recognition
the Armstrong Group’s “Solar Fuels” stand was selected to of the most meritorious contributions to
take part in the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in physical chemistry or chemical physics.
London. The exhibition received over 12,500 visitors, many of The citation for the award states: “awarded
whom had a go on our replica glove box! We are also proud for his innovative studies of the physical
to be taking chemistry research into the local community, chemistry and chemical physics of
from wowing kids with glowing experiments at the Oxford amorphous materials”.
Christmas Lights Festival, to celebrating crystallography at the
Oxford Botanic Garden. Acknowledgments
Thank You to Elsevier for their kind
A Small Selection of Awards sponsorship contribution to this magazine.
Professor Peter Edwards has been elected to the American We are delighted to be working in
Academy of Arts and Sciences as a Foreign Honorary partnership with Elsevier and look forward to
Member for 2014. One of America’s most prestigious future collaborations. Thank you also to the
honorary societies, the Academy is also a leading centre for Oxford University Press for their generous
independent policy research. gift-in-kind to the magazine.

In 2014 the University of Salamanca conferred the degree DR News, awards, research highlights,
HONORIS CAUSA on Professor Steve Davies. The University publications, featured lectures, and prizes at all levels are
of Salamanca is one of the oldest universities in the world and updated daily on the Department website:
only awards three honorary doctorates per year - Professor www.chem.ox.ac.uk.
Davies is only the third chemist to receive this award.
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Periodic
The Magazine of the Department of Chemistry