Chemistry
mistry
Newsletter
CHEMISTRY NEWSLETTER 18
Issue 18 November 2014
The University of
Sheffield’s own
students vote us the
UK’s No. 1
Contents
The University of Sheffield’s
own students vote us the
UK’s No. 1
1
International Recognition
2
Chemistry Undergraduate
wins a highly competitive
Scholarship
2
NJT Students
2
You can “Achieve More” 3
Focus on Prof Jane Grasby
3
Dr Ed Warminski –
“sustained excellence in
learning and teaching”
4
Alumni4
We believe it is our students that make the University of Sheffield such an
extraordinary place. So, it is always nice to see they feel the same about us!
In fact, this year our students voted us the UK Number One, as we topped all 111
UK universities ranked in the in the Times Higher Education Student Experience
Survey. Although we were near the top of all 21 categories - with students putting
us first for social life, facilities and accommodation – our pro-vice-chancellor for
learning and teaching, Prof Paul White, points out the University also gained a top
three place for its “well-structured courses”, explaining that it shows “we have a
good all-round offer, excelling on both the academic and social sides”
The same survey put the University’s Students’ Union in the top place for the fifth
year running, an opinion that is echoed by National Student Survey 2014 results,
which showed that our students had rated it as the best in the country for the
third year running. Apart from the club and societies, cafes, restaurants, and clubnights, the Union offers a wide range of opportunities for students to develop their
CV through its pioneering Sheffield Volunteering Scheme that allows them to work
with local schools and charities.
Chemistry is one
of the biggest
departments in
the University of
Sheffield.
Our Undergraduate
students are drawn from
four different continents.
Find out more at:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/
chemistry/
International
Recognition
Chemistry Undergraduate
wins a highly competitive
Scholarship
This year, the University of Sheffield rose up the rankings
in the World’s biggest university rating survey. In its
annual report that takes in over 3000 institutes across
the globe, the QS World University Rankings placed the
University in 69th place and in the European Top 25. As
well as being one of the best in the UK, we were named
as the number one university in Yorkshire. What’s more,
although QS does not fully rank individual subjects,
it placed Sheffield in the World’s top 100 Chemistry
Departments.
We send our congratulations to Daniel Whitaker, a second
year Chemistry with Study in Industry student who beat
off stiff competition in a very competitive application
procedure to gain a prestigious Ernst & Young Scholarship.
The Scholarship, which includes an annual bursary,
a summer internships and on-the-job specialist training, is
only offered to outstanding students. The Ernst and Young
interview panel were impressed with the general quality
of our graduate and said they were looking forward to
offering future students similar opportunities.
NJT Students
The Department has just welcomed the first group of 20
trail-blazing students to arrive in Sheffield from Nanjing Tech
University in China. As part of our ‘3+1’ collaborative degree
programme the students have studied for three years in
Nanjing, where they were taught by visiting Sheffield staff.
The students now join the final year of our BSc programme
and will complete their studies next summer.
This innovative collaborative degree has provided a prototype
for the Departments of Maths and Physics at Sheffield, who
have similar joint programmes with Nanjing Tech. Since the
world of science often breaks down borders, the partnership
between our institutions promises to be very beneficial to
us both. We warmly welcome this first group and wish them
every success in their studies in Sheffield.
Sampling their new local cuisine
From Nanjing to Sheffield. Top: The new students arrive at the Department.
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YOU can “Achieve More”
Our undergraduate students will be some of the first to
learn about science in a whole new way. The University is
launching Achieve More, a pioneering project to give Sheffield
students the extra skills that employers are looking for
beyond their academic excellence. This semester our new
students are working with other first years from different
science departments, teaming up with biologists, physicists,
mathematicians and psychologists to tackle real-world
scientific challenges.
Enhance your employability through our Achieve More Programme
The projects cover a wide range of challenges to humanity,
from climate change and food security through to healthcare
and reproductive rights. The teams of students and scientists
will work together to study scientific papers, develop
arguments, draw conclusions, and then make videos based on
their findings.
built on. It will also give our students a chance to enhance
their CVs by gaining experience in team working and project
management.
In the coming years, Achieve More will become even more
ambitious, as future Department of Chemistry students will
work on multidisciplinary projects with fellow undergraduates
from across the University, not just the faculty of science.
The Achieve More challenge will allow students to apply
knowledge from their own fields in the kind of interdisciplinary
working environment that many leading organisations are
Focus on
Prof Jane Grasby
Prof. Jane Grasby’s research group
is carrying out work that answers
fundamental questions on how DNA,
the molecule that makes the genetic
blueprint of life, is copied and repaired.
Jane’s work centres on specific
enzymes - known as endonucleases that function as “molecular scissors”
cutting up DNA at specific locations
when it is being replicated or repaired.
She has recently been awarded
£665K by the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council to
investigate these vital molecules in even
more detail. Having recently identified
the mechanism by which endonucleases
carry out their task Prof Grasby’s group
intends to find ways to control these
processes as this may offer a
new therapeutic paradigm for
complex, genetically-based
diseases including cancer.
Jane is also passionately involved in
supporting and promoting the role
of women in science and technology.
So, it is no surprise that she led the
Department’s successful bid for an
Athena Swan Award. The Athena
Swan Charter promotes recruitment,
retention and progression of Women
in Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics subjects. At an award
ceremony at the University of Durham,
the Athena Swan panel commented that
Department of Chemistry is “well on the
way to being a exemplary department”
and highlighted its support for flexible
working, career development
of researchers, and its
generally proactive
approach.
Prof Grasby checks the numbers on her latest
£665K research grant
One of Jane’s co-workers on her
endonuclease-based research,
Dr L. David Finger, is also active in
improving the workplace environment.
Dave, who is originally from the USA,
has recently won a University prize for
the Best Faculty of Science Researcher
in recognition of his leadership and
mentoring skills. He takes an active role
in representing postdoctoral workers,
both nationally and internationally.
In this role, he is a member of U.S.
National Postdoctoral Association
Board of Directors, U.K. Research
Staff Association, and the International
Consortium of Research Staff
Associations.
DNA bound into the active site of the endonuclease
studied by The Grasby Group
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Chemistry
Newsletter
Chem
Dr Ed Warminski –
“sustained excellence
in learning and teaching”
Although Ed Warminski - who heads up the team responsible for
delivering our Undergraduate Laboratories - has previously picked
up prizes for his teaching skills, he recently received the University
of Sheffield top teaching accolade, a Senate Award for Excellence in
Learning & Teaching. Ed’s hard-won award recognizes; “continued
excellence and inspiration in teaching and/or learner support;”
it is only given to individuals who have “developed their skills and
practice over a period of six years or more, and represent a ‘model
of excellence’”. Having been a member of the teaching staff at the
Department for over twenty years Ed is a well-known face to a
generation of our graduates. We are sure they will join us in our
congratulations to an outstanding teacher. In fact, this prize is the
latest in a string awards for the Department’s innovative teaching
staff, in recent years Prof Mark Winter, Dr Simon Jones, and Dr Jenny
Burnham have also won Senate Teaching Awards.
A smiling Dr Warminski shows off his
prestigious teaching award
Alumni
Further information on all the courses the
department offers can be found at its web site:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/
Are you an Alumnus of the
Department?
Contact: Admissions Office
Email: [email protected]
We would really love to know how you are getting
on. Join our Linkedin group and tell us you news:
Department of Chemistry
Brook Hill
Sheffield
S3 7HF
http://tinyurl.com/b2gklfz
Up to date information on the department and its
activities see:
Credits:
Text: Department of Chemistry
Layout: Print and Design Solutions
www.sheffield.ac.uk/chemistry/
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