Newsletter 251, 25th

July 2014

Chemistry Update

Calendar of Events

Pre-Application Visit Days

Date: 30 July, 6 August, 20

August & 26 August

Time: 12.15pm to 4pm

Admin Away Day

Date: Thursday 21 August

Innovative Doctoral Training

in Chemistry Launch Event

Date: Wednesday 1 October

Time: 4pm—6pm

Location: DS/008

Inside this Issue

Researchers Demonstrate Health Risks Posed by ‘Third Hand’ Tobacco

Smoke

2-3

Pratibha Gai Showcases Her Work at the Royal Institution 4

Faces for Fifty 5

O’Brien Group News 6

Organometallic Chemistry Group News 7

Rapid-Response Funding Award for Compact Spectrometers 8-9

Academic & Glassblower Amongst RSC 175 Faces of Chemistry 9

Tour de Bio

What Amino Acids in Shells Can Tell us about Bronze Age People 10-11

‘Le Tour de Yorkshire’ by Emma Dux 11

WACL @ Royal Society Summer Exhibition and Grand Départ 12-13

Green Chemists at the Grand Départ 13

How Industry Can Make a Difference: CCI Celebration Day 14

Lucy Carpenter Co-organises Royal Society Exhibition and Trials in

Local School

15

Baby Muschamp

Analytical Group News 16

Kids from Indigenous Community Getting on Sustainability 16-17

Graduation Day 18-19

Salters’ Graduate Prize for Laurie 20

Bio-Based Polymers Project Launched at York 21

Staff Rounders Match 22-23

Demonstrators Drinks Reception and CODY Awards 24-26

A Good Year for the Roses: YSBL Goes Coast to Coast 27

The Birth of New Communities for Greener Science 28-30

Bruce Group News 30

Review of Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference 2014 31

BDC Scoops UKSPA Award 32

Date of Next Issue:

29th

August 2014

Page 2

Researchers Demonstrate Health Risks Posed by ‘Third Hand’

Tobacco Smoke

Research led by the University of York has highlighted the

potential cancer risk in non-smokers – particularly young

children – of tobacco smoke gases and particles deposited

to surfaces and dust in the home. Until now, the risks of

this exposure known as ‘third hand tobacco smoke’ have

been highly uncertain and not considered in public policy.

However, a new study published in the journal

Environment International, has estimated for the first time

the potential cancer risk by age group through non-dietary

ingestion and dermal exposure to third hand smoke. The results indicate potentially severe long-term

consequences, particularly to children.

The research was carried out by York’s Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, the National

Centre for Atmospheric Science, and the Chromatography and Environmental Applications research

group at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain.

The study, which was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the

General Research Directorate of the Government of Catalonia, also demonstrates for the first time

the widespread presence of tobacco related carcinogens in house dust, even in ‘smoke-free’

environments.

Scientists collected dust samples from private homes occupied by both smokers and non-smokers.

Using observations of house dust composition, they estimated the cancer risk by applying the most

recent official toxicology information.

They found that for children aged one to six years old, the cancer risks exceeded the limit

recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in three quarters of smokers’

homes and two thirds of non-smokers’ homes. The maximum risk predicted from the third hand

smoke levels in a smoker occupied home equated to one extra cancer case per one thousand

population exposed.

Lead investigator, Dr Jacqueline Hamilton, from York’s Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry

Laboratories, said: “The risks of tobacco exposure do not end when a cigarette is extinguished. Non-

smokers, especially children, are also at risk through contact with surfaces and dust contaminated

wit

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with residual smoke gases and particles, the so-called third hand smoke. This risk should not be

overlooked and its impact should be included in future educational programs and tobacco-related

public health policies.”

Each year 600,000 people die worldwide through passive inhalation of environmental tobacco

smoke, also known as second hand smoke. As numerous countries have introduced smoking bans

in public places, the home has become the main source of passive smoking exposure.

Professor Alastair Lewis, from York’s Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories and the National

Centre for Atmospheric Science, said: “Over 40 per cent of children have at least one smoking

parent and whereas there is a general public awareness about the harms of second hand smoke,

there is little knowledge about the dangers of third hand smoke. Carcinogenic materials can be

passed from smokers to non-smokers during shared contact, for example between clothes and

surfaces and also enter homes via airborne transport of cigarette smoke.”

The researchers examined exposure to carcinogen N-nitrosamines and tobacco specific

nitrosamines (TSNAs) in the dust samples. These are produced when nicotine deposits on indoor

surfaces and then is released again to the gas phase or reacts with ozone, nitrous acid and other

atmospheric oxidants. They are classified as carcinogenic for humans.

Measurements were made using a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography system,

which was originally funded by NERC to study particulate matter in the atmosphere.

Professor Rosa Maria Marcé, from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, said: “This highly

selective and sensitive instrument has allowed the small amounts of TSNAs stuck to the surface of

house dust to be measured for the first time.”

Dr Noelia Ramirez, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from York’s Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry

Laboratories who started this research line, said: “While TSNAs have been suspected to form part

of third hand smoke as a result of laboratory studies, we have demonstrated for the first time the

presence of carcinogenic tobacco-specific compounds, such as TSNAs, in settled house dust found

in a panel of smokers’ and non-smokers’ homes.

“The TSNAs concentrations found in smoke-free homes would suggest that TSNAs formed in

smoking environments can persist for extended periods, possibly due to partitioning to ambient

particles, and subsequently be transported into non-smokers’ homes from outside.”

Page 4

Prof Pratibha Gai Showcases Her Work at the Royal Institution

Professor Pratibha Gai has showcased her pioneering work on the

visual analysis of atomic behaviour in chemical reactions in a

presentation at the Royal Institution in London.

She gave a talk entitled ‘Atoms in Action’ in the RI’s Friday Evening

Discourse series on Friday 27 June. Professor Gai is part of the RI’s

first ever all-women line-up for a year of Friday Evening Discourses in

2014 as it celebrates the achievements of women in science.

She explained her development of an atomic resolution-environmental transmission electron

microscope (atomic resolution-ETEM) so that, for the first time, the human eye can see and analyse

how atoms move and change positions in crystal structures during chemical reactions.

Professor Gai explored the far-reaching applications of the ability to watch the action of atoms in

important chemical reactions from medicine production to the creation of new energy sources.

Last year, Professor Gai was named as the Laureate for Europe in the L’OREAL-UNESCO Women

in Science Awards. She is Chair of Electron Microscopy at the University of York and co-director of

the York JEOL Nanocentre.

Professor Gai said “It was a great honour to be invited by the Royal Institution to join such a group of

eminent scientists in presenting Friday Evening Discourses”.

In related news,

Professor Pratibha Gai also gave a presentation and chaired the judging panel for the 2014

L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Awards, announced at the Royal Society in London on

19th June 2014.

Ed Boyes and Pratibha Gai gave an invited keynote presentation on ‘Introduction of AC E(S)

TEM for catalysis studies with single atom sensitivity and full analytical functionality’ by at the

Scandinavian International Electron Microscopy Conference SCANDEM2014 in Linkoping

Sweden, 10-13th June, 2014.

Prof. Pratibha Gai participated in a meeting at the House of Commons, London on Diversity in

Science on 10th June, sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry and MPs.

Paper publication : Comptes Rend. (Elsevier) 2014 ; E D Boyes and P L Gai: Visualisation of

single atoms in catalytic reactions.

Faces for Fifty

As part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations the University asked for nominations of people who had

made significant contributions to the York ethos (“the people who helped to make York great”). The

Faces for Fifty exhibition was launched on June 21, 2014 and five chemists featured in the august

list: Eleanor Dodson, Bruce Gilbert, Roger Mawby, Seishi Shimizu and David Waddington.

The images and text of the fifty chosen ones are distributed around the campus:

Download the Faces at Fifty guide and map

The collection can also be found at:

http://www.york.ac.uk/50/people/facesforfifty/

Professor Eleanor Dodson

“Eleanor Dodson epitomises the importance of interdisciplinary science and of

quiet determined leadership. Her contribution to the University has been truly

transformational and exemplifies how the outsider to the subject can see further

than the insider.”

Professor Bruce Gilbert

“The architect of the modern Department of Chemistry, the initiator of the equal

opportunity approaches which led to the Athena Swan Gold Award, and the initial

drive behind the new building programme.”

Dr Roger Mawby

“One of the unsung heroes of the University. The good of the Department and

University always came before any thought of personal advancement. The

University would not be where it is today without him.”

Dr Seishi Shimizu

“For transcending the student-teacher boundaries in a wonderfully friendly and

caring way, paying genuine interest to young people and their interests, and

generally providing a huge inspiration to everyone he meets.”

Professor David Waddington

“He was instrumental in bringing industry, science and science education

together. This led to the formation of University of York Science Education Group

which has placed the University as a world leader in context-based science

education in schools.” Page 5

Page 6

O’Brien Group News

Peter Rayner – one of the 45 finalists for the Reaxys PhD Prize 2014

The 2014 Reaxys PhD Prize is awarded for original and innovative research in synthetic chemistry

(both organic and inorganic), which demonstrates excellence in methodology and approach by a

candidate currently studying for a PhD or having completed a PhD after 1st

January 2013. Each year

submissions are reviewed by leading experts in their fields to select 45 finalists. The 2014 prizes

received 540 applications from which the top 45 were chosen. And then eventually, three winners

were selected.

Peter Rayner’s submission, together with his CV, focused on his work on chiral Grignard reagents

(J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 8071). Congratulations to Peter for making the top 45 for 2014 – his

prize is to attend the Reaxys Inspiring Chemistry Conference, 21-24 September 2014 in

Grindelwald, Switzerland.

For more information, see: http://inspiringchemistry.reaxys.com/phdprize

RSC Organic Stereochemistry Award Lecture Tour

Professor Peter O'Brien has been out and about in 2014 giving four lectures to celebrate the award

of his 2013 RSC Organic Stereochemistry Award. In January, he spoke at Keele University, and

was able to catch up with ex-RJKT post-doc Mike Edwards who is now a lecturer there. In March, he

visited Imperial College and in April, he gave a lecture at Glasgow University. Finally, in May, he

was the plenary speaker at the Ireland regional RSC Organic Division meeting in Dublin, hosted by

Professor Pat Guiry. As well as catching up with ex-Simon Breeden PhD student and ex-IJSF post-

doc Ger McGlacken (now a lecturer at Cork), Peter was presented with his medal. The photo below

shows Peter, the other speakers and the local hosts together with RSC dignatory, Professor Ray

Jones.

Page 7

Organometallic Chemistry Group News

On 17th

June, around 20 members of the inorganic group participated in the Northern Dalton Meeting

at Huddersfield University. PhD students Lucy Milner (JML/JMS) and Daniel Raines (AKDK/KSW)

gave oral presentations, with many other attendees presenting posters. The conference showcased

both the breadth and quality of work taking place throughout the region, and provided an insight into

a range of both new and familiar chemistry.

Two of the three prizes were awarded to York students - Jessica Milani (IJSF/RNP) won a prize for

the best poster presentation, and Lucy Milner was awarded the prize for the best talk -

congratulations to them.

From the 30th June to 3

rd July, four members of the Fairlamb group (Professor Ian Fairlamb, Margot

Wenzel, George Platt and Jessica Milani) attended the 2nd

International Symposium on C–H

Activation in Rennes, France (ischa.sciencesconf.org).

Jessica Milani gave an oral presentation and the other attendees presented posters. Chiara Manzini

(University of Pisa, Italy), a visitor student last year in the Fairlamb group, also delivered an oral

presentation. The conference was well attended with 262 participants from 31 countries. Great

chemistry discussions were had and a fantastic visit to Mont San Michelle on the last day ended an

amazing trip. As you can see from the selfie, old members of the Fairlamb group were in Rennes too

(Dr Tom Storr/ Chiara Manzini)!

Page 8

Rapid-Response Funding Award for Compact Spectrometers

Teaching Labs won a rapid-response

teaching and learning fund award of £1500

to fund the production of 26 compact

spectrometers and 13 interfaces to support

the Year 1 Physical Chemistry course. The

previous spectrometer design (see

Chemistry Update May 2012) was

redesigned in order for production to be

scaled up, making use of new facilities

available in the workshops, principally

surface mount assembly and laser cutting.

The spectrometer was redesigned as a printed circuit board, complete with cut-outs to allow the

board to be dropped into the spectrometer casing, with no screws required to hold the board in

place. The board designs were sent to a PCB fabrication manufacturer (Eurocircuits) and the boards

were delivered a few days later for assembly. The assembly included surface-mounting of the

components (applying a paste, placing the components and placing in a PCB oven to solder), and

through hole soldering of the holders for the removable LED and PD, and the connector. This

assembly takes less than 10 minutes per board, compared to the 90 minutes for the original

spectrometers. One the board is assembled, it is dropped into a commercially-available case which

has holes cut using the laser-cutter for the cuvette and the connector.

The computer interface is still based around an Arduino interface. A PCB was designed as a shield,

to plug directly into the board, with connections for up to 6 spectrometers per board. The power for

the spectrometers is supplied via the USB connection to the Arduino, and is then passed onto each

spectrometer.

These spectrometers were used for one of two new, complimentary experiments developed by Julia

Sarju, Rachael Castle and Dr Moray Stark for the physical course. The experiments looked at

examining rates of reaction for the decolourising of brilliant green dye with hydroxide with varying

temperature (existing Shimadzu / Jenway spectrometers) and concentration (these spectrometers).

The funding allowed us to have one spectrometer per student for the duration of the experiment.

Some of the student feedback included:

“It was funny that the home-made spectrometers were a lot easier to use, and gave much better

results, than the larger and supposedly better spectrometers.”

Page 9

“It was interesting to use the smaller spectrophotometers and see how simple they could be and still

be effective.”

“Liked the approach of looking at one reaction in two different ways.”

“I found using the spectrophotometers made in house very interesting and enjoyed using them and

the computer software that came with them.”

Thanks to Chris Rhodes for the spectrometer hardware, Kevin Cowtan for the software, Julia,

Rachael and Moray for the experiments, the Technical Support Services group for technical

assistance and the Rapid Response Fund for providing the money to make this possible.

Academic and Glassblower Amongst RSC 175 Faces of Chemistry

Professor Dave Smith and Abigail Storey are amongst the Royal Society of

Chemistry's 175 Faces of Chemistry.

The Royal Society of Chemistry's 175 Faces of Chemistry is aimed at

highlighting and celebrating the diversity of the individuals, both past and

present, who have helped to shape chemistry and science as a whole.

Amongst the Faces are Professor Dave Smith, FRSC, Professor of

Nanochemistry and Abigail Storey, glassblower in the Department of Chemistry

at the University of York.

Tour de Bio

BioVale is a new initiative to help businesses in the Yorkshire and the

Humber region capitalise on rapidly growing global markets for products

sourced from plants, microbes or waste. On the 5th July, BioVale signed a

memorandum of understanding with their French counterpart, the Industries

& Agro-Resources (IAR) innovation cluster. This agreement will lead to co-

operation in developing new markets for UK and French bio-based

businesses. It will also encourage joint R&D projects and shared access to

facilities. The signing coincided with another example of successful Anglo-

French cooperation: the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Yorkshire.

Page 10

What Amino Acids in Shells Can Tell us about Bronze Age People

A new study by scientists at the University of York has shed new light on the use of mollusc

shells as personal adornments by Bronze Age people.

The research team used amino acid racemisation

analysis (a technique used previously mainly for dating

artefacts), light microscopy, scanning electron

microscopy and Raman spectroscopy, to identify the

raw materials used to make beads in a complex

necklace discovered at an Early Bronze Age burial site

at Great Cornard in Suffolk, UK.

They discovered that Bronze Age craftspeople used

species like dog whelk and tusk shells, both of which

were likely to have been sourced and worked locally, to

fashion tiny disc-shaped beads in the necklace. The research is published in PLOS ONE.

The researchers included archaeologists, mathematicians, chemists and physicists, the latter from

the BioArCh and York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA) and the Departments of

Archaeology, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics at the University of York. Dr Sonia O’Connor, of

the University of Bradford’s Department of Archaeological Sciences, carried out the light and

electron microscopy, and prehistoric jewellery specialist Dr Alison Sheridan, of National Museums

Scotland, facilitated access to the Great Cornard necklace, which had been excavated by Suffolk

Archaeology.

When it was first realised that the tiny white beads had been made from shell, the question arose as

to its source. Had the shell been obtained locally or did it originate from a species from further afield,

perhaps even the Mediterranean thorny oyster (Spondylus)? The Mediterranean thorny oyster is a

shell of long-standing symbolic and cultural significance which is known to have been used on the

Continent around the time when the Great Cornard necklace was made.

But this collaborative research, led by Dr Beatrice Demarchi, of York’s Department of Archaeology

and BioArCh, and Dr Julie Wilson, of the Departments of Chemistry and Mathematics and YCCSA,

has shown this not to be the case, and has suggested an alternative possibility.

Dr Demarchi said: “Dog whelks and tusk shells were likely to be available locally so these people did

not have to travel far to get hold of the raw materials for their beads.”

Continued on Page 11..

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“There is evidence, from elsewhere in Britain and further afield, for the use of tusk shells at various

times in the past. This may well be because they are relatively easy to work and their hollow shape

is very distinctive.”

Dr Wilson added: “The statistical analysis used pattern recognition algorithms for taxonomic

identification, comparing the composition of the beads with a large database of shell amino acid

compositions. Although we cannot know the origin of the beads for certain, our multidisciplinary

approach provides additional evidence for the identifications.”

This research was possible thanks to funding from the EU FP7 Re(In)tegration grant PERG07-GA-

2010-268429 (project: mAARiTIME) and the AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage programme,

Award AH/H032150/1(Project: Cultural Objects Worked in Skeletal Hard Tissues), with contributions

from NERC, the Wellcome Trust, the Leverhume Trust and English Heritage for amino acid

analyses, and the Brazilian funding councils CAPES and CNPq for Raman spectroscopy. The team

is grateful to all the collaborators who, throughout the years, have submitted their shell samples for

analysis at the NEaar laboratory, allowing the amino acid database to be developed.

‘Le Tour de Yorkshire’ by Emma Dux

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WACL @ Royal Society Summer Exhibition and Grand Départ

The York Atmospheric Chemistry Group have had a busy month doing some outreach activities.

From 1st July – 6

th July, several members of the group spent took part in The Royal Society Summer

Science Exhibition. This is an annual display of the most exciting cutting-edge science and

technology in the UK. The festival is open to all and gives the public the opportunity to meet the

scientists behind the research.

The group were part of an exhibit entitled Tropical Storms, a research project that took part in the

West Pacific during January 2014. The team were involved in making clouds, making teabags fly

and helping people experience what life is like on a research aircraft.

During the week there were 15,000 visitors keeping the team busy from 9am until 10pm! We even

have a member of royalty visit, Duke of Kent (the Queen’s cousin!).

Page 13

On 6

th July, York had the honour of holding the Grand Départ of the Tour de France. Dr Ruth Purvis

and Dr James Lee took part in the Universities Research Marquee that was set up on the

Knavesmire. More cloud making and talking about air quality research occurred. The whole event

was very successful with great feedback received.

Green Chemists at the Grand Départ

A team from the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence

was also at the Grand Départ, with an exhibit

demonstrating the valorisation or orange peel. Members

of the public appreciated how much waste was created

when they juiced their own oranges, and learned how to

extract useful chemicals from orange peel via

microwave-assisted steam distillation. A food waste

themed giant Snakes & Ladders board was also set up,

which featured on University Radio York. Close to the

Snakes & Ladders board were actual snakes, including

Ozzy the Mexican black kingsnake from the

conservation team at Flamingo Land.

Page 14

How Industry Can Make a Difference: Children Challenging

Industry Celebration Day in the North East

Jenny Harvey, Advisory Teacher for the North East, hosted her first Children Challenging Industry

(CCI) Celebration Event on the 1st July at the Wilton Centre, Redcar.

Mark Kenrick, CEO of LOTTE Chemical UK, opened the event by passionately endorsing Children

Challenging Industry, stating the benefits to the teachers, children and the companies involved in

hosting the visits. Jenny talked about the CCI project, what it involves and how it is implemented and

her statistics for the year (including the number of children, teachers and schools involved). Pupils

from Mill Lane Primary School spoke about CCI in their own words and Dr Stan Higgins, NEPIC,

closed the speakers by presenting some facts and figures about the impact and benefits of CCI

across Teesside. There was a positive buzz of excitement all around and five new bookings were

made and interest from new companies voiced.

Children from five different primary schools (Billingham South Primary School, Breckon Hill Primary

School, Mill Lane Primary School, St Helens Primary School and St Therese of Lisieux RC School)

who have already experienced CCI demonstrated various CCI activities on different tables. Four

companies exhibited; Chemoxy International, Johnson Matthey, TTE and Spearhead Interactive.

Sembcorp had a display of photographs from a CCI visit.

In all sixty seven people attended the day. Jenny was delighted, “It was great to have speakers like

Stan Higgins and Mark Kenrick to enthuse new companies about CCI and to have so many pupils

here to show CCI in action.”

Leilla Elliott of the Cleveland Scientific Institute with children from Billingham South Primary School

Professor Lucy Carpenter Co-organises Royal Society Exhibition

and Trials in Local School

Professor Lucy Carpenter co-organised part of the prestigious Royal Society Summer Exhibitions,

adapting content to ‘road-test’ on schoolchildren in Naburn, North Yorkshire.

The exhibition Tropical Storms, led by Neil Harris

from the University of Cambridge, showcased a

unique experiment investigating storms in the West

Pacific. Using data from special instruments on

board three research aircraft, measurements from

varied regions revealed how air moves in such

storms and how storms influence the upper

atmosphere.

Funded by the RSC, initial engagement trials for

the exhibition took place at Naburn Primary School.

Taking materials into the classroom, pupils were

given the chance to learn about advanced research and experience the excitement of work on field

campaigns before the official exhibition opened in July.

Professor Carpenter said: “We were bowled over by the response from the children at Naburn

School, they were really enthusiastic and had lots of questions, and answers, on how clouds form,

why air rises, and what it's like to be an environmental scientist. Now we're raring to go to show the

exhibit on a somewhat larger scale in London!”

Tropical Storms ran from 1–6 July at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2014 in London.

Page 15

Baby Muschamp

Congratulations to Lyndsay and Rick Muschamp on the birth of their

second daughter, born Tuesday 22nd

July, weighing 7lb 10oz. Mum

and baby back home and doing well.

Page 16

Kids from Indigenous Community Getting on Sustainability:

Cinthia Mena Durán’s to Pebá, Yucatán, México

Last June during a short visit to my home town, teachers Carlos Naal and Emilia Pech allowed me to

do an activity about sustainability in the primary school “El Pípila”. It was a good chance to put in

context “how sustainable a person can be in a rural place”. After an interactive talk, kids were

divided in three teams to think about current problems faced in Pebá, in respect to water, energy and

rubbish; in their teams, they would propose possible solutions and ways to apply them. At the end, a

representative of each team talked about their proposal in public. It was very exciting to see them

getting involved (of course there were some prizes!). Teachers decided which was the best

approach.

Another activity consisted of preparing banners to promote awareness about taking care of the Earth

and environment. The most voted (via Google+) won a York pencil case. It was also very gratifying

to see those kids getting involved in both activities.

I do believe that today’s kids would make the corresponding changes in the future, and we want

better prepared ones in rural and urban communities.

Fabs the Frog, the Green Chemistry Centre mascot, was present during this adventure. Thanks to

Katie Privett and Professor James Clark for providing the Green Chemistry freebies.

- Cinthia Mena Durán, Green Chemistry PhD Student

In July, Dr Kirsty Penkman & Jo Simpson from the

Analytical group gave invited talks about their

research. Kirsty Penkman spoke at the Analytical

Research Forum at the RSC at Burlington House,

London. The new one-day format provides a scientific

meeting for the UK analytical community, including a

flash poster session that enabled more participants to

share their work at this exciting interdisciplinary

meeting. Kirsty's talk focused on three case studies

showing how working in the earth and archaeological sciences pushes method development in

analytical science, whilst helping to answer critical questions in the collaborating fields. Jo Simpson

was invited to give a departmental seminar about her work on glutamine deamidation in bone

collagen at the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at Tübingen

University.

Analytical Group News

Page 18

Graduation Day

Page 19

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Salters’ Graduate Prize for Laurie

Chemistry student Laurie Points has been awarded a prestigious Salters’ Graduate Prize.

Laurie will receive the award in November, at a ceremony in London.

Many congratulations to undergraduate chemistry student Laurie Points, who has been awarded a

Salters’ Graduate Prize. Up to ten of these prizes are awarded to final-year undergraduates studying

at UK universities. Prizes are awarded on the basis of assessments of the potential of candidates

ultimately to occupy leading positions in public life, either by employment in the Chemical or related

industries, or more generally in employment that supports the industrial life of the UK.

During his degree Laurie developed a particular interest in green chemistry and environmental

sustainability. He completed a summer vacation bursary, played squash for the university and his

college, and worked for, and was sponsored by, Muntons (a malt and malted ingredients producer)

throughout his degree. He spent the last year of his degree on a placement year with Infineum, an

Oxfordshire based world leader in the formulation, manufacturing and marketing of petroleum

additives for lubricants and fuels. This provided an excellent opportunity for Laurie to develop a wide

variety of technical and transferable skills, and experience life in industry. His work focussed on

developing the fundamental understanding of antioxidants for application in engine oils.

Laurie graduated this year with a First Class MChem Chemistry degree.

Professor Richard Taylor said

“Many congratulations to Laurie on

this richly deserved award. Laurie is

a talented and outstanding

chemistry student, who has made

impressive contributions to the

Chemistry Department and the

University – from his role as a

chemistry mentor, to a college

STYC and an Open Day

Ambassador. We wish Laurie well

in his forthcoming PhD studies at

the University of Glasgow.

Laurie and Professor Taylor

Page 21

Bio-Based Polymers Project Launched at York

The first two events associated with the five year platform grant on synthesis of polymers from

biomass as sustainable replacements for petrochemical derived polymers took place in the Green

Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE) in July. On Thursday 17th, a one day symposium on bio-

based polymers was held in the Industrial Engagement Facility (IEF) and attracted almost 60

delegates from as far away as Sweden and Spain. In addition to presentations on relevant work

being carried out at York and elsewhere, delegates were able to tour both the new GCCE

laboratories and the Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) and see the wide range of research,

analytical and scale-up facilities available in York. The event was deemed a great success by the

delegates and is intended to become an annual event.

The following day, the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence hosted the first industrial advisory

board meeting for the EPSRC platform grant. This was again held in the Industrial Engagement

Facility and was the first meeting of the academics, postdocs, industrialists, technical and

administrative staff associated with the project. The day centred around initial progress reports and

future plans from the academics with input and advice from the industrial partners. The project

officially started on 1st March 2014, though many of the staff who will work on the project have only

recently been appointed, or are still to start. The platform grant is led by York and the project

administrator, Sophie Palmer, is a new appointee to the GCCE who started work on 1st

July. Again

there was an opportunity during the day to tour both the new GCCE laboratories and the BDC to see

the range of relevant facilities available in York. Our academic and industrial partners left suitably

impressed with the facilities available at York.

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Staff Rounders Match

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DJ Rocky Rhodes at the Staff BBQ

Above is the sign Chris Rhodes had on his music gadgetry at the Chemistry Department Staff BBQ.

He also had a hoody saying 'DJ Rocky Rhodes', but unfortunately it was too hot for him to wear. No

doubt he is available for hire for birthdays, weddings, bar mitzvahs etc. at highly reasonable prices.

The flashing lights and smoke effects come as standard.

Demonstrators Drinks Reception and CODY Awards – 25 June

The Department of Chemistry appreciates the huge efforts of all graduate demonstrators to support

delivery of the undergraduate course. Demonstrators play a crucial role, both in the teaching

laboratory and in non-lab courses. The role of a demonstrator is varied and challenging, and we are

justifiably proud of the teaching contributions that graduate demonstrators make.

In recognition of these efforts, a drinks reception was held on Wednesday 25th June to celebrate the

collective contribution to the Department of all demonstrators. In addition to this, a few

demonstrators received a special commendation for their efforts and were awarded prizes for the

"Chemistry Outstanding Demonstrators of the Year" (CODY).

Nominations and comments were sought from undergraduates via the Staff-Student Committee

reps, Practical and Maths Course Organisers, and David Pugh for laboratory-based demonstrators.

From this consultation, a shortlist was drawn up, which comprised the following students:

Kate Appleby, Craig Archbold, Joshua Bray, Chris Carrick, Rachael Castle, Sarah Chambers, Daniel

Cornwell, James Firth, Ryan Gorman, Rachel Holmes, Adam Islip, Danielle Jowett, Sindhu Krishna,

Katie Lamb, Lyndsay Ledingham, Matthew Lloyd, Jessica Milani, Adam Pinder, Alan Reay, Helen

Robinson, Tom Ronson, Julia Sarju, Kirsty Skeene, Vargini Thangavadivale, Chris Unsworth, Mary

Wheldon, Ellis Wilde.

The 2014 winners were identified by the selection panel which consisted of Peter O'Brien, Nick

Wood, Sue Couling and David Pugh. Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 CODYs:

Rachael Castle, Rachel Holmes, Danielle Jowett, Sindhu Krishna and Julia Sarju

The winners with Peter O’Brien: Sindhu Krishna, Rachel Holmes, Danielle Jowett, Peter O’Brien, Julia Sarju, Rachael Castle

It had been agreed by the panel that each student can only win one CODY award. The following

2013 winners were also commended in 2014: Stephen Bromfield, Richard Gammons, Jon Holmes,

Kate Horner, Natalie Pridmore, Mark Sims and Rachel Smith.

The motivation behind the CODYs was that while all demonstrators are expected to exhibit certain

key skills, some are recognised as have performed exceptionally well in the role. The following are

comments our CODY 2014 prize winners received:

“…very reliable and pro-active at organisational tasks...particularly good at guiding the students

through the tricky sections of the practical..."

“…displayed outstanding dedication and hard work...made really useful recommendations... great at

helping the students build up confidence..."

“…made useful suggestions for script improvements...pro-active in organisation of marking... great

at getting the best out of students... extremely enthusiastic, very helpful..."

“…contributed a lot to my improvement this year... was very good at explaining what we had to do in

labs...extremely reliable... helped the students develop their abilities..."

“…was very good at enthusing students... did really well at feedback sessions... always excellent in

labs... the students respond really well ..."

Continued on Page 26...

All demonstrators, teaching lab staff and practical course organisers

Page 25

Peter O’Brien also thanked David Pugh, Phil Helliwell, Helen Burrell, Charlotte Elkington, Emma

Dux, Liza Binnington and the practical course organisors for all their efforts in the running of the

Chemistry practical course. Thanks also went to Luiza Morrell, Sarah Holberry and Kristina Carling

for timetabling and processing demonstrator payments, and to Alice Duckett and Sharon Stewart for

organising the event.

On behalf of the Department, Peter then thanked Sue Couling for the important role she has played

in training and supporting graduate students and post-docs to develop research, teaching and trans-

ferable skills. Such skills have been put to good use in the department, for example through demon-

strating, but have also supported the transition into employment following their studies.

Sue is leaving the Department after 14 years.

She was presented with several cards signed

by staff and students, a bespoke ‘CODY’ made

by Abby Storey and cash to purchase a gift of

her choosing. Sue will be greatly missed.

A CODY award, designed and made by Abby Storey

Sue with Rachel Crooks and Alice Duckett, with whom she has worked for 6 years

Page 26

New Starters

Dr Julen Bustamante, Research Technician in Green Chemistry

Ext: 4547; Room: F111; Email: julen.bustamante@york.ac.uk

Miss Sophie Palmer, Admin Assistant and PA in in Green Chemistry

Ext: 4970, Room: F117B, Email: sophie.palmer@york.ac.uk

Dr Yi Jin, Postdoctoral Research Associate in YSBL

Ext: 8278, Room: B/K151, Email: yi.jin@york.ac.uk

Page 27

A Good Year for the Roses: YSBL Goes Coast to Coast

In true multidisciplinary spirit, this July members of YSBL teamed up with colleagues from Biology

and Sociology for a collaborative project focusing on the 170-mile “Way of the Roses” coast-to-coast

cycle ride.

Research findings included the following:

Recent heavy consumption of complex carbohydrates combined with application of 25°C heat

reduces to near-zero your chance of getting up the dastardly High Hill Lane (climbing east out

of Settle) without stopping;

The general belief in prevailing westerly winds across the north of England is misplaced;

It is possible to go downhill more slowly than you go uphill;

Two thunderstorms’ worth of rain yields ~56ml of water from the average sock;

Human pain receptors are most effectively disabled by the correct combination of chips and

beer (further work is needed to establish the precise formula).

The ride was completed by 8 people over 3 days (with rider #9 completing 2/3 of it). Approximately

53,000 calories were burned in total; ~5.4 kg of potato products consumed; three inner tubes and

one entire chainset trashed; and a novel hair styling method devised.

Over all, a highly successful project with a REF (ridiculous-exercise fatigue) grading of 4-star. A

great opportunity to follow some of the ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ route, revel in some glorious scenery, and

raise money for Cancer Research UK. (Thanks to all who have donated!)

For Chemistry: John Darby; Catherine Foster; Tim Ganderton; Sophie McKenna; Christian Roth;

Paul Walton. For Biology: Fiona Whelan (Potts Group). For Sociology: Nathan Manning. Plus

special guest appearance from John’s girlfriend Seun.

Page 28

The Birth of New Communities for Greener Science:

At Home and Abroad

Global Network for Early-Career Sustainable Scientists (NESSE)

At the recent ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference a new early-career network for

sustainable scientists and engineers was launched, chaired by Jennie Dodson, one of our new post-

docs (JHC). The Network developed out of the ACS Summer School in Green Chemistry &

Sustainable Energy last year with the aim of building an empowering, creative and open global

interdisciplinary network run by and for early-career scientists who are striving to tackle today’s

environmental and energy challenges. Following a year developing the idea and structure of the

organisation it was launched with the support of the ACS at the ‘From Bench to Big Picture’

interactive discussion prior to the GC&E conference.

At the launch event young scientists discussed the challenges of getting sustainable technologies

into society raising a broad range of issues such as being better trained in toxicology, sustainability,

business skills, and effective communication, as well as being connected across disciplines. This is

where NESSE aims to support scientists by facilitating an interdisciplinary network, bringing together

chemists, biologists, engineers and others to forge the connections, skills, and knowledge to develop

truly innovative and sustainable solutions.

NESSE’s top priorities are to:

1. Connect early-career researchers online and face-to-face

2. Support sustainable science groups at universities

3. Promote the incorporation of green science, such as green chemistry, green engineering, and

sustainability, into curriculums worldwide

4. Promote the awareness of green science amongst the public through outreach activities

Early-career researchers discussing ideas at the ‘Bench to Big Picture Launch event

Page 29

There was a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm of both early-career researchers to participate

in the network and slightly older members of the community to support and facilitate it. Inspired by

the Green Chemistry Initiative at the University of Toronto several people are going away to start

sustainable science groups at their universities, including here at York.

Green Science Community at Unviersity of York (GreenSTEMS)

Just a month after returning from the launch event of NESSE, an open meeting to set-up an

interdisciplinary sustainable science group at the University of York gathered more than twenty

interested members from all across campus, led by one of our PhD students Giulia Paggiola (JHC)

with the great name "GreenSTEMS" chosen after much brainstorming.

Recent GreenSTEMS opening meeting and pub social

The core mission of the group is to connect early-career scientists from all STEM fields and Social

sciences (from which the extended acronym 'STEMS') across the University of York under the

Connecting early-career researchers at the GC&E conference

Page 30

common interest for sustainable development. The University of York has a large and increasing

number of research groups and projects committed to developing safer and cleaner technologies, as

well as new models for green socio-economic policies, thereby reflecting global trends and needs.

The topicality of this field within our University is also proven by the number of sustainability and

environment-focused initiatives present, such as YESI (York Environmental Sustainability Institute),

Green Impact and the University of York Sustainability Forum.

GreenSTEMS intends to increase the impact of these initiatives by creating an interdisciplinary

platform where the knowledge, resources and connections available via all these groups can be

shared and delivered effectively to early-career scientists across campus. GreenSTEMS aims to do

this by creating regular occasions for people from different disciplines to professionally connect and

socially interact in order to promote interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and research. These will

include:

1. talks and seminars hosting relevant and engaging speakers and open discussions;

2. activities in collaboration with other green initiatives and institutions that will focus on student's

knowledge and skills development as well as on public dissemination of science and

sustainable thinking;

3. informal meetups such as "science-pub" socials and film/documentary sessions.

From an international level, GreenSTEMS will be supported and connected to other sustainable

groups through NESSE (Network of Early-career Sustainable Scientists & Engineers) which will

facilitate face-to-face training events and meetings, sharing of resources and will providing funding

for sustainable science groups.

So to all sustainable scientists - or wannabes -, now you have no excuse for hiding! Get to know

more about GreenSTEMS by emailing Giulia (gp617@york.ac.uk) or following the page

facebook.com/gstems, and join NESSE's expanding network on sustainablescientists.org.

Bruce Group News

Professor Duncan Bruce is happy to welcome the following visitors to the group:

Dr Wan Sinn Yam from University Sains, Malaysai - visiting academic.

Marsel Shafikov - from Ekaterinburg, Russia - visiting student with RJKT under Royal Society

exchange.

Professor John Spencer - from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand

Page 31

Review of Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference 2014

In June, the GCCE attended the ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference running an

exhibition at the event with several students and academics attending. The exhibition went extremely

well with a constant stream of visitors including potential industrial and academic partners and

students interested in taking the Masters Course.

Dr Jennifer Dodson, a post-doc in the GCCE commented:

“Many of the talks and topics were extremely interesting. A particular highlight for me was the

keynote speech by Richard Blackburn giving an incredibly informative overview of the various

challenges present in improving the ‘greenness’ and sustainability of the material supply chain,

stressing that we need to both develop more benign materials and manufacture processes and to

consider overall consumption. I also really enjoyed the critical elements sessions and webinar. As an

issue that lies close to my research (and heart), I was excited to see how much interest and

awareness is growing to develop approaches using more abundant elements and finding novel ways

to recover and recycle all elements. The conference had an extremely friendly atmosphere and was

a great chance to make contacts and have discussions about potential collaborations. It was also

interesting to observe the differences between Europe and North America in terms of the focus on

different aspects of sustainable chemistry.”

Giulia, a PhD student in the GCCE said:

“As a European PhD student I found the conference really worth the travel, a truly wide-ranging

event, filled with inspirational people and exciting initiatives. The strong focus on applicable science

really attracted people and speakers from different sectors - process chemists, toxicologists,

economists, industrials, regulators, NGOs. It has been especially exciting to meet some of the most

reputable green chemists in a very comfortable environment. In terms of my work with solvent

substitution, this has been especially helpful for putting my research into a bigger picture context and

for creating contacts with experts in chemicals regulation and toxicology, two fields that I feel are

growing in relevance in the green chemistry world as a whole.

What I found most striking and original was the level of commitment to education strategies and the

amount of support and time that the conference dedicated to student initiatives and workshops.

Thanks to this I got to know other young researchers and spend very enjoyable moments with them

both within and out of the conference time, and I am sure these bonds will endure and evolve in the

future.”

Page 32

Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) Scoops UKSPA Award

We’ve been having an amazing week

and this was topped off last night: we

won the prestigious UKSPA 30th

Anniversary Award for Innovation

Partnership!

We are truly honoured to have

received this award and would like to

thank the judges for recognising our

work to bring bio-based innovations

to Yorkshire businesses. Joe, our

director, has long been keen to ensure that academic research and innovations from universities are

brought to commercialisation, and as such led the setting up of the BDC on York Science Park to

make this happen. Two years after our official launch, we are humbled to be having an incredible

week:

Last weekend as part of the Anglo-French celebrations in Yorkshire, we were instrumental in

the signing of a memorandum of understanding between BioVale, a new cluster to support the

bio-based economy in Yorkshire, and IAR their French counterpart;

then on Monday we received amazing news that some £8M in funding has been pledged

towards BioVale, including the expansion of the Science Park with dedicated space for

industrial biotechnology companies,

during the week, we also heard we are likely to secure resource to initiate a bioeconomy

training strand of work,

and the cherry on the cake: to have been recognised for the hard work of our team with

the UKSPA 30th Anniversary Innovation Partnership award.

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all our supporters – we are truly delighted to be working

with so many inspiring organisations and can’t wait to see what the future brings!

- Juliet Burns, Communications and Marketing Manager at BDC