Tom Swan is awarded a Morrell Fellowship at The University of York

Tom Swan receiving his Morrell Fellowship at The University of York.

Also pictured with Tom Swan from left: Harry Swan (MD of Thomas Swan), Joy Parvin  and Gayle Pook.

 

Tom Swan’s huge support for CIEC and the Children Challenging Industry project has been instrumental in their continuing success over the last 18 years. He is a passionate believer in educating everyone about the importance of science and the scientific industries and in particular to educate and inform the new generation who will work in these industries. He has recently been honoured with a Morrell Fellowship from the University of York.

Named in memory of John Bowes Morrell who was at the forefront of the campaign to create a university in York, the Morrell Fellowships are a means of recognising the community of benefactors who have made the most significant contributions to the fabric and life of the University.

The following is part of the citation delivered at the ceremony:

Tom Swan is the chairman of Thomas Swan & Co, from Consett, County Durham, which was listed as one of the Top 20 World Innovators by a leading American publication - this is a remarkable achievement for a family run UK company.

In the 1980s, Thomas Swan expanded into semiconductors, fungicides and new techniques for metal coating which removed the need to use to dangerous solvents - this early recognition of the need to move to environmentally friendly processes won the company the 2003 Chemical Industries Association Green Chemical Technology award.

Over the years, Tom has chaired many commissions, associations and advisory bodies, including being elected World President of the Society of Chemical Industry. 

One of Tom's passions is to educate the general population, and the future workforce, as to the benefits of science in general and the chemical industry in particular.  This passion drew him to York in 1996. 

Working with CIEC led to development of the "Children Challenging Industry" programme.  As part of the programme children visit industry sites and this has a significant impact in changing their views of science.  Feedback from children and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive with comments such as “It was a fantastic tour.  I want to work here when I’m older!” and “I enjoyed all the activities hugely.  It has made me think a lot more about science and how important it is.”   

With Tom's generous support over the last 18 years this programme has enabled 35,000 primary children and 10,000 teachers from 1250 schools to interact with the chemical industry.

Since 1996 Tom has been active in all that CIEC does, giving his personal time as well as financial support.  It is therefore with significant gratitude and pride that the University of York recognises Tom Swan as a Morrell Fellow. 

 

Want girls to go into STEM careers? Dorothy Hodgkin is a great example from the recent past.

A recent report by the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) says women, disabled people and ethnic minorities are all under-represented in the STEM industries. Apparently girls (or their parents) are more likely to choose medicine, law or teaching if they enjoy science rather than careers in science, construction and engineering.

Here at York we are very proud that Dorothy Hodgkin, the crystallographer who discovered the structure of insulin, spent so much of her 'retirement' in the Chemistry Department working with Guy and Eleanor Dodson and their colleagues. Dorothy would have been 104 yesterday.

Dorothy Hodgkin was born in 1910 and studied chemistry at Oxford which launched a stellar career during which she confirmed the structure of penicillin, discovered the structure of vitamin B12 followed by the structure of insulin. In 1964 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry.

During this time Dorothy also married and had three children - a role model indeed for anyone who thinks a career in science is not for them. After all - during the early '30s it was not usual for young women to study science and certainly most unusual to carve out a world class career.

The Dorothy Hodgkin building at The University of York

Dorothy Hodgkin and Guy Dodson at York

Asthma sufferers are neither managing their condition nor being managed well by health professionals

A rather shocking report on deaths from asthma shows that asthma sufferers are not understanding their own condition and also that their GPs and consultants are possibly not taking asthma symptoms seriously enough.

Use of preventative inhalers can be patchy which results in over-reliance on reliever inhalers - which means that the condition is not being managed as well as it should. The consequence is that asthma attacks may become more frequent or more severe.

Look at this BBC article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27257911 for more about the report.

For your 14-16s look at Breathing Made Easy. This CIEC resource will help your students understand the science and basic management of asthma.

Breathing Made Easy helps students understand asthma, its diagnosis and treatment. Through role play, practical work and demonstrations, students investigate lung structure and function, peak flow and breathing, and look at the medicines used in the treatment of asthma.

Breathing Made Easy is also available through the NSLC STEM resource library:
  http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/search?term=breathing+made+easy&order=score

Inspire sixth formers with a story about graphene and UK Chemical Manufacturers Thomas Swan

Graphene is an amazingly useful form of carbon.

Consisting of a sheet of carbon 1 atom thick it:

• is a 2D honeycomb structure
• can conduct electricity better than copper
• is about 100 times stronger than steel

Now scientists are trying to make graphene on an industrial scale with the help of Thomas Swan . Apart from its potential use in electronics other applications may include water treatment and  oil-spill clean up.

The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Manchester University's Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2010 for its discovery.


Use The Essential Chemical Industry online to find out more about graphene and other composites.

And for more information on the graphene story look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27113732

Does removing lead from petrol lead to a decrease in crime?

This is an interesting idea and certainly the countries that have removed lead from petrol have seen a decrease in criminal activity.

There is an interesting BBC news article about this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27067615
although it stresses that although the decrease in crime is observable the two facts are not necessarily linked.

If you are discussing this with your students, arm them with information about lead, its production and uses by looking at The Essential Chemical Industry online at http://essentialchemicalindustry.org/metals/lead.html

Climate change is a big ask for all of us to understand and act on. How do we explain it to children?

The general consensus at long last seems to be that climate change is happening, it is largely man-made and we need to, at the very least,  mitigate its effects and try to come up with solutions.

This is such a huge subject and the consequences of not acting now are far reaching and not limited to actual climate change.

How can we ensure that the next generation understand all the consequences, both of the science of climate change and its wider influence? Probably the best approach is to give primary children a good grounding in the basic science involved. Armed with the facts the other consequences should become apparent as the children mature and see the wider picture.

Have a look at Climate Choices - Children's Voices, a CIEC site for 7-9 year olds to get them started.

 Climate Choices - Children's Voices is aimed at teachers of children aged 9-11 years ( UK years 5 and 6) who want to help children begin to understand the challenging and complex issue of climate change.
Action to tackle climate change is urgent; the world's poorest people are suffering. This is not inevitable, and through this site children can discover that personal action can make a difference.
In addition to introducing climate change, the site looks at how food choices impact on climate change and how climate change is affecting food supply. A range of resources, including video clips, presentations, games and worksheet-based activities are provided for you to use as appropriate.
The site content links to several curriculum areas and initiatives, including Excellence and Enjoyment, Every Child Matters and Sustainable Schools.

Does the chemical industry get sufficient coverage at post 16 level?

Chemistry A level provides an excellent start for those wishing to pursue a career in science but sadly there is not much time to give a good flavour of the chemical industry. Degrees and careers in disciplines not covered at school do need to be introduced to students - it is difficult for them to ask about choices they are not even aware of!

The chemical industry and its service industries in the wider economy account for about 20% of the UK GDP. It is definitely worth telling studentsabout this industry as this is where the jobs are!

A good introduction to the industry is the CIEC flagship post-16 site The Essential Chemical Industry

 

In The Essential Chemical Industry - Online, there are 76 units which describe key aspects of the chemical industry in a concise way.  They are designed so that you can ‘dip in’ to them to retrieve the information you need.
Although the units are self-contained, you will find that throughout this web site there are cross-references to material in other units, which is easily obtained by the designated hyperlinks.  There is also a facility  which allows you to search the whole site.  These two approaches will help you to follow up related topics and to explore more widely.
75 of the units are presented in five thematic groups:

1. Industrial processes
2. Materials and applications
3. Basic chemical
4. Polymers
5. Metals

These are preceded by an Introduction to the Chemical Industry.  This is an overview of the current state of the chemical industry worldwide and is divided into 10 main sections:

• Introduction
• What does the chemical industry produce?
• How does the chemical industry compare with other industries?
• What is the value of the chemical industry geographically?
• How large are the world’s chemical companies?
• Where are the chemical sites located and why?
• The minerals industry
• Research and Development (R&D)
• The chemical industry: how safe and how environmentally regulated?
• What are the challenges for the chemical industry today?