UCS Chemistry

It’s the last day of term but there’s just enough time for a Chemistry Tarsia Jigsaw. I love these puzzles & the race to finish them is hotting up! @UCSHampstead

It’s been a super morning in the chemistry department for Yr 10 chemists. As part of activities week @UCSHampstead we’ve been making aspirin & looking at how catalysts work.

Congratulations to UCS Head of Physics, Dr Peter Edmunds, on the release of his first text book! The book, published by Collins, has already received rave reviews. Read more here: bit.ly/3vDCbki @UCSPhysics @UCSViceMaster @FreedomtoTeach

Tuesday afternoon & a wonderful chance for our Yr 12s @UCSHampstead to do their first purification of an organic liquid. Fantastic yields in this haloalkane prep.

The sun is out at ⁦@UCSHampstead⁩ but the Yr 12 pyrotechnic group spent lunchtime making bottle rockets. The ceiling tiles may need a little bit of TLC after being attacked by various methane rockets!

I really enjoyed speaking to @LAEstratford pupils yesterday about sulphur. 45 mins of smells, antibacterials, an Amazonian opera house & the world’s most useless plastic. Truly brilliant questions afterwards from the pupils! @schoolstogether @UCSHampstead

Thank you to ⁦@LAEstratford⁩ for inviting me to give an enrichment talk later this afternoon. I’m very much looking forward to talking about the chemistry of sulfur & sharing a few rambling stories of volcano climbing in Java! ⁦@UCSPartnerships⁩

280 characters can not do justice to the work & the impact of the work carried out by these #WomenInScience. Some had to contend with misogyny & bias. Imagine what could be achieved if this battle was over? Thank you for celebrating the UN’s @WomenScienceDay with us.

Mr Beard @UCSHeadteacher nominated pioneering physicist & chemist Marie Curie. Her work needs no introduction & she remains the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes. She’s also the only person to win the Nobel Prize in 2 different fields. #WomenInScience

John & Gabriel in Year 10 nominated Maggie Aderin-Pocock for her amazing work as a science educator & communicator. In 2020, Maggie was awarded the the Lord Kelvin medal from the IoP in recognition of her impressive work. #WomenInScience @PhysicsNews

Ms Cho from @UCSBiology nominated the pharmacologist, Frances Kelsey. She refused to bow to corporate pressures & prevented a national public health crisis by refusing to approve the release of thalidomide in the US due to inadequate testing. #WomenInScience

Mr Brown from @UCSSport nominated @JoClubbSportSci who has done inspirational work as an Applied Sport Scientist for @ChelseaFC, @OfficialBHAFC & now @BuffaloBills She is the cofounder & writer on the SportsDiscovery.net blog. #WomenInScience

Mr Underwood nominated Juliane Koepcke. She was the lone survivor of a plane crash in 1971 in Peru. Her story is one of resilience and heroism. She graduated from the University of Kiel in 1980 & published her thesis in 1987. #WomenInScience

Talia in Year 12 nominated groundbreaking nutritionist Flemmie Pansy Kittrell. Kittrell’s research focused on the protein requirements in adults, the proper feeding of black infants & the importance of enrichment experiences for children. #WomenInScience

Mr Sawtell from @UCSSport nominated Mrs Hawes from @UCSPsychology for her inspiring work in establishing and leading Psychology at UCS & her inspirational work leading girls games at UCS over the last 11 years. #WomenInScience

Sam in Year 12 nominated award winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna. Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her pioneering work in CRISPR gene editing. @doudna_lab #WomenInScience

Ms Holland from @UCSPhysics nominated @MaeJamison: astronaut, physician & engineer. Jamison was the 1st woman of colour in space and is a true inspiration. “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations” #WomenInScience

Amy in Year 12 nominated molecular biologist Cynthia Kenyon who has revolutionised our understanding of ageing. She is particularly interested in the influence that genetics have on age-related diseases & has won countless awards for her work. #WomenInScience

Thank you @ucschem for such a fantastic, thought-provoking assembly this morning! #womeninSTEM @UCSHampstead

Mr Osborne nominated Rebecca Widdicombe - an English pharmacologist who currently works for Pfizer as a Field Medical Director. She specialises in inflammation and immunology and is the bridge between the Pfizer lab and doctor. #WomenInScience