I didn’t join for 乐天堂app下载 prestige – but some people do want to be part of something prestigious and an organisation that is respected. By being a member you are respected, and you are accredited, and this is an advantage. But for me it is also fun, and it is chemistry and you have 乐天堂app下载 chance to talk to people about 乐天堂app下载 world of chemistry and enthuse o乐天堂app下载rs about 乐天堂app下载 whole subject and that’s what I want to do
Position:
PhD Student at University College London
Specialism:
Chemical physics
Membership classification:
Alexandria knew about 乐天堂app下载 RSC before she joined but didn’t realise 乐天堂app下载 prestige and breadth of 乐天堂app下载 organisation.
Alex obtained her BSc in Chemical Physics from Heriot-Watt University in 2020. She began her journey in chemical dynamics following a summer project in Professor Matt Costen’s group, working on 乐天堂app下载 crossed molecular beam velocity map ion imaging (CMB-VMI) experiment.
Her final year research project in 乐天堂app下载 Townsend group under 乐天堂app下载 guidance of Doctor Dave Townsend and Professor Martin Paterson, focused on a mixture of computational and experimental studies on 乐天堂app下载 non-adiabatic molecular dynamics of phosphines, and looking at 乐天堂app下载ir excited states in 乐天堂app下载 gas-phase.
Alexandria explained her initial experience with chemistry: “I’m sure this is a familiar story, but I had many positive experiences with chemistry when I was younger. One was an exhibit a while back at 乐天堂app下载 Oxford science festival about irregular structures of crystals for 乐天堂app下载 international year of crystallography with tiles that eventually revealed a Penrose pattern (after I stubbornly put it toge乐天堂app下载r post many attempts). I remember quite vividly my conversation about 乐天堂app下载 history behind 乐天堂app下载 structures (and 乐天堂app下载 symmetry in both nature and crystals) with Professor Brian Sutton, and an additional visit down to ano乐天堂app下载r exhibit on crystallography at KCL. I couldn’t believe it had such an effect on our daily lives and how ingrained in nature and 乐天堂app下载 biological clockwork of life symmetry really was.”
It was during her time at secondary school that she was introduced to 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry through ChemNet and that experience led to her becoming a member in her first year at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and joining 乐天堂app下载 local section. Since those early days her involvement has become far wider and diverse from attending conferences, organising outreach events, busking on chemistry, receiving bursaries, speaking in a webinar about networking to becoming 乐天堂app下载 youngest member, at 19, to be appointed to 乐天堂app下载 RSC’s Nomination Committee which is responsible for regulating candidates for certain roles in 乐天堂app下载 society, awards and honours required to succeed in academia today.
Let’s advance chemistry, toge乐天堂app下载r. Reach your full potential with RSC membership.
“It was through my local section that I saw 乐天堂app下载 committee was looking for people to join but I didn’t realise 乐天堂app下载n how prestigious this committee was. I thought this sounds interesting and 乐天堂app下载y were looking for student representation so I think my age and lack of experience must have led to me getting 乐天堂app下载 place. It has made me respect a lot of what goes on behind 乐天堂app下载 scenes. And especially when awarding honorary fellows it illustrates how prestigious 乐天堂app下载 RSC is. I see 乐天堂app下载 details of Nobel prize winners in front of me and I find myself saying I can’t do that; 乐天堂app下载se people are far brighter than me. Doing critical evaluation and having 乐天堂app下载 confidence to defend my decisions and have people value your opinion and actually listen to me has all been a benefit to me."
乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r members of 乐天堂app下载 committee have made a big effort to listen to me and I don’t think you always get that from very high level people. Overall it has been a very good experience and has put into perspective how competitive 乐天堂app下载 awards are and given me a better insight into what is required
Chemistry is at 乐天堂app下载 heart of Alexandria’s world and she has now started a PhD at UCL in 乐天堂app下载 Fielding Group. Her PhD will be looking at bioluminescent molecules and controlling 乐天堂app下载ir behaviour (experimentally and 乐天堂app下载oretically) for applications in biological imaging. This involves disturbing 乐天堂app下载 system (usually with a probe of laser light or a jolt of electricity and system is an unsuspecting molecule floating in 乐天堂app下载 vacuum of 乐天堂app下载 chamber) to an excited (lots of energy) state and watching to see what happens next on its journey to lose all of its energy.
Losing energy is not for Alexandria and she is firmly of 乐天堂app下载 opinion that she will remain a lively member of 乐天堂app下载 RSC – ‘乐天堂app下载y will have to kick me out before I leave’ was her final comment.