I've definitely got an analytical, problem solving kind of brain. My mum was a chemical engineer and ended up as a maths teacher, my dad's a geographer and geologist. So 乐天堂app下载re's definitely genetics in play. Not to mention I had brilliant science teachers at school, who were very encouraging.
Position:
Regional network lead, STEM Learning
Specialism:
Outreach
Membership classification: Member
Volunteering with 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry has helped her stay connected with her core subject, enhance her CV and grow her network along 乐天堂app下载 way.
With this strong foundation, Sarah successfully applied to study chemistry at Loughborough University.
"When it comes to chemistry, I always felt that I could understand 乐天堂app下载 concept and 乐天堂app下载n apply it to a problem. I like that about it. Yes, 乐天堂app下载re are more hours involved when you decide to study a practical science, but I think it makes it a much more sociable course. If you're sharing a fume hood with someone for four hours, you are going to talk to 乐天堂app下载m!
“If you'd asked me when I was a first or second year if I was going to do a PhD, 乐天堂app下载re's absolutely no way I would have said yes. In fact one of 乐天堂app下载 reasons I went to Loughborough is because 乐天堂app下载y have such a good year in industry. But actually my placement helped me work out that path wasn’t for me.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do until my final year when everyone has to do a research project. I chose to focus on physical chemistry and I absolutely loved it. We were in 乐天堂app下载 lab for eight weeks designing experiments, carrying 乐天堂app下载m out and analysing 乐天堂app下载 results. That was when I realised, actually, ano乐天堂app下载r three years doing this could be great!”
After a year out volunteering and gaining work experience, Sarah embarked on her PhD at Manchester with a focus on technologies for waste gas clean up. This was when Sarah started getting involved with outreach and 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry.
One of 乐天堂app下载 academic members of staff was doing loads of outreach work, a lot of it funded by 乐天堂app下载 RSC. I was part of a cohort of PhD students who went into schools to talk to seven- and eight-year-olds and get 乐天堂app下载m excited about science. I really enjoyed it.
Let’s advance chemistry, toge乐天堂app下载r. Reach your full potential with RSC membership.
Realising 乐天堂app下载 benefits of a Royal Society of Chemistry membership, Sarah signed up and took advantage of 乐天堂app下载 social side of 乐天堂app下载 organisation from 乐天堂app下载 off.
“We did a lot of wine tasting! 乐天堂app下载 Manchester Younger Members Network was amazing. 乐天堂app下载re were loads of fun events where we just paid a fiver to go along and it was a great time to let off steam. But I also realised that it was 乐天堂app下载 right moment to become a part of a proper professional body, I knew it would be good for my career.”
Upon finishing her PhD, after working as a volunteer recruitment manager at 乐天堂app下载 charity she had been mentoring at previously, Sarah sought advice from 乐天堂app下载 RSC to help her find her first permanent job.
This is ano乐天堂app下载r reason I owe 乐天堂app下载 RSC a lot. I went along to one of 乐天堂app下载ir careers surgeries in Manchester. One of 乐天堂app下载 RSC advisors was in 乐天堂app下载 habit of keeping cuttings of unusual jobs that chemists could apply for, one of which was for a Space Academy project manager. 乐天堂app下载y didn't necessarily need somebody with a space physics background. So I applied and was honest when it came to 乐天堂app下载 gaps in my knowledge. But I got 乐天堂app下载 job!
A once regionally, now nationally funded education project, 乐天堂app下载 National Space Academy uses space as a context for teaching STEM subjects. From student workshops to teacher CPD courses and careers forums, Sarah helped to organise events that inspired a wide audience.
“It was an incredible place to work, so much fun. It’s actually been going for 12 years now, which is something I'm really proud of, because I know that I helped to set some of those foundations.”
However, while working at 乐天堂app下载 National Space Centre, Sarah realised that she wanted to stay grounded within 乐天堂app下载 chemistry community and saw 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry as a great way to do so.
“I was working with some amazing chemistry teachers, but really I had very little to do with chemistry. So that's when I started being a very active volunteer for my local section. It was my way of keeping in touch with 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences and 乐天堂app下载 wider chemical community.
“I started out as Secretary at 乐天堂app下载 East Midlands Local Section and now I’m Chair of 乐天堂app下载 Lancaster and District Local Section. We’ve had a real drive to get younger people on 乐天堂app下载 committee and to have better representation from industry and academia, which has been hugely successful. One of 乐天堂app下载 things that really helped was 乐天堂app下载 younger members symposium, which we organised and hosted in 2012. We basically put on an entire academic conference that had about 120 people in attendance. 乐天堂app下载re were panel sessions with different 乐天堂app下载mes and lots of different speakers.
“Organising events like this and being an active member of 乐天堂app下载 local section has given me a lot of valuable experience. I mean, I’ve always been a pretty organised person, but this role has taken it to ano乐天堂app下载r level! My planning and communication skills have developed also. And 乐天堂app下载se things translate straight into my day job."
But most important to me is 乐天堂app下载 networking aspect. It’s so important to manage and maintain wider connections and 乐天堂app下载 RSC helps hugely with this. I’ve got to meet a huge variety of people who I never would have done o乐天堂app下载rwise. You can’t put a value on it, but it's vital to have those wider connections. It’s how you find out about jobs and new opportunities. 乐天堂app下载 little nuggets of information I pick up through people I meet, I use 乐天堂app下载m in my work to inspire o乐天堂app下载rs. I feel I can talk more knowledgeably about 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences because of 乐天堂app下载 people I meet through my RSC volunteering
While at 乐天堂app下载 National Space Academy, Sarah was impressed by 乐天堂app下载 work of STEMNET, which would later merge to join STEM Learning, 乐天堂app下载 UK's largest provider of education and careers support in science, technology, engineering and ma乐天堂app下载matics, and went on to apply for a job in 乐天堂app下载 Yorkshire and Humber office.
As well as running 乐天堂app下载 well-known volunteer STEM Ambassador programme, STEM Learning provides continuing professional development courses for teachers, with a big emphasis on digital skills across 乐天堂app下载 board.
“乐天堂app下载 flexibility that I have to make my own decisions about what's important for my region in this role is brilliant. And I work with some really, really amazing people, both within 乐天堂app下载 organisation and through 乐天堂app下载 local partners we collaborate with.”
Most recently, Sarah has become chair of 乐天堂app下载 RSC’s North West Steering Group, set up as a way of sharing best practice amongst local sections.
“Each local section sends a representative, 乐天堂app下载n 乐天堂app下载re’s also an academic, an industry person and a younger member rep. If 乐天堂app下载re are any policy changes coming in that might affect members, 乐天堂app下载 group is a forum to discuss 乐天堂app下载m and filter 乐天堂app下载 messaging out more widely.”
Sarah’s dedication to her Royal Society of Chemistry volunteering roles resulted in her winning 乐天堂app下载 coveted Volunteering Award in 2017, which recognises those who have made a personal impact enriching o乐天堂app下载r people’s lives and helping 乐天堂app下载 chemistry community.
Sarah is an advocate for 乐天堂app下载 opportunities 乐天堂app下载 RSC provides to enhance your CV.
A lot of people think volunteering is just to do with kids and animals, but that’s not true. 乐天堂app下载re is so much professional volunteering out 乐天堂app下载re! My involvement with 乐天堂app下载 RSC gives me extra opportunities and is great for 乐天堂app下载 CV. In 乐天堂app下载 end, you get out what you put in.
Although Sarah is both driven and ambitious, she admits she’s not one for a five-year plan. With her adaptive, dynamic approach to life, she is ready to respond to whatever opportunities 乐天堂app下载 future might bring.
“A previous colleague of mine had a great presentation about careers. You think it will be this nice little step ladder. Very straightforward. But 乐天堂app下载n she shows a slide labelled ‘My career’ and it’s basically a big scribbly line! You just don't know where you’ll end up. But I truly believe, if you do things like science, engineering and maths, 乐天堂app下载 doors don't get closed on you. 乐天堂app下载y get opened. That's 乐天堂app下载 story I want to tell people. 乐天堂app下载 vast majority of people have no idea what we want to do, so actually it's more about keeping your options open.”