It’s been another spectacular year for ChemSoc here at the University of Birmingham, socially, creatively and philanthropically! We kicked off the start of the year with a new buddy system in which a select few 2nd, 3rd and 4th years can take on a group of 1st year chemists and be their mentor and friend. In doing this the bonds formed between chemists across the years became stronger than ever!
For the first major holiday of the academic year (Halloween!) we thought there was no better way to celebrate than to call forth all professional and non-professional chemistry bakers to conjure up and bring forth their best Halloween themed cakes for the bake sale. We got all kinds from pumpkin cakes to spider cakes. But what matters here is that together we raised £329.01 to be donated to Cancer Research UK (and they even sent us a certificate of appreciation)!
As our first cake sale proved to be such a success, we did another! This time to get us into that festive Christmas spirit and in doing so raised £251.69 for the British Red Cross. And those who would have rather not baked still did their part for charity by donating various assortments of food and drink to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
And to bid farewell to a successful first semester we hosted for the first time ever a formal Christmas soirée at Stirling’s Bar. Here we welcomed the return of chemists who had gone away for industrial placements and gave everyone a taste of what is to come at the end of the teaching year: ChemBall.
In the second semester, for the Grinches among us who had long since abandoned the festivities, love and joy that the holidays (and Valentine’s Day, during which we raised £303.47 for the British Heart Foundation) bring and opted to live a life compromised solely of logic (like Spock). ChemSoc and MathsSoc took a trip to the London Science Museum to attend one of their Lates events: an exploration around the relatively new Winton Gallery. Here chemists and mathematicians alike could create probability art, meet multiplying rabbits at the animal zoo and test their puzzle-solving skills in a series of challenges.
Now for the event that had been months in the making: ChemBall. Between the excellent venue that was King Norton’s Golf Club, the silver and blue theme, the great music, provided by none other than Groove Directory, and the charity raffle to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, there’s no denying the effort that went into this event! We celebrated the end of teaching and the end of degrees for some, and came together for dinner and dancing.
Finally we are very excited to announce that for the first time ever ChemSoc has secured sponsorship! Bibliotech is an all-digital public library and through working with them we will ensure our students have access to top digital versions of our research lists and special membership offers. We hope this will not only make ChemSoc bigger and better for next year, but also academically support our students.
As the end of term approaches, the annual EPS Societies’ Awards draw nearer. With the tremendous year we’ve had, we’re hoping to get on our hands on one of the prestigious Awards on offer. If you are or have been part of ChemSoc, or have enjoyed reading about our activities this year then please nominate us!
Best Wishes,
Evi Ogbewe
Chair 2016-17