Chemists go to Parliament!

 Two researchers from the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham have fought off stiff competition from across the country to be selected to present their research at an exhibition and reception in the House of Commons. The SET for Britain event aims to encourage, support and promote Britain's early-career research scientists, engineers and technologists who are the "engine-room" of continued progress in and development of UK research and R&D, and ultimately of UK plc.  The event is held as part of the National Science and Engineering Week and is organised by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee in collaboration with the Institute of Physics, The Physiological Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Society of Biology and the Society of Chemical Industry, with financial support from BP, Airbus/EADS, INEOS, AgChemAccess, Essar, the Institute of Biomedical Science, GAMBICA and WMG. The researchers will present a poster describing their research to an audience of MPs and other distinguished guests.

Andrew Miller MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, said, “This annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country’s best young researchers. These early career scientists are the architects of our future and SET for Britain is politicians’ best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.”

Dr Graham Rance, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Nanocarbon group of Professor Andrei Khlobystov, has been selected to present his research on the use of carbon nanoreactors in catalysis. He uses carbon nanotubes with tiny diameters around 10,000 times smaller than the size of a human hair as ‘test tubes’ for chemical reactions. Using a combination of advanced analytical techniques, Graham has shown that carbon nanotubes are the ultimate nanoreactors suitable for the synthesis of a wide range of different products and his work is already changing the way that chemists make and study molecules. Commenting on the prospect of presenting at the House of Commons Graham said ‘this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the ground-breaking research we are conducting at the University of Nottingham and to highlight the significance of nanoscale carbon materials for the production of new functional molecules to today’s policymakers.’

The second representative to be selected to present from the School of Chemistry is Mathew Savage, a PhD student in the research group of Professor Martin Schröder. His research into a new class of materials called metal organic frameworks has led to the discovery of highly porous materials which have ideal properties for use in gas storage applications. In particular, Mathew has discovered a material with exceptionally high methane storage capacity which could find use in on board storage tanks for natural gas powered vehicles. ‘I am very excited to be allowed this opportunity to present the high-level research being carried out in the field of metal organic frameworks at the University of Nottingham to an audience of both scientists and policymakers. ’

Both Graham and Mat’s research has been entered into the Chemistry section of the competition, which will be judged by leading academics, the gold medalist receives £3,000, while silver and bronze receive £2,000 and £1,000 respectively. Tom Crotty, Director of INEOS Group AG, sponsors of the Gold Medal in the Chemistry Section, said, "It is crucial that there continues to be investment in skills to provide the next generation of engineers and scientists, particularly as the age profile of highly skilled engineers continues to increase. For manufacturing to thrive, the UK needs a large and growing reserve of people with the knowledge and skills to deliver world-class manufacturing and research & development. We’re delighted to support SET for Britain as an opportunity to celebrate the success of our early career scientists and we hope it will convince politicians to invest even greater effort to ensure the next generation of engineers and scientists come to the fore.”

Both researchers will present their work at this prestigious event at the House of Commons on 18^th March 2013.