Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Technical Excellence Award

We are pleased to announce that our Technical Team have been awarded the RSC Higher Education Technical Excellence Award.

The award is for their work in the full re-design of the third year laboratory courses that were delivered for the first time this year. The third year laboratory, which spans all of chemistry was re-designed to bring in more research elements – linking into UCL’s Connected Curriculum strategy - was a huge undertaking, with their input from start to finish vital. Their professionalism, dedication and diligence and huge time commitment, whilst continuing with all their other work was key in the success of this course.

Many of them were also involved in the implementation of the first year Air Pollution Project – again part of our desire to bring research into the heart of the curriculum from the start of your degree. Their efforts have also been recognized in the university with Provost’s Team Teaching Award – details here.

Katherine Holt, Chair of the Teaching Committee explains, ‘

The 2016 redesign represents a move away from following recipes in each of the separate disciplines of physical, organic and inorganic chemistry, to a more research-led approach to teaching practical chemistry. Many practicals are now linked so students will be able to appreciate the connections across the subject.’

'The technicians, with their years of experience and expertise, play a central role in developing this concept and will play an invaluable one in ensuring its future success.'

 ‘They are a dedicated team who reorganised and restructured the lab space, designed and tested all the new experiments, all over a very short time alongside their usual commitments.’

Image (back to front, left to right): Martyn Towner, Alan Philcox, Mike Parkes, David Webb, Phil Hayes, Nitin Bagha, Crosby Medley and Claire Gacki

Absent: Helen Grounds and Debbie Allen