Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
THE COMPANIES ACT 2014
INSTITIÚID CEIMICE NA hÉIREANN THE INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY OF IRELAND Incorporated the 28th day of January 1950 A Company Limited by Guarantee and not having share capital. Registered in Dublin, Ireland: No. 13183.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HONORARY SECRETARY 2019 - 2020
For Presentation at the Annual General Meeting
Thursday 19th November 2020 Further copies of this report and any information on matters herein may be obtained from:
Mary Mullaghy, FICI Honorary Secretary The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland PO Box 9322 Ravensdale Road Dublin D03 CY66 Or by sending an e-mail to info@instituteofchemistry.org A Company Limited by Guarantee and not having share capital. Registered in Dublin, Ireland: No 13183.
Directors: CJ Marmion, P. Guiry, JF Cassidy, M Mullaghy, JR Keegan, E McGarrigle, O Finlayson, PT Hobbs, AA Walshe, R Elmes, E Coyle, C Quigley, E McCarron, M Kelada, RG Leonard, SF Ó Muircheartaigh, BA Murray, S Donegan, JD Glennon, T Kennedy, P Crowley, S Reidy, S Bell.
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
PATRONS 1947–1959
1976–1990
President Séan T. O’Kelly
President Patrick J. Hillary
1959–1973 President Eamon deValera
1998–2011 President Mary McAleese
1973–1974 President Erskine Childers
2011 to date President Michael D. Higgins
1974–1976 President Cearbhall O’Dalaigh
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESIDENT C. J. Marmion, BSc PhD FICI VICE–PRESIDENT P. Guiry BSc PhD FICI HONORARY SECRETARY M. Mullaghy, BSc MSc FICI HONORARY TREASURER J.R. Keegan, BSc MSc PhD MSc TechMgt FICI EurChem ASSISTANT HONORARY SECRETARY VACANCY ASSISTANT HONORARY TREASURER E. McGarrigle BSc PhD FICI REGISTRAR O. Finlayson, BSc PhD FICI IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT J.F. Cassidy, DipAppSc BSc PhD FICI EDITOR P.T. Hobbs, MSc FICI EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE VACANCY INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE A.A. Walshe, BSc PhD MICI
ORDINARY MEMBERS R. Elmes, BA(Mod) PhD MICI E. Coyle, BSc PhD MICI C. Quigley, BA (Mod) PhD MICI E. McCarron BSc PhD FICI M. Kelada, BSc PhD MICI VACANCY VACANCY REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES East B.A. Murray, BSc MSc PhD FICI South East S. Donegan, BSc PhD MICI South J.D. Glennon, BSc PhD MICI South West T. Kennedy, BSc PhD FICI West P. Crowley, BSC PhD FICI Midlands S. Reidy, BSc PhD MICI N. Ireland S. Bell, BSc DPhil FICI
AGM 2020
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL EDUCATION Members: Dr. P.E. Childs, Dr. D. Coveney, Dr. O. Finlayson (Convenor), Dr. D. Kennedy, Dr. R.G. Leonard and Ms M. Mullaghy QUALIFICATIONS Members: Prof J.F. Cassidy, Dr. R.G. Leonard, Prof C. Marmion and Dr. B.A. Murray (Convenor) RECRUITMENT Members: Prof J. Cassidy. Others to be appointed MEMBERSHIP Members: Dr. Odilla Finlayson (Registrar) YOUNG CHEMISTS Members: Dr. R. Elmes (Liaison), Dr. M. Kelada (Convenor) PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS Members: Mr P.T. Hobbs, Dr. R.G. Leonard and Dr. B.A. Murray (Convenor) INDUSTRIAL Members: Dr. P. Cullen, Mr P.T. Hobbs, Dr. R.G. Leonard and Dr. B.A. Murray ENVIRONMENTAL Members: Mr P.T Hobbs, Dr. Y. Lang and Dr. P. White EDITORIAL BOARD Members: Mr P.T. Hobbs (Editor)
AD-HOC COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL INDUSTRIAL AWARD Members for 2018: Dr. P. Cullen, Mr P.T. Hobbs, Dr. J.R. Keegan and Dr. R.G. Leonard POSTGRADUATE AWARD Members: Prof C. Marmion (Convenor) and Dr. M. Kelada ANNUAL CONGRESS Members for 2019: Dr. R. Elmes REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES EAST SOUTH EAST SOUTH SOUTH WEST WEST MIDLANDS N. IRELAND
Dr. B.A. Murray Dr. S. Donegan Prof. JD Glennon Dr. T. Kennedy Dr. P. Crowley. Dr. S. Reidy Prof. S. Bell
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
INSTITUTE REPRESENTATIVES EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR MOLECULAR AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES EuChemS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Dr. J.F. Cassidy (President)
EuChemS DIVISIONS Analytical Chemistry Chemical Education Food Chemistry Computational Chemistry Organic Chemistry Chemistry in Life Sciences
Prof J.D. Glennon Dr. P.E. Childs Dr. J.R. Keegan Dr. E. Fadda Prof P.J. Guiry Dr. R. Elmes
EuChemS WORKING PARTIES History of Chemistry Green and Sustainable Chemistry Chemistry and Energy
Prof D.T. Burns Dr. J. Sullivan Dr. A. Phillips
OTHER REPRESENTATIVES AND OFFICERS EUROPEAN CHEMIST REGISTRATION BOARD (ECRB) VACANT PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS JOURNAL BOARD (PCCP) Dr. J.R. Keegan IUPAC: NATIONAL AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Dr. J.R. Keegan EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR SEPARATION SCIENCE (EuSSS) Prof J.D. Glennon CHROMATOGRAPHY IRELAND Prof J.D. Glennon ECTN ASSOCIATION GROUP ON YOUTH IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION Dr. M. Kelada INSTITUTE REPRESENTATIVE ON ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY (REPUBLIC OF IRELAND LOCAL SECTION) Dr. D. Birkett INSTITUTE REPRESENTATIVE ON SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY (ALL IRELAND GROUP) Mr P.T. Hobbs EUROPEAN CARBOHYDR.ATE ORGANISATION Prof P.V. Murphy ATHENA SWAN (SCIENTIFIC WOMEN’S ACADEMIC NETWORK) Prof C. Marmion ARCHIVIST: VACANT
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Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
PRESIDENTS (AND CHAIRMEN) Cumann Ceimidhe na hEireann
Institiuid Ceimice na hEireann
The Chemical Association of Ireland
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
Walter E. Adeney, Chair (1922 – 1923) Hugh
Denis Crowley, Chair (1950) Alfred G.G. Leonard (1950 – 1951) William V. Griffiths (1951 – 1952)
Ryan, Chair (1922 – 1923) Sidney Young, Chair (1922 – 1923) Hugh Ryan (1923 – 1930) Thomas Dillon, Chair (1935 – 1936) Bernard G. Fagan, Chair (1935 – 1936)
James L. Ginnell (1952 – 1954) Thomas Dillon (1954 – 1956) Donal T. Flood (1956 – 1958) Diarmuid O’Tuama (1958 – 1960) Fredrick T. Reilly (1960 – 1962)
Cumann Ceimidhe na hEireann
Martin J. Cranley (1962 – 1964)
The Irish Chemical Association
Denis T. Long (1964 – 1966)
Thomas Dillon (1936 – 1938)
Eva M. Philbin (1966 – 1968)
Albert G. Burnell (1938 – 1940) Phyllis bean Ui Cheallaigh (1940 – 1941) Bernard G. Fagan (1941 – 1943) Douglas Mellon (1943 – 1945)
Brendan T. Foreman (1968 – 1970) David C. Pepper (1970 – 1972) Robert J. Nichol (1972 – 1974) Robert Letters (1974 – 1976) David A. Brown (1976 – 1978)
John J. Lennon (1945 – 1946)
Michael G. Harrington (1978 – 1980)
Vincent C. Barry (1946 – 1947)
Desmond M. Fitzgerald (1980 – 1982)
Thomas S. Wheeler (1947 – 1949)
M. Anthony McKervey (1982 – 1984) Donal M. Carroll (1984 – 1986)
Denis Crowley (1949 – 1950)
Richard N. Butler (1986 – 1988) Conor Murphy (1988 – 1990) Seán Corish (1990 – 1992) David Melody (1992 – 1994) Dervilla M.X. Donnelly (1994 – 1996) Joseph Rowley (1996 – 1998) M. Hubert Geraghty (1998 – 1999) William King (1999 – 2001) Albert Pratt (2001 – 2003) Raymond G. Leonard (2003 – 2005) Peter E. Childs (2005 – 2007) Donal Coveney (2007 – 2009) Paraic James (2009 – 2011) Brian A. Murray (2011 – 2013) Patrick T. Hobbs (2013 – 2015) Margaret Franklin (2015 – 2017) John Cassidy (2017 – 2019) Celine Marmion (2019 – )
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
HONORARY FELLOWS OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY OF IRELAND The Council of the Institute may elect as Honorary Fellows several distinguished persons of international repute in Chemistry, provided that at no time shall there be more than ten live Honorary Fellows. 1962 His Excellency Professor Edward Joseph Conway The Lord Alexander Fleck of Saltcoats Professor Sir Robert Robinson 1971 Professor Thomas Dillon 1976 Professor Wesley Cocker 1979 Professor Eva Maria Philbin 1985 Professor Proinsias Seosamh O’Colla 1987 Reverend Professor Michael Thomas Casey, O.P. & Dr. Colm O’hEocha 1998 Martin Joseph Cranley Professor Denis Crowley Dorothy Elizabeth Hurley Dr. Brendan Joseph O’Donoghue Professor David Charles Pepper 2002 Dr. James E. Gowan Professor Elizabeth E. Lee 2003 Dr. Joseph Enda Mulvey Professor Seán Ó Cinnéide Brian Desmond O’Houlihan 2011 Professor The Lord Jack Lewis of Newnham Dr. Máire Caitríona Walsh 2014 Joseph Rowley Peter Allen Start 2015 Dr. Joseph F. Eades Dr. Noel John Fitzpatrick 2017 Donal Carroll 2018 Dr. James Philip Ryan - Awarded posthumously 2019
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
BOYLE HIGGINS GOLD MEDAL AND LECTURE AWARDS OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY OF IRELAND The Boyle Higgins Gold Medal and Lecture Award, instituted in 1985, is an award for research work carried out in chemistry under the headings: (a) Pure Chemistry, (b) Applied and Industrial Chemistry or (c) Chemical Education. The award is made for an outstanding and internationally recognised research contribution to the advancement of chemistry by a chemist of any nationality working in Ireland or by an Irish chemist working overseas. 1990 Professor Duncan Thorburn Burns (Applied Chemistry) Some Instrumental Aspects of Analytical Reagents and Reactions 1992 Doctor Peter E. Childs (Chemical Education) The Challenge for Chemical Education 1993 Professor M. Anthony McKervey (Pure Chemistry) Chemistry and Recent Applications of Calixarenes 1996 Professor David A. Brown (Pure Chemistry) Inorganic Chemistry, Past, Present and Future: A Personal View 1998 Professor Richard N. Butler (Pure Chemistry) Adventures in Organic Synthesis and Mechanism with Azalium 1,3 Dipoles 2000 Professor Dervilla M.X. Donnelly (Pure Chemistry) Chemistry — The Power of Policy 2002 Doctor John F. O’Sullivan (Applied Chemistry) Not given 2005 Professor Donald Fitzmaurice (Pure Chemistry) Not given 2007 Professor Rory More O’Ferrall (Pure Chemistry) Ferments, Clocks and Carbocations 2008 Professor Albert Pratt (Pure Chemistry) Explorations in Organic Photochemistry 2009 Professor Seán Corish (Pure Chemistry) Diffusing Through Chemistry 2011 Professor Frank Hegarty (Pure Chemistry) A Journey Through Organic Chemistry 2012 Professor Malcolm R. Smyth (Applied Chemistry) Sensors and Separations: A Journey Towards EMµ (and much more besides) 2013 Doctor Sheila Willis (Applied Chemistry) Forensic Science — Fact and Fiction
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
BOYLE HIGGINS GOLD MEDAL AND LECTURE AWARDS (Continued)
2014 Professor Patrick J Guiry (Pure Chemistry) Adventures in Asymmetric Catalysis, Natural Products and Medicinal Chemist 2015 Professor Dermot Diamond (Applied Chemistry) Chemical Sensing with Autonomous Devices in Remote Locations: Why is it so difficult and how do we delivery revolutionary improvements in performance? 2016 Professor Kieran Hodnett (Applied Chemistry) Polymorphic Transformations in Pharmaceutical Compounds 2017 Professor Henry Curran (Applied Chemistry) Developing Detailed Chemical Kinetic Mechanisms for Fuel Combustion 2018 Professor John M. Kelly (Pure Chemistry) Giga-seconds Exciting Chemistry – Time and the Photochemist 2019 Professor Suresh C. Pillai (Applied Chemistry) Materials in the Nanoscale; From the Laboratory to Industries 2020 Professor A.P. de Silva (Applied Chemistry) Fluorescent Sensing and Logic Systems
INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY AWARDS OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY OF IRELAND Eligible: Employees or principals of the chemical & pharmaceutical industry, fine chemicals and related sectors on the island of Ireland, involving work substantially chemical in nature that can clearly show support of industrial chemistry functions 2015 The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Industrial Chemistry Award 2015 Sponsored by Henkel Ireland Ltd Dr. Donal Coveney (TopChem) Jumping through hoops and chasing our tails – Challenges in securing market approval of pharmaceutical products 2016 The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Industrial Chemistry Award 2016 Sponsored by Henkel Ireland Ltd Dr. Imelda Shanahan (TMS Environment Ltd) Strictly Chemistry? 2017 The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Henkel-Sponsored Industrial Award 2017 Professor Tom Moody (Almac Group) Enzyme “Feeds” Rapid Development and Commercialisation
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
THE INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY OF IRELAND ANNUAL AWARDS FOR CHEMISTRY (Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series) The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Annual Award for Chemistry was inaugurated in 2005. Since 2007, the lectures are termed the Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series. The late Professor Eva Philbin was formerly head of the Chemistry Department in University College Dublin and also a former President of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. The award is for a practicing chemist, who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of chemistry and has considerably raised the profile of chemistry through both the excellence of their work and their ability to communicate in an effective and lucid manner. The nominee may be employed in academia, industry or the state sector. The recipient, who may be an Irish or international chemist of repute, will present lectures on their field of work, in Dublin and in two other locations in Ireland, within twelve months of receiving the award. These lectures will be open to the general public as the purpose of the award is to promote the benefits of chemistry to the widest audience. 2005 Professor David A. Leigh — Edinburgh University Tooling Up for Nanoworld: The ‘Magic’ of Molecular Machines 2006 Professor A. Prasanna de Silva — Queen’s University Belfast Messages from Molecules: Sensing and Computing 2007 Doctor Mary Archer — Baroness Archer of Weston-super-Mare Chemistry and the Good Life 2008 Professor Peter Atkins — Lincoln College, University of Oxford Visualizing Chemistry 2009 Professor Martyn Poliakoff — University of Nottingham Lecture not given until 2010 Green Chemistry and Supercritical Fluids 2011 Doctor Malachy McCann — National University of Ireland Maynooth Syphilis, MRSA, and Cancer – Cures with Metal Ions 2012 Professor Lesley Yellowlees – Edinburgh University Powering Ahead with Solar Energy/ Challenge Chemistry: Celebrating its Pivotal Role – Past, Present and Future 2013 Professor Herbert W. Roeskey – University of Göttingen The Universe – A Guide to New Chemistry 2014 Professor Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson – Trinity College Dublin Self-assembly supramolecular structures and material made from novel acyclic ligands 2015 Professor Michael J. Zaworotko – University of Limerick Crystal engineering of task-specific materials – Addressing pharmaceutical materials 2016 Professor John Sodeau – University College Cork Every Breath You Take 2017 Professor Donal O’Shea, RCSI Learning how to Turn the Molecular Lights on – Targeted & Responsive Agents for Fluorescence Guided Precision Surgery 2018 Prof. Anita Maguire, School of Pharmacy & School of Chemistry, University College Cork Using Hazardous Reagents Safely - Go with the flow! 2019 Prof. Declan McCormack, School of Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, TU Dublin Sizes, Shapes and Surfaces in Chemistry
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
INSTITUTE MEMBERSHIP SUMMARY Details of Membership in all Grades at year-end from 2010 to 2019 GRADE HonFICI FICI MICI LICI GradICI TechICI Associate Company TOTAL
2010 2 208 216 15 148 5 77 45 716
2011 3 204 215 14 149 4 80 43 712
2012 3 198 209 13 147 4 78 43 695
2013 3 195 205 12 144 4 77 36 676
2014 3 195 199 12 140 4 75 27 655
2015 3 200 209 10 147 4 74 20 667
2016 5 198 206 10 143 4 75 20 661
2017 6 199 204 10 148 4 82 20 673
2018 6 203 207 10 152 4 83 20 685
Institute Communications 2019 IRISH CHEMICAL NEWS: Two issues were published during 2019 in electronic format. They were circulated to all members of the e-mail circulation list but cannot yet be downloaded from the Institute website: http://www.chemistryireland.org/html/ichemnews.html VOICE: Our Newsletter, compiled by Pat Hobbs, was sent to all members by post at around Christmas time, along with the ICI Diaries for 2019. We wish to thank Waters for sponsoring the diaries. http://www.waters.com/waters/home.htm?locale=en_IE
E-mail: Members on our e-mail circulation list receive regular e-mails, informing them of upcoming events. This e-mail list also allows us to send members ICN and EuChemS as electronic publications. If you are not already on our e-mail list, please subscribe to it by sending an e-mail to info@instituteofchemistry.org THE MAIN WEBSITE can be accessed at: http://www.chemistryireland.org Alternatively, the same website comes up if you type www.instituteofchemistry.org. The ‘Membership’ menus allow application forms to be downloaded, for new applicants, as well as transfers between grades for existing members. SOCIAL MEDIA: You can follow us on Twitter, connect with the Institute on LinkedIn or find us on Facebook. Here are the links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/irishchemistry @irishchemistry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InstituteofChemistryofIreland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chemistry-ireland-5b1a8a87
2019 3 194 187 10 146 4 75 22 641
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP * IN LOCAL SECTIONS AND OTHER REGIONS * Members with active addresses including Company Members (31 Dec 2019)
Local Sections /
County &
Number of
Regions
City
Members
East = 322
Dublin Kildare Louth Meath Wicklow
249 34 7 15 17
South East = 49
Carlow Kilkenny Laois Waterford Wexford
8 10 1 15 15
South = 64
Cork
64
South West = 45
Clare Kerry Limerick
15 7 23
West = 38
Galway
38
North West = 33
Cavan Donegal Leitrim Mayo Monaghan Roscommon Sligo
6 3 1 9 0 5 9
Midlands = 40
Longford Offaly Tipperary Westmeath
2 8 13 17
Northern Ireland = 22
Antrim Armagh Derry Down Fermanagh Tyrone
18 2 0 2 0 0
Overseas = 33 England Scotland Wales Europe Russia United States of America Canada India Kingdom of Bahrain Australia
— — — — — — — — — —
8 3 0 7 5 5 2 1 1 1
TOTAL
—
646
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
Approved Degree Courses for entry to Graduate Membership of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland The following Degree Courses have been approved by the Council of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland for entry to Graduate Membership of the Institute (GradICI) subject to certain conditions. Degree Course
BA (Moderatorship) in Chemistry (Single Honours Degree) BSc Honours in Chemistry
Institution/Degree Awarding Body
Conditions/ Notes
TCD
—
UCC
—
BSc in Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds BSc Honours in Chemistry
UCC
—
UCD
—
BSc Honours in Chemistry
NUIG
—
BSc Honours in Chemistry and
NUIG
A
BSc Honours in Biopharmaceutical Chemistry
NUIG
—
BSc Double Honours in Chemistry and a Cognate Subject
NUIM
B
BSc Honours in Pharmaceutical Science
WIT
—
BSc Honours in Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences BSc Honours in Analytical Science
DCU
C
DCU
D
BSc Honours in Chemistry with a Language
DCU
E
BSc Honours in Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry BSc Honours in Chemistry
UL
F
QUB
—
MSc Honours in Chemistry
QUB
—
BSc Honours in Chemistry with Industry
QUB
—
BSc Honours in Chemistry with Forensic Analysis
QUB
—
BSc Honours in Chemistry with Extended Studies in Europe
QUB
—
BSc Honours in Medicinal Chemistry
QUB
—
BSc Honours in Medicinal Chemistry with Industry BSc Honours in Applied Chemistry
QUB
—
AIT
A
AIT
—
Applied Chemistry (Denominated)
BSc Honours in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
Approved Degree Courses, Continued BSc (Analytical Chemistry with Quality Assurance) with Honours Qualification
CIT
—
Diploma in Applied Sciences with Honours Qualification / BSc in Applied Sciences
DIT
B
BSc in Chemical Sciences with Honours Qualification
DIT
—
BSc (Forensic and Environmental Science)
DIT
G
BSc Honours in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science
GMIT
—
BSc in Forensic Science and Analysis
GMIT
—
BSc Honours in Chemistry with Quality Management
WIT
—
BSc in Applied Chemistry (General Degree)
WIT
—
BSc Honours in Pharmaceutical Science
WIT
—
BSc Honours in Applied Chemistry
ITT
—
Conditions A.
These courses are no longer available, but they are still approved for membership.
B.
One of the two subjects must be Chemistry; Mathematics or Physics are cognate subjects.
C.
This course has undergone name changes from Applied Chemistry to Pure & Applied Chemistry and then to Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
D.
The external work experience project must have a high proportion of Chemistry.
E.
The period spent studying and working in a German- or French-speaking country (where German or French is the language) should be in a Chemistry environment.
F.
The industrial experience element of the Course should be in a Chemistry environment.
G.
This course was previously called BSc (Forensic and Environmental Science).
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Events 2019-2020 ICI Awards The Boyle Higgins Gold Medal and Lecture Award 2020 One of the most prestigious honours that can only be bestowed on a member of the Institute is the Boyle Higgins Gold Medal and Lecture Award. This award, which was established in 1985, is an award for research work carried out in chemistry under the headings: (a) Pure Chemistry, (b) Applied and Industrial Chemistry or (c) Chemical Education. The award recognizes a chemist of any nationality working in Ireland or a chemist who is an Irish citizen working overseas who has made an outstanding and internationally recognised research contribution to the advancement of chemistry. A call for nominations for the 2020 award was sent out to all members of the Institute and to all Heads of Schools and Heads of Departments of Chemistry in July 2019. The Institute received a number of outstanding applications. All nominations were sent out for external review to three independent, international experts. All reviewers commented on the excellent standard of the nominations with one reviewer congratulating the Institute ‘on such an exquisite choice of candidates’. Professor A.P. De Silva (QUB) is the 2020 recipient of this award. Professor De Silva was due to deliver his award lecture during the ICI award ceremony which was due to take place in April 2020. Regrettably, this ceremony had to be deferred due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Professor De Silva will deliver his lecture in 2021. Further details to follow. The ICI Annual Award for Chemistry (Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series) This award was inaugurated by the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland in 2005 and since 2007, is named in memory of the late Eva Philbin, who was Professor of Organic Chemistry at UCD. The award, consisting of a commemorative plaque, is made to a practicing chemist, who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of chemistry and who is also an excellent science communicator. The recipient may be employed in academia, industry or in the state sector. The purpose of this award is to promote the benefits of chemistry to the widest possible audience. The recipient presents their award lecture in Dublin and in two other locations in Ireland and the lectures must be open to the general public. Our warmest congratulations to Professor Declan Mc Cormack (TU Dublin) on being the 2019 recipient. Professor McCormack will deliver his award th lecture virtually during the ICI award ceremony, 19 November 2020. His lecture will be recorded and will be made available to the public via the ICI website. The ICI Postgraduate Award This award is a relative new award of the Institute. First established in 2018, it recognises a registered PhD student in any Chemistry discipline working in an Irish Higher Education Institution. The student must have demonstrated excellence in research through publications. They must also have demonstrated a commitment to supporting and promoting Chemistry within and outside their Institution (e.g. through active participation in public engagement initiatives). Again, there was an open call for this award in July 2019. A number of outstanding nominations were received and were reviewed by an independent panel. The recipient of this award in 2019 was Ms Saoirse Dervin (Sligo IT). Her PhD supervisor is Professor Suresh Pillai, IT Sligo and winner of the Boyle Higgins Gold medal and lecture award 2019. The ICI Second Level Education Award 2019 The Second Level Education Award recognises a student who has achieved the highest grade in Ireland in their Leaving Certificate Honours Chemistry course. These students are presented with an ICI medal and their respective schools and teachers are provided with a Certificate from the Institute. The recipients of this award are: Mr. Óran O’Sullivan (Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co. Cork) Mr. Brian Durkan (St. Muredach’s College, Ballina, Co. Mayo).
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The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
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The 45th ICI Annual Congress th The 45 Congress of the Institute, which was due to take place in UCC in September 2020, had to be regrettably deferred due to the global pandemic. 72nd Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium nd The 72 Irish Universities Chemistry Research Colloquium, which was due to take place in June 2020 in the University of Limerick, had to be regrettably cancelled due to the global pandemic. ICI Postgraduate Chemistry Research Symposium 2020 The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland hosted a virtual Postgraduate Chemistry Research th Symposium, in lieu of the Colloquium in 2020. This took place on 9 September 2020, with over 150 registered delegates joining the conference over Zoom call throughout the day. This online event was designed to give postgraduates an opportunity to share their research results, in a year when most physical conferences have been cancelled. Flash and oral presentations by postgraduate chemists made up the bulk of the programme, organised into four thematic sessions, with topics ranging from medicinal and synthetic chemistry to supramolecular and analytical chemistry. In total 43 PhD students from all over the island of Ireland shared their work with their peers. The symposium also hosted the first ever mental health seminar delivered at an Irish chemistry event. Delivered by Miffy Hoad of Mental Health Ireland, the two 30-minute sessions gave concrete methods on how to stay connected, reduce stress, increase mindfulness and cope with these unprecedented times. The event design also included time for meaningful connection and networking, with breakout rooms used to allow small groups to meet each other and talk about the content of the 13 research posters on display. Dr. Adele Gabba of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who won the ICI’s Postrgraduate Award in 2018, delivered an insightful career talk. Dr. Saoirse Dervin, the recipient of the ICI Postgraduate Award 2019 delivered her award lecture also during this symposium. Industrial chemists also delivered career talks to the assembled young chemists, including Will Gough & Yeliz Genc from GSK as well as by Dr. Patrick Kielty from Abbvie. A notable aspect of this symposium was that the organising committee was made up of postgraduate students nominated by various Third Level Institutions across Ireland, in order to represent the diversity of research interests in the country and create a unique event designed for postgraduates and by postgraduates. Dr. Mark Kelada (ICI Young Chemists Representative) and Dr. Joseph Byrne (NUI Galway) coordinated the meetings, which due to the current times, all, just like the event itself, took place over Zoom. The members of the committee, who chaired various sessions of the Symposium were: Colm McKeever (Maynooth University), Fionn Ó Fearghail (Technological University Dublin), Jessica O’Neill (Dublin City University), Lauryn Bracken (Athlone Institute of Technology), Lukas Hallen (Trinity College Dublin), Niamh O’Mahoney (University College Cork), Siobhán O’Flaherty (RCSI) and Syl Byrne (NUI Galway).
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
The full list of those who won prizes at the Symposium is as follows: ICI Oral Presentation Prize: Lorna Conway (UCD) Eurachem Flash Presentation 1st place prize: Fiona Gordon (NUIG) EYCN Flash Session 1 Prize: Danielle Curran (UCD) EYCN Flash Session 2 Prize: Iñigo Iribarren Aguirre (TCD) EYCN Flash Session 3 Prize: Alex Horan (UCD) Eurachem Flash Session 4 Prize: Caytlin Boylan (MU) st
ICI Peoples’ Choice 1 Place Poster Prize: Ciara-Ruth Kenny (CIT) nd ICI Peoples’ Choice 2 Place Poster Prize: Aoibhín A. Cullen (DCU) ICI Judges’ Choice Poster prize: Sophie M. Connolly (DCU) A survey was carried out on the day, where 71% of attendees said they would be interested in joining a new professional network targeted at young chemists, in order to continue to connect with and support their peers across the island on an on-going basis. As a result of this level of support, the Council of the ICI approved the establishment of the Irish Young Chemists’ Network at their meeting on 1st October 2020. Further details to follow. EuChemS Congress 2022 The ICI EuChemS Congress, which was due to take place in August 2022, has been deferred to 2024. This is as a result of the deferral of the EuChemS Congress, which was due to take place in Lisbon, Portugal in August 2020. Because of the global pandemic, the Lisbon Congress is now taking place in 2022. Further details may be found: https://euchems2022.eu/
15th Delegates’ Assembly of the European Young Chemists Network, Spain During January 2020, the convenor of the Young Chemists Group of the ICI, Dr. Mark Kelada, attended the 15th EuChemS Delegates Assembly (DA) of the European Young Chemists Network (EYCN), held at Sitges, Spain to represent the young chemists’ division of the ICI. Delegates from over 25 European countries were present at this assembly. In addition to Dr. Kelada joining the membership team, he was also selected to host a European Chemistry Podcast in the near future and was also nominated to be a member of a Chemistry panel for the European Parliament to discuss important topics. EuChemS General Assembly: The 2020 EuChemS General Assembly took place virtually th on the 24 Sept 2020. It was attended by Professor Celine Marmion, President of ICI. ChemEd Ireland The 39th Annual ChemEd Conference and the 9th Annual BASF Summer School for Chemistry th Teachers was held virtually on Saturday 17 October 2020. Entitled “Great ideas and teaching resources for teachers of Leaving Certificate Chemistry and Transition Year Chemistry”, Eureka Centre, University College Cork acts as host.
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
The Irish Laboratory Awards 2020 The Irish Laboratory Awards 2020 took place on 5th March in the Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin. Launched in 2013, the Irish Laboratory Awards recognise and celebrate the accomplishments of those working in the laboratories across Ireland at this year's awards ceremony. Congratulations to the 2020 winners and to those not successful this time around we hope you continue to support the awards in 2020. The judging panel was led by Matt Moran, Director, BioPharmaChemical Ireland. The Institute was represented by Dr. John Cassidy.
THE INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY OF IRELAND COMPANY MEMBERS Astellas Ireland Co Ltd ABCR Chemicals Clarochem Ireland Ltd EirGen Pharma Ltd Electricity Supply Board Poolbeg Henkel Ireland Labplan Ltd Labquip (Ireland) Ltd Lennox Laboratory Supplies Ltd Leo Laboratories Ltd TMS Environment Ltd Topchem Pharmaceuticals Ltd Waters Ireland
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Postgraduate Chemistry Research Symposium – Connecting young chemists in challenging times
Organising committee of the ICI Postgraduate Chemistry Research Symposium. Top row: Fionn Ó Fearghail (Techological University Dublin), Dr Mark Kelada (ICI Young Chemists Representative), Colm McKeever (Maynooth University), Lukas Hallen (Trinity College Dublin). Middle row: Jessica O’Neill (Dublin City University), Syl Byrne (NUI Galway), Dr Joseph Byrne (Honorary Research Lecturer, NUI Galway), Lauryn Bracken (Athlone Institute of Technology). Bottom row: Siobhán O’Flaherty (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), Niamh O’Mahoney (University College Cork)
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
Boyle Higgins Awards
Professor Suresh Pillai Boyle Higgins Gold Medal and Lecture Award Recipient 2019
Professor A.P. De Silva Boyle Higgins Gold Medal and Lecture Award Recipient 2020
The ICI Annual Award for Chemistry Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series
Professor Anita Maguire ICI Annual Award for Chemistry Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series Recipient 2018
Professor Declan McCormack ICI Annual Award for Chemistry Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series Recipient 2019
The ICI David Brown Award
Dr Malachy McCann ICI David Brown awardee 2014
Professor A. K. Powel ICI David Brown awardee 2016
Professor Sylvia Draper ICI David Brown awardee 2018
Annual Report 2019
The Institute of Chemistry of Ireland
AGM 2020
The ICI Postgraduate Award
Professor John Cassidy, Ms Adela Gabba (ICI Postgraduate Awardee 2018) and Professor Paul Murphy
Ms Saoirse Dervin ICI Postgraduate Awardee 2019
The ICI Second Level Education Award Ms. Jessica Murphy (Mount Mercy College, Model Farm Road, Co. Cork) and Mr. Corey Kissane (St. Brendan's College, Killarney, Co. Kerry) were awarded the prestigious ICI Medals for excellence in LC 2018. The recipients of the ICI Second Level Education Award 2019 are Mr. Óran O’Sullivan (Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co. Cork) and Mr. Brian Durkan (St. Muredach’s College, Ballina, Co. Mayo).
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