The Periodic Fable

In the last episode of 2023, Bryony, Cameron & Hallam sit down to discuss some topical events over the last few months of 2023, whilst ending on a high with a Christmas Quiz. 

This week the team are joined by Darren Budd, Commercial Director at BASF. In the chat, Darren details his passion for chemistry from his school days, before going onto study Chemistry at University followed by his PhD. It was during his PhD where his passion for the business side of chemistry grew and Darren never looked back. 27 years later, Darren is now the Commercial Director for BASF, and in this episode, he details his journey and his passion for what he does.

On this weeks podcast, the gang are joined by Freya McGhee, fresh off her adventure to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Freya completed her degree in chemistry before deciding to swap the lab for the stage. During the podcast, Freya discusses her journey into stand-up and the role chemistry played in her life, leading up to her choosing to become a stand-up comic. More recently, Freya has began to incorporate chemistry into her stand-up routine, and in November, she will be co-hosting "Comedians in STEM" in London.  

This week the team are joined by Dr. Hannah Roberts, the inspirational STEM Coach, helping women in STEM figure out "What Next?"Hannah discusses her journey into a career into Chemistry and how that transitioned into coaching. Hannah's passion for what she does, and for empowering Women in STEM all over the world shines through and her story of dealing with imposter syndrome and helping to tackle the leaky pipeline are truly inspirational! Look out for Hannah's new book "Intentional Careers for STEM Women: Six strategic steps to balance, confidence and fulfilment" which was released in September 2023

In this weeks instalment, Bryony, Cameron & Hallam interview Sixth-Form students. Some of these students have chosen science, some have chosen different paths, but either way, the students were brilliant!

In this mini series, Bryony, Cameron & Hallam visited Emmanuel College in Gateshead, to learn from their students & staff about science and their learning journeys. In episode 1, the team speak with students from Year 7, 8 & 9, about their favourite subjects, and what they all plan to be when they grow up and how science can help them on their journey

This week, Cameron & Hallam are joined by a new co-host to the podcast, Bryony Parker, who joins the team and discusses her background. Later the team are joined by Ian Stone of ChemUK to discuss the upcoming conference in May, which the podcast will be live at! 

On this weeks episode, Cameron & Hallam are joined by TikTok sensation, Big Manny, to discuss all the amazing work he's been doing on social media and bringing science to life in his back garden. From his early influences at school, his music career, and his recent trip to the BBC to film Blue Peter, Manny talks through his journey to becoming a real influence to students across the globe with his short scientific videos. 

On the final part of this two part special, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Irene and Christina from the GenomAbs team, who competed in the BrightSCIdea challenge earlier this year. They detail their story, of how they met through the competition, the help they received, and what they think the future of prescribing antibiotics will be. Anyone wishing to take part in the challenge still has a week to do so, so do it whilst you can! 

On a two-part special, Cameron and Hallam are joined by Bryony Parker from the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) to discuss the BrightSCIdea challenge they run annually. On the episode, we have the team of Happy Biopatch, represented by Klara Hatinova, who comes on to discuss all about her teams idea, and their experience of the BrightSCIdea challenge. 

Joining Cameron & Hallam this week, is Alex Cousen from Astra Zeneca. Alex is a Senior Crystallisation Chemist within Astra Zeneca's Early Chemical development team. Alex studied both his undergraduate Chemistry degree, as well as his PhD at Bath University, and has a passion not only for the chemistry he does, but sharing his passion for the subject. On the podcast, Alex will discuss how he came to be a Senior Crystallisation Chemist. What it was like working for Astra Zeneca during the pandemic, and his experience working across both academia, and industry. 

On the podcast this week, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Ben Walsh, Deputy Director for the Transforming Foundation Industries at Innovate UK. Ben discusses his background from Chemist, to Consultant to Deputy Director, as well as sharing his insight and thoughts into the work needed to decarbonise the foundation industries. Cameron will also share a story on the chemicals of tattoo ink, and Hallam has some e-cracking news to share. 

After a summer break, Cameron & Hallam are back, and this week they're interviewing the CIA's Incumbent Young Ambassador, Izzy Sloan.Izzy has just finished her second year as a Degree Apprentice in Chemical Engineering at GSK and joins the podcast to discuss her hopes for the future. How she got into the degree apprenticeship route, and what advice she'd give to anyone looking to follow in her footsteps. Cameron also shares some news coming out this week about the cost of UK Reach, which links back to a previous podcast with Janet discussing all things regulations. 

This week, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Shilpa Mistry, Head of Pharma for UK & Ireland at Chemlink Specialities.Shilpa is the last guest of the ChemUK line up, and in this podcast, Shilpa goes into detail about her career into Pharma. Her two years in industry as a student, and then her move into the commercial world of pharmaceuticals. Shilpa then discusses her talk at ChemUK which is looking how to better administer drugs to our beloved pets. 

Joining Cameron & Hallam on the podcast this week, is Professor Gil Reid.Gill is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at The University of Southampton, and she is also the President-Elect of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Gill will take up the role of president in July 2022 and in this weeks episode she speaks to Cameron & Hallam about her passion for chemistry, her passion for teaching chemistry and her passion for inspiring the next generation of chemists. Gill will be part of the guest speakers at this years ChemUK Expo. 

On the podcast this week, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Allison Buenemann, all the way from Seattle Washington.Allison is a qualified Chemical Engineer, but moved to Data Science a few years ago with a company called Seeq, where she is now an Industry Principle, working closely with bringing data science to Chemical, Petrochemical and Refinery based processes. Allison discusses her journey into industry, as well as why the future of not just the chemical industry, but many data driven industries, need to adapt and adjust to the digital world. Listen out too for Allison's Desert Island Chemicals and see how she thinks outside the box for her answers. Allison is another guest who is going to be taking part at ChemUK 2022, in Birmingham in May. Be sure to go and see hi and see what Seeq can offer if you're going to the Expo. 

Ever wondered about the deep world of Chemical regulations? How are companies legally allowed to handle, use and produce certain chemicals? All this is much more is covered by chemical regulations and compliance checks that allow companies to bring chemicals through the door. On the podcast this week, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Janet Greenwood, Director of TTEnvironmental, a specialist consulting firm, set up to help companies comply with regulations such as REACH, that allow companies to handle all types of chemicals. Janet discusses in length how some of the processes work, why they were set up, and what more can be done to help companies. Janet is the first guest in a series of guests, who will be partaking in the upcoming CHEMUK expo in May 2022. The Periodic Fable and CHEMUK have joined forces, to bring listeners a sneak peak of the guests who will be presenting at the conference, and give our audience an insight into some of the leading minds who are currently working across the Science and Engineering sector. If you're interested in attending CHEMUK, have a look at the link below: https://www.chemicalukexpo.com/speaker-programme/

In this episode, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Prof. Andy Parsons of York University. Professor Parsons has a background in organic chemistry, but his true skill is in how he teaches and delivers chemistry to his students.Professor Parsons has won several awards for his teaching, and in this episode he discusses issues around chemistry uptake, and the steps he thinks are needed to encourage more students to take up chemistry post A-level. Listen out too, for Andy's "Desert Island Chemicals" the 5 chemicals he'd take with him if he was stranded on a desert island. 

In the latest episode of The Periodic Fable, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Tony Heslop, Senior Sustainability Manager for BASF. Tony discusses his journey from chemist, to marketing, to his latest sustainability role, whilst discussing the absolute necessity of the chemical industry to our every day life. Cameron then takes on the True Periodic Fable sharing the story of Ernest Rutherford, the father of the "Rutherford Atomic Model" 

On the first podcast of 2022, Cameron & Hallam are joined by Emrys Travis.Emrys is a Disability & Accessibility Specialist for the Royal Society of Chemistry. In the pod, we discuss breaking down the barriers for entry to chemistry, and to understanding how the world of chemistry can and should be inclusive of everyone. Hallam then shares a True Periodic Fable detailing the life of Kathleen Lonsdale, who pioneered the chemist working from home, but more importantly, who actually discovered using X-Ray Diffraction, that Benzene was flat - Hallam tries and fails to show off his chemistry knowledge when describing electrons in benzene.