10 JUNE 2024 The School of Chemistry ran a Research Image Competition open to all staff and Postgraduate Research Students, as well as any postgraduate taught and undergraduate students working in a research lab. Images were to represent research at the School of Chemistry and we had an incredible selection submitted. Our judges, Aurelien Froment, Lecturer in Art (Photography) in ECA, Chris Duguid, Digital Content Officer (CSE) and Katie Grant, Widening Participation & Outreach Manager (School of Engineering) selected the their top 3 images, and a People’s Choice vote chose our final winner, all of whom were announced on 5th June after our Joseph Black Conference 2024. Congratulations to the winners and all entrants in the competition. The images will be showcased at public events like Doors Open Day too, which allows the public to learn about the research happening on campus. It was a very hard competition to judge, every entry was of such a high quality and there was an amazing range of images! It really highlighted the breadth of research and teaching in the School of Chemistry. Dr Katie Grant Widening Participation & Outreach Manager, School of Engineering Judge's Choice 1st Place - Flasks. By Jenna Owen A collection of flasks lie in wait to be used. These flasks are part of a range of glass equipment with standardised jointed fittings (the frosted section seen in the flask opening, brand name is Quickfit). This allows the flasks to be used in a variety of configurations, attaching condensers, adaptors or simply a glass stopper to close the flask, letting scientists use the same equipment in a range of experiments. 2nd Place - Mitochondria in health and disease. By Agustina Salis Torres Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells, essential for energy production. Their dysfunction is the cause and consequence of many disorders, such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. These tiny structures have a complex inner design crucial for their function. However, their small size and intricate architecture makes it hard to study them with regular microscopes. By examining the shape and structure of mitochondria using advanced imaging, we aim to understand how and why they malfunction in various diseases, providing insights into their role in health and disease. 3rd Place - Light up. By Dominic Taylor The vials shown in this image contain a selection of different solution processable photoactive polymers, which are capable of absorbing light to access higher energy excited states. These high energy states can be used to drive important chemical reactions (such as wastewater purification), sense dangerous chemicals (such as explosives or food toxins), or be used to construct lasers. People's Choice Sea urchin-shaped SbSI crystal. By Liang Tianxin Antimony sulphide iodide (SbSI) represents a highly promising material for energy storage applications, particularly in the field of supercapacitors. In comparison to traditional hydrothermal and ultrasonic synthesis methods, the precipitation approach offers a number of advantages, including environmental protection, energy efficiency, and safety. Moreover, the crystals produced by the precipitation method exhibit homogeneous sizes, which is conducive to subsequent research. Publication date 08 Nov, 2024
