On the 20th January 2025, the School of Chemistry was delighted to welcome Asma Sheikh and Audrey Cameron to deliver a seminar on their work in developing sign language support for chemists. Asma is a current chemistry PhD student at New York University, USA and was recently awarded the RSC 2022 Inclusion & Diversity Prize as part of the Sign Language Incorporation in Chemistry Education (SLICE) Team. Audrey is a Chancellors Fellow at the Moray House School of Education and Sport. Audrey was awarded an OBE in 2023 for services to chemical sciences and inclusion in science communications. Asma’s current work has focused on developing a sign language glossary for chemistry terms and incorporating them into their teaching. As well as the more obvious benefits of promoting equality for deaf and hearing-impaired students, Asma’s approach goes beyond this to show how the use of sign language can actually improve understanding for all students. Signs provide an intuitive and alternative way to visualise common reaction pathways – allowing students to better visualise all possible outcomes. Shown in the image are Allie Merkle, ASL interpreter, Audrey Cameron, Chancellor's Fellow, Moray House School of Education and Sport, Tania, Ley and Gary - members of the SSC BSL Glossary team. Tania just completed MSc in Language Education at UoE and also BSc Hons Zoology at the university. Ley is a PhD student from Canada focusing on science communication and sign language. Gary is an assistant professor of sign linguistics at Heriot-Watt University, and he is the sign linguist expert in the BSL glossary team. Andrzej is a Deaf STEMist. ASL, BSL, LSQ and Polish. You can read more about this initiative in Decembers issue of Chemistry World Publication date 07 Feb, 2025
