NSW Newsletter, July 2024
President’s Note
Hello everyone!
It has been a while since our last NSW Newsletter. That’s NOT an indication of our lack of activity- it’s actually the opposite! Our reports give a glimpse into the many activities that have been held in May and June.
So I start my post in the newsletter with a request for help. The NSW Branch Committee is looking for a NSW Newsletter Editor.
If you like to write or have a passion for communication, this is your opportunity to showcase your skills! Perhaps it’s a case that you have always wanted to have a chance to write but have never had the opportunity to try.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to collate the monthly newsletter entries from our Branch and Special Interest Groups in NSW. To get things rolling, we’d like you to submit an article for our next newsletter on something to do with Chemistry. We’re not looking for a full-blown journal submission; just a short piece of communication on something interesting, fun, or engaging.
Simply send your entry to raci-nswcmt@raci.org.au by the end of July and we can take it from there!
Have a Joyful July and stay warm!
-Maree Stuart
NSW Branch’s Happenings
NSW Nascent Chemist Prize
This month, a roving reporter gave us an insight into undergrad labs, which are always a place of amusement and discovery.
The sight of a reagent being mixed unexpectedly turning BRIGHT PINK was a cause for alarm. Turns out someone had put detergent in the wash bottle!! There were some choice curse words uttered which seemed to amuse the other lab occupants.
Have you got a similar Nascent Chemistry experience? Let us know at raci-nswcmt@raci.org.au!
Fellows and Honorary Life Members Luncheon, 17 May 2024
It was another terrific gathering at our Fellows and Honorary Life Members luncheon at L’Aqua!
The food and views were divine and the company was excellent.
We celebrated significant milestones for six of our members:
- · Ceci Parouchais Hon MRACI CChem (60 years)
- · Em Prof David Black AO Hon FRACI CChem (60 years)
- · Dr Ian Jamie MRACI CChem (40 years)
- · Senerat Bambaradeniya MRACI CChem (25 years)
- · Simon Percival MRACI CChem (25 years)
- · John Peverill MRACI CChem (25 years)
Dr Vipul Agarwal presented on his work in the area of plastics in his presentation “Polymers – today’s necessity to tomorrow’s menace”.
This was another great opportunity to connect with friends, old and new, and celebrate milestones of our NSW members.
Next year’s event is already planned for the first week in May at L’Aqua! Make sure you mark it in your diary.
A huge thank you to our event sponsors, Envirolab, Sydney Analytical Laboratories and ALS for their ongoing support and making this event possible, and for Dr Eveline Baker for her sterling work MCing the event!
ELECTRIFYING DISCOVERIES: Using Particle Accelerators for research in air pollution, radiobiology and electronic chips that go into space!
Joint AIP, RACI, RSNSW, and ANSTO event 18 June 2024
Prof David Cohen took us on the journey of particle accelerators. With four powerful accelerators, ANSTO’s world-class facility can accelerate ions from hydrogen to uranium at speeds up to 30,000kms a second. The interactions of these ions with a range of different samples allows for studies in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and ion beam analysis (IBA) to be performed allowing for impactful applications in areas such as fine particle air pollution, microdosimetry of biological cells, and the irradiation of electron chips bound for space.
Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group: Tips on Evaluating and Assessing Measurement Uncertainty and Traceability 5 June 2024
There was another terrific event hosted by the Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group on the twin topics of measurement uncertainty and traceability. Dr Luminita Antin and Raluca Iavetz took participants through the world of Quality assurance versus quality control, ways to estimate measurement uncertainty using data available in your laboratory, and how to achieve metrological traceability.
It was a very diverse group of attendees. The Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group is planning for another event on similar topics for 2025. Keep an eye out for the recorded session on the RACI website under Past Webinars.
NSW Chemist of the Month
Dr Rama Nimmagadda
Dr Rama Nimmagadda is Chemist of the Month for July 2024. Rama demonstrates his strong passion for mass spectrometry, building his own contract research business specialising in clinical research. He completed his PhD at Macquarie University, researching strictures of fulvic acids and developed a reaction to reduce multiple carboxylic acids into alkanes through a single step. Rama also notes how important networking through RACI conferences and similar organisations for his business. Originally from South India, he spends his spare time with family and friends, as well as gardening and playing chess
Interview conducted by William Li.
WL: Good to meet you again, Rama. Firstly, how long have you been a RACI Member for?
RN: I’ve been with RACI since 2003. I was a student member at the beginning, and then when I moved to industry, there was a gap for a few years, before reactivating my membership. What motivated me to be a RACI Member is the networking aspect and was also encouraged by my PhD supervisor. I went to conferences for networking and have learnt a lot through sharing ideas. It was quite helpful during my PhD times. I felt a sense of community being part of RACI and interacting with others.
WL: That’s great to hear you’ve got so much out of RACI over the years through conferences and network building during your PhD days. I also see you have been involved with the RACI NSW Consultants and Contractors Group.
RN: I’m formally still the Chair, but unfortunately the group is currently inactive for a while. We’ve tried to motivate the committee to organise events, or merge with another Group, but last couple of the years have been difficult. It was still a good experience and also was a way to meet NSW Branch Committee Members. It’s one of the multiple organisations I’m involved in through my business, being part of so many groups including AusBiotech and BioNSW. I have a lot on my plate, attending many group meetings, industry events and international conferences. In my current work, we do clinical trials, method development and applications research. We perform basic chemistry with clinical mass spectrometry. I also actively participate in organisations and conferences relating to clinical mass spectrometry, such as working with medical research institutes. That has currently taken priority to meet my work requirements. We have our own laboratory in North Ryde and provide contract research services. However, the basis is chemistry, but the applications are focused on clinical mass spectrometry and clinical research. That is the direction of my career now and 90% of my work in the clinical area.
WL: You do quite diverse things in your work and also maintaining a lab – really fulfilling to build your lab from the ground up.
RN: Exactly. As a small business, we have seven staff members now, having started as one in 2018. We have a wide range of equipment, including two high-resolution mass spectrometers, GC-MS, HPLC and IC, among others. I love it; it’s my passion. People ask, “when do you retire”? I’m already retired as this is my hobby! Mass spectrometry applications are my hobbies as I just like doing this work. I left my job at Symbio as a group R&D Manager to start my own lab just to fulfill my own dream doing my own research, doing what I feel like. I have a free hand in choosing my projects and performing quality work. I really enjoy my work and have lots of passion for it. There’s always challenges in running a business, especially with COVID-19 lockdowns. We went through those phases and hopefully my business keeps going.
WL: Literally a dream coming true! To fulfill those dreams after years of hard work and building it up to be the choice of contractor to provide research services. But what motivated you to go into chemistry?
RN: I did my Bachelor’s in pharmacy and Master’s in pharmaceutical analysis in India. When I moved to Australia, I wanted to pursue a PhD. During my previous studies, I was very interested in mass spectrometry. I still remember the day I first looked at a mass spectra and mass spectrometry instrument.
WL: But what you made you want to study pharmacy at university? Did anyone inspire you?
RN: There are a few things. Firstly, chemistry teachers were good. Definitely one thing I would say to younger generations is teachers make a big impact. I had teachers who made science seem wonderful, including the experiments and practicals. It felt fun and enjoyed the experimental part of the chemistry labs. The other thing was feeling that chemistry was everything at the time. You do biology, and you still end up in chemistry. You study the environment, where the fundamentals are chemistry. It’s like chemistry is the soul. Everything seems to be centered on chemistry, as I found out studying at the molecular level during my senior school years. Then I started to really enjoy all the concepts and that’s how I chose chemistry – it feels like a language. I felt chemistry is a basic requirement for any profession, whether it’d be doctor or engineer. Everything is linked to chemistry, so with strong fundamentals, you start to enjoy the principles in any field. It made me look at every concept from a chemistry perspective.
WL: I see the inspiration when having good teachers and seeing it in your own community and then how it links together at the molecular scale. That has led to you studies in Australia. What was your PhD about?
RN: My PhD was characterisation of fulvic acids from Antarctic waters, a group of macromolecules. I didn’t end up going to Antarctica but my supervisor did go with others and got water samples back from there. Fulvic acid has a complex structure; can’t just say ‘molecule’ because’ it has a group of molecules with different functional groups, ions and colloids. What happens is when mature soils go into water to form various complexes. It varies in pH and temperature. Different sources of input of organic matter make the fulvic acid very complex. Our area was to identify the simplest forms of fulvic and humic acids in Antarctica where there’s no human contamination or variations of organic compounds. Again, it’s all chemistry again, including how you fractionate fulvic acids from water, how you classify the molecules, how you derivatise, how you use the mass spectrometer to do this work etc. This characterisation of the Antarctic fulvic acids was pretty much the application of synthetic and analytical chemistry all the way. It was a very fascinating subject and really enjoyed it. During the studies, we developed a reduction reaction where we can reduce multiple carboxylic acids in a single step to alkanes; prior to that, we could only reduce carboxylic acids to alcohols or aldehydes before converting to alkanes and can only target one carboxylic acid at a time. This reaction allowed us to reduce multiple functional groups at once in a single step. The idea was allowing us to characterise the backbone structures of fulvic acid because of the strong bonds and polar functional groups, so once we can reduce those, we can identify the core aliphatic structures. The most successful part was developing the synthetic reaction to reduce the carboxylic acids. It was a very proud moment.
WL: Would be a very exciting project! You seem pretty passionate about your work as a researcher. If there’s one piece of advice for people who want to be like you, what would it be?
RN: Whether you’re at university or just started your career, keep looking for where you’re happy and enjoying what you do. I’m glued to what I’m doing and could sit there playing with a mass spectrometer all day. If you go home and complain about how hard the work is or problems at work or the subject you’re doing, that’s when you need to move and find a new position to find your satisfaction.
WL: Life’s too short to be doing something you don’t like. Lastly, and most important, what do you like to do in your spare time?
RN: I don’t have much spare time, but do spend time cooking, playing chess, gardening and spending time with family and friends. I realised when I did research, there’s the need to socialise and spend time seeing family and friends.
Upcoming Events
Save the Dates
NSW Branch President’s Dinner
The NSW RACI Branch and NSW AIP Branch are excited to announce our combined Annual President's/ Chair's Dinner is on again for another year! This has been a popular event and it provides a terrific opportunity for Chemists and Physicists to come together and celebrate our achievements.
When: 23 August 2024
Held in the beautiful, recently refurbished grounds of The Concord Community Club, the night includes a 3-course meal.
Guest speakers working in areas relevant to chemistry and physics will entertain guests and perhaps take you into an area of science previously unknown to you.
As always, the winner of the NSW Branch President's Award will be announced on the night.
Registrations are now open at the RACI website and close on Friday, August 16, 2024.
Student Member $50.00
Post Graduate Student Member $50.00
Member $100.00
Non-Member $110.00
RACI NSW Branch AGM
The 2024 NSW Branch AGM is scheduled for Tuesday 16th October 2024. This year the AGM will once again be a short online format.
All RACI NSW members are invited to attend this event and you can register at the RACI website.
What’s New in Laboratory Technology
When: Oct 23, 2024
Theme: Sample Preparation and Automation
The NSW Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Group of The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) is organising the 2024 one-day symposium “What’s New in Laboratory Technology”.
This symposium has been designed to showcase the latest developments in laboratory technology.
The symposium will feature talks on the latest automation of laboratory tasks such as extraction, pipetting, SPE and dilutions in a contemporary laboratory.
The event brings together both academic and non-academic researchers in all areas of chemical analysis to deliver oral presentations.
In addition to laboratory automation, instrument techniques such as mass spectrometry, chromatography, electrochemistry and hyphenated techniques may be featured.
This is an excellent opportunity to interact with academic and industry scientists interested in all analytical testing areas.
Register now at the RACI website. You can also submit an abstract for a 15 minute oral presentation plus 5 minutes for Q&A. But be quick, as abstract submissions close 29 July 2024!
Registration Register Before
Early Bird Saturday, August 31, 2024
Regular Friday, October 11, 2024
Registration Early Bird Regular
Student Member $50.00 $70.00
Member $150.00 $170.00
Non-Member $180.00 $200.00
Other upcoming events include:
- · Early to Mid-career Chemists forum: 20th September- come and hear from Chemists who have transitioned between academia and industry and learn tips for success in your early- to mid-career journey.
- · Innovation Forum: 2nd November, ANSTO
Other events you might be interested in……..
2024 Physics in the Pub night.
Hear a physics-related comedy, demonstration, quiz etc. at AIP NSW’s 2024 Physics in the Pub night. Hosted by Dr Phil Dooley of Phil Up on Science.
Tuesday 27 August at Abercrombie Hotel in Chippendale, Sydney.
Get a free ticket to attend the event from the following link: https://events.humanitix.com/physics-in-the-pub-sydney
2024 Women in Physics NSW Lecture Tour coming to Wollongong in National Science Week!
12 August 2024
Science Space, 60 Squires Way North Wollongong
Presentation by Prof Susan Coppersmith, Chair UNSW and Fellow Australian Academy Science on “What do theoretical physicists do?”
Registrations now open from the following link: https://sciencespace.com.au/attraction/women-in-physics-lecture-2024/
2024 STEM Education and Industry Forum
30 September 2024
Novotel Sydney Parramatta, 350 Church Street Parramatta
STEM Education and Industry Forum hosted by the AIP NSW & the Teachers’ Guild of NSW Registrations are open and join the Conversation!
Registrations at https://www.teachersguild.nsw.edu.au/events/stem-forum-2024/
Branch Committee Meeting
The next short branch meeting will be held online on Tuesday 23 July at 12:00 pm.
The August meeting will be on Tuesday 27 August 2024 at 6 pm.
All NSW members are welcome to join these meetings. For information on how to participate please contact raci-nswcmt@raci.org.au.