Christmas glassblowing on Teesside
175 minutes for chemistry
Anna Aldred, chemistry PhD student at Durham University and member of our Teesside Local Section Committee, shares with us her ‘time4chem’ organising a local section Christmas event with a difference.
When someone says Christmas, what do you think of? Decorations, spending time with friends and family, eating delicious food, listening to festive music? Me too. As a chemistry PhD student and keen science communicator I am all for the colour changes, flashes and bangs, but I wanted the RSC Teesside Local Section to be able to provide its local membership with something different this Christmas.
One of my past lab mates said to me that if he hadn’t become a research chemist he would have loved to try his hand at glassblowing, so that got me thinking… The department of chemistry at Durham University is very lucky to have two very talented glassblowers, Aaron Brown and Malcolm Richardson, who spend their days fixing glassware and making custom lab equipment. But that is not where their talents end; they have also been known to make beautiful glass jewellery and personalised Christmas decorations. Who better to approach to help me deliver a special, one of a kind Christmas event than Aaron and Malcolm? Plans were devised to provide 40 local section members with the opportunity to come into the chemistry department at Durham University to observe live glassblowing demonstrations, paint their own glass baubles, and meet other local section members over drinks and nibbles, all free of charge.
Over two weeks, Aaron and Malcolm beavered away in their workshop making 50 glass baubles, on top of their usual workload, especially for the event. With the baubles ready, painting stations, buffet and drinks set up, and the Christmas music on, myself and other members of the RSC Teesside Local Section Committee – Karen Johnston, Bex Charlton and Laura Smith – welcomed local members to the department. Members from all backgrounds attended: retired members, research technicians, chemists and physicists (undergraduates, postgraduates and academic staff), not only from the Durham area but also from as far afield as North Yorkshire and Leeds. The three-hour event was a sell out and some attendees spent up to an hour, if not longer, mesmerised by Aaron and Malcolm’s demonstrations. Bauble decorating styles ranged from amateur to expert, but the results were all gorgeous!
This event was neither a specialist nor a classical demonstration or lecture, however, it was none the less relevant to chemists and chemistry-enthusiasts of all levels. Glassblowers are responsible for all the glassware that chemists use in the lab. The informal, general interest style of the event was mentioned by attendees and followed by requests for further, similar events and even to make a glassblowing event a regular Christmas special!
Further information
You can find out more about our local sections and how to get involved in member events in your area at http://www.rsc.org/membership-and-community/connect-with-others/geographically/
175 minutes for chemistry
As the oldest chemical society in the world, we celebrated our 175th anniversary in 2016. We wanted to mark this milestone by recognising the important contributions our community makes to the chemical sciences. We asked our members and supporters to dedicate 175 minutes to chemistry in 2016 and share their stories with us. We featured these stories throughout the year on our website, in print in RSC News, and on social media using #time4chem.
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