We bid farewell to Jamie Casey from Alabama who has had a very productive project as part of the Arcadia Abroad research mobility programme at UCD (SCI30050), closely supervised by Rosa and Sophie. Jamie did a lot in less than 8 weeks helping progress research into lanthanide metal complexes with macrocyclic ligands.
Sophie, Rosa and Jamie
Finally, the group made our summer outing into the city centre and successfully escaped a “Cabin in the Woods” at Incognito Escape Rooms. Lots of problem-solving skills honed in the lab, finding a very high-stakes application!
Victorious in the Escape Room: Hubert, Yujin, Thomas, Sophie, Finn, Jamie, Rosa, and Joe
Catherine Chaita, a third-year Pharmaceutical Science students from TU Dublin in Tallaght, joined the lab for two-weeks this summer as part of the RSC RISE Programme, designed to retain, inspire, support, and enhance ethnically-underrepresented groups in the chemical sciences. Catherine had a placement at TU Dublin last summer and came to us this summer. She fit in really well and quickly picked up a lot of skills under Thomas’ tutelage (and contributed to the Link4Lectin project). Catherine had the following to say about her experience:
In the second year [of the RISE programme], I was offered a two-week summer internship at University College Dublin (UCD), where I had the opportunity to work in the laboratory of Professor Joe Byrne, whose research focuses on sugars and inorganic/organic chemistry. During the internship, I worked under the mentorship of PhD graduate Thomas Rabbitte who guided me through a variety of hands-on experiments. I was actively involved in various research projects. This experience greatly enhanced my technical and analytical skills, as I was introduced to a range of instruments and laboratory techniques relevant to pharmaceutical science. I carried out several chemical reactions, including alkylation, click chemistry, and amide coupling reactions. The lab environment was collaborative and inspiring, with a team of postgraduate researchers and undergraduate interns all contributing to ongoing sugar-related research. My time at UCD provided me with a solid foundation of practical skills and deeper insight into real-world pharmaceutical and chemical research, and it further fueled my interest in pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
We wish Catherine every success with the rest of her studies and her future career in chemistry and hope to see her again.
