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Senior Scientists make Crystal Clear Contribution to Academic Research

Personal Excellence

Talented Aloysian chemists from the Class of 2015 are set to have their work featured in a research paper by University of Glasgow scientists after collaborating on an innovative project during their final year in the Green Blazer.

St Aloysius’ College was one of seven schools selected to assist the research to find a new type of crystal in the field of solid-state ionic-chemistry, and OAs Clare Scanlon, Nick Daly and Laura Docherty, then of S6, were selected to take part thanks to their dedication to the subject and their success at both Higher and Advanced Higher levels.

Dr Price, the researcher leading the project for the University of Glasgow explained that Advanced Higher chemistry students were selected because the research required a large number of contributors who were competent in the subject,

“While growing crystals does not require specialist equipment, and finding something new may only require good observation, actually proving you have a new material, and fully characterising it requires quite sophisticated measurements.”

And now that Clare, Nick and Laura have all achieved A Grades in both Higher and Advanced Higher Chemistry, it’s clear that they were highly suitable candidates.

Mr Anderson, the Head of Chemistry at the College who guided the trio in their research, was thrilled with the input of the Aloysians,

 “It has been a pleasure working with them. All three were ideally suited to this collaborative project – they required little supervision and took responsibility for the planning and implementation of the work. When things didn’t go to plan, they reorganised themselves and worked through the problem.”

Although the project did not find a new crystal this time around, the evidence gathered by the Aloysians will contribute towards the research paper and act as a foundation for further research and collaborations between St Aloysius’ College and the University of Glasgow.

Clare, Nick and Laura are all now going onto University with Clare and Nick set to study Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Edinburgh University, whilst Laura is going on to study Medicine at Glasgow University.

Mr Anderson, who described the OAs as "Top Students... Fantastically able, super enthusiastic, and very down to earth”, is sure that all three will go on to great things, adding,

“For two of them to go on and study chemistry related subjects is most pleasing and I have no doubt that all three will do fantastically well at university.”