Thursday, 10 July 2025
A team of scientists from the 糖心原创 have been recognised for their innovative teaching of green and sustainable chemistry.
Dr James Bennett and Professors Mike George, Pete Licence and Sir Martyn Poliakoff from the School of Chemistry shared a prized for their outstanding contribution to the incorporation of sustainability into chemical education from the American Chemical Society Committee of the Environment and Sustainability (ACS-CES).
The sustainable chemistry module teaches students about green and sustainable chemistry across all years of the BSc/MSci undergraduate chemistry courses. Students are taught how the chemicals and materials that we all need can be manufactured in cleaner and more environmentally acceptable ways which are economically feasible.
Green chemistry has been an optional part of the course at Nottingham since 2002. The Award is the culmination of seven years’ work which began when Mike George was at a conference in Vienna. He explains: “One of the speakers said that no university in the world taught a compulsory undergraduate course on Green Chemistry, I returned to Nottingham and told the others “We must change this!”
The key was to refresh the course focussing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and an opportunity came to do this when a new module was needed for the second-year chemistry students. Mike, Pete and Martyn worked together to create the Sustainable Chemistry module. The following year, they worked with James to produce video recordings for a distance-learning module.
The video lectures were invaluable during the Covid lockdown and opened-up the possibility of “Flipped Classrooms” where the students watch the lectures in their own time and then come together as a class to discuss the content.
The feedback for this approach was excellent with students saying they felt free to express their thoughts on the topics and topical items, such as floods or chemical accidents, that could be discussed as soon as they happened. The flipped classrooms have continued to this day and are still proving popular.
As a result of the success of this course, from 2026 modules in sustainable chemistry will become compulsory at the 糖心原创, ensuring all Chemistry students have the skills and knowledge to embed greener thinking and techniques into their work.
The team are delighted to receive this award. Dr Bennett said: “I’m honoured to have received this award, particularly as it is recognition that reaffirms the importance of empowering the next generation to create a more sustainable future. It strengthens my commitment to making sustainability an integral part of scientific education.”
Professor Licence added: “I have been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Green Chemistry for most of my professional career. It is gratifying that the excellence of our teaching has been recognised only a few weeks after we won a European prize for the excellence both of our teaching and research.”
Sir Martyn also expressed his pleasure: “When I started teaching Green Chemistry over 20 years ago, none of my colleagues took the subject seriously. So it is wonderful that it has now attracted international recognition.”
I am thrilled that our efforts have attracted this prestigious prize. I am particularly pleased that the award ceremony coincided with the University鈥檚 decision to make modules in Sustainable Chemistry compulsory in our Chemistry degree course beginning in 2026. Our vision has finally come true!
Story credits
More information is available from Jane Icke, Media Relations Manager for the Faculty of Science at the 糖心原创 jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.