Around Campus – Page 2 – Royal College of Science Association

22 October, 20251 November, 2025 Around Campus, Events, News, Projects & Campaigns

President’s Autumn Message

The RCSA needs your help again!

Dear fellow RCS alumni,

[UPDATE: Dates of career panels confirmed: Physical Sciences on 20th of January, Life Sciences on 27th of January.]

I trust you all enjoyed a wonderful summer.

As we transition into another academic year at Imperial College, it’s time for the Royal College of Science Association gear up support for and engagement with the current crop of RCS students.

You will know already from our very busy Royal College of Science Association website how active the RCSA has been in recent years and it is crucial we sustain this momentum!

This time, instead of seeking donations or following up on memberships, we’re asking for a bit of your time and direct participation! We are calling for volunteers to help with two specific projects we are planning for the new academic year.

Careers evenings. Our very successful Biochemistry/Life Sciences careers panel evening back in January this year (see Careers Evening with the Royal College of Science Association) was enjoyed by both the alumni and students, proving invaluable for students navigating their career paths!

RCSA Prize 2025

It was to be a wonderfully dutiful RCS Mathematician who topped the nominations for the prestigious 2025 ‘RCSA Prize‘, and we couldn’t be more pleased.

At a brief ceremony outside the Faculty Building on Commemoration Day, Professor Richard Craster, Dean of RCS (or Dean of FoNS if you want to be terribly modern), Mike Munroe, President of the RCSA, and Oscar Farrell, Secretary of the RCSA, shared the officiating duties and presented Ariff Jazlan Johan from Mathematics with his framed certificate and with a cheque for £300.

The occasion is captured in the photograph above and you can see our prize winner, Ariff Jazlan Johan, sandwiched between Mike Munroe, President of the RCSA, and Professor Richard Craster, Dean of the RCS.

Our members will recall that the RCSA Prize was instigated in 1997 and is awarded annually at Commemoration Day to a student “who has excelled academically and made a great all-round contribution to the College“ and Ariff certainly fits the requirements.… Read more...

11 July, 202511 July, 2025 Around Campus, Events, News, Outreach

Science Challenge Awards Ceremony 2025

On Thursday, 25th June, the RCSU held the Awards Ceremony for its annual Science Challenge. The RCSA was there to support.

The RCSU Science Challenge is an annual competition, designed to give young scientists the opportunity to develop the skills to talk about science in a way that is engaging and fun to people who don’t necessarily have a science background.

Originally founded and funded by the RCSA, the Science Challenge asks entrants to produce a short piece of science communication in answer to a question set by one of the five guest judges, and serves as a cornerstone of outreach and engagement with both current and prospective students of Imperial College.

This year’s theme was A Space Odyssey and, given her lifelong interest in all things “space”, we asked our Deputy President, Stephanie Ward, to represent the RCSA as our judge for this year’s competition.

Scheduled to coincide with Imperial’s open day for prospective students, the Awards Ceremony was the culmination of months of work by the RCS Union organising team, the judges/ reviewers and, of course, close to 200 high school and Imperial students who entered the competition.… Read more...

31 May, 202516 June, 2025 Around Campus, Events, News, Sport

Sparkes Cup 2025

Sunday 15th June, 15:00 at Harlington!

Imperial’s inter-college rugby competition continues. Once again the RCS, C&G and RSM rugby teams are preparing to go head-to-head in the Sparkes Cup’s 2025 match!

Interleaved between those matches, the RCS, C&G and RSM NETBALL teams will compete head-to-head (for only the second time) for the new Semmence Cup.

The location is once more our traditional sporting home of Harlington (Sipson Lane, Harlington, Hayes UB3 5EH).

As in previous years, the RCSA, the CGCA and the RSMA are sponsoring this events making barbeque food and drink available……..all free of charge.

The date of 15th June 2025 is now only a few days away. Kick-off at 15:00. Keep the afternoon free and we look forward to seeing you at Harlington to cheer on the RCS to retain the Sparkes Cup and, to win for the first time, the Semmence Cup.

(If you like the support we offer to our students why not help us do more?… Read more...

8 May, 202511 May, 2025 Annual Dinner, Around Campus, Events, Member Benefits, News

Summer Dinner: A Letter from our President

Dear Fellow RCS Alumnus,

I am delighted to be able to share with you details for the upcoming RCSU/RCSA Joint Summer Dinner to be held at the delightful Rembrandt Hotel on Knightsbridge just a few minutes’ walk from college on Friday 6^th June starting at 6:30pm. It promises to be another wonderful evening with a sumptuous 3 course meal followed by a few speeches and awards and rounded off with a DJ set to help you dance the night away whilst mingling with fellow RCS alumni and current students. The dress code is formal which means lounge suits are fine but if you want to show off your dinner jacket or ball gown you are very welcome to!

Tickets for alumni are priced at £85 a head covering the three-course meal, wine and entertainment and a small subsidy to help reduce the ticket price for students. Tickets can be bought from noon this Friday (9th May) via this link to the ICU online shop.… Read more...

1 March, 2025 Around Campus, Events, News

BioChemSoc/RCSA careers’ evening delivers!!

With support and encouragement from both RCSU and the Faculty, the RCSA and the RCS BioChemSoc, held a very successful careers’ panel evening on Tuesday 11th February in the Sir Alexander Fleming Building on the South Kensington campus.

The event was jointly organised by BioChemSoc and RCSA presidents, Matthew Romero and Mike Munroe. Working together, they assembled a large group of undergraduate Biochemistry and Life Science students to hear the career stories of an exciting panel of eight RCS alumni (again mostly Biochemists or Life Scientists). The alumni panel, pictured above, consisted of Jamie Alldridge, Menelik Chen-Lee, Thomas Davis, Alex Ramirez, Noel Si-Tou, Dominique Kleyn, Jennie Munroe and Robert Pinchen and covered a wide range of age/experience cohorts as well as a fascinating array of careers including: patent law, consultancy, project management, start-ups, big tech, teaching and product safety.

Following a brief (five minute) overview of their academic backgrounds and careers, the panel went on to answer a series of pre-set questions from the students.… Read more...

18 February, 202522 June, 2025 Around Campus, Events, Jezebel, Member Benefits, News

Celebration of Mascotry

The Royal College of Science Association are working with the Royal College of Science Motor Club to put on a Mascotry Dinner, an occasion dedicated to celebrating the mascots of Imperial College, to be held on 22nd March, 2025 at the Imperial College Union Dining Hall.

This year marks FOUR significant milestones: the 70th anniversary of the Royal College of Science Motor Club and of the Royal School of Mines Motor Club, and the 50th anniversary of the current iterations of Theta and Davy.

We invite you to join us in commemorating these landmarks and honouring the rich traditions of Mascotry.

With Jez, Clem, Bo, Derrick, Theta, Davy, Spanner, Bolt, and Mike the Micrometer in attendance, this is an event not to be missed.

The evening will commence with a reception at the RCS and RSM Motor Club garages, where guests will be treated to a curated exhibition showcasing the history of Mascotry at Imperial.… Read more...

5 February, 20255 February, 2025 Around Campus, Events, News, RCSA Trust

Goodbye again to MC Black… the one year anniversary

It was January 26th 2024, a year ago, that much missed MC Black passed away. We, in the RCS Association, now have our “MC Black – President’s Tankard” to remember him by. The College opted to remember MC by planting a commemorative tree in his name.

So, at 2:30pm on the 29th of January, a year and a few days after MC’s death, representatives of Imperial College, of the Imperial and RCS students Unions, of the RCS Association, the RCSA Trust, Imperial Boat Club, the Exploration Board, the Imperial Lodge and many other parts of College that MC touched throughout his long association, gathered in the ‘Secret Garden’ behind Northside.

Anne Barrett, Archivist & Corporate Record Manager, read a few words from Professor Bob Schroter, who had known MC during his student days, and Anne then went on give her own tribute to MC. Both of those pieces are reproduced here…..

RCSU Science Challenge 2025

Always of interest to our members is the RCSU Science Challenge, and for those of us with school-age children, it can be of even more interest. So we a delighted to give you advance notification that the theme of this year’s competition is “a space odyssey”.

NOTE UPDATED INFORMATION: The RCS Union will open the competition on Wednesday 12th February 2025 with a submission deadline of Monday 31st March 2025 at 17.00. If any of your kids decide to get involved this coming year, we wish them the best of luck.

And a date for the diary: the Awards Ceremony for the 2025 RCSU Science Challenge will be held on the evening of Saturday 21^st June 2025, most probably on the Imperial College South Kensington campus, but some other ‘more exciting’ locations are also being considered.

And a date for the diary: the Awards Ceremony for the 2025 RCSU Science Challenge will be held on the evening of Thursday 26^th June 2025 from 6pm-8:30pm in an exciting new location, Asia House, 63 New Cavendish St, London W1G 7LP, where the award announcements will be followed by a reception where canapés and refreshments will be served.… Read more...

31 October, 2024 Around Campus, Events, News, RCSA Trust

An Act of Remembrance – Monday 11th November 2024 at Imperial College

A two minute silence to remember those killed in the First and Second World Wars, and in contemporary conflicts. This short act of remembrance and personal reflection will be held, dedicated to members of the College killed during the two world wars.

The event will begin with a short introduction at 10.55 including information from the College Archives. At 11am there will be a two minute silence.

A British Legion wreath will be laid in honour of those mentioned by name on the College memorials. Flowers will also be laid to remember those killed in more recent conflicts.

The event has been prepared by Andrew Willson, the College Chaplain and Anne Barrett the College Archivist & Corporate Records Manager.

The event is open to all members of the College, friends and alumni. No registration is required.

11 November 2024
10:50 -11:10 College Main Entrance
Please gather at 10.50 by the big screen in the College Main Entrance

(This year we seek contributions for the re-installation of the RCSA War Memorial.… Read more...