The hot topics in chemistry after six years of Critical Point
In his final column, Mark Peplow gives his verdict on careers, collaboration and public engagement
This is the last of my Critical Point columns for Chemistry World. You’ll still see my byline in the magazine from time to time, in one-off opinion pieces or reportage, but for now I’m saying au revoir.
So it seems like a good time to reflect on the past six years of sounding off about the chemical sciences. In almost 70 columns I’ve covered topics ranging from vulnerable global helium supplies to the dark side of chlorinated solvents. And there are several themes I’ve returned to again and again, because I believe they are fundamental to the vitality of chemistry.
The first is about how chemists present their subject to the wider world, and how that shapes public attitudes to chemistry. The second concerns chemistry as a career, or as the foundation for a panoply of other jobs. And the third is about science as a collaboration, one that can unite people across disciplinary and national boundaries.
There have been significant developments in all of these areas during my stint at the Critical Point coalface. But have they been changes for the better – and what are the prospects for the future?