Double prize for Ewan Forsyth at ViCEPHEC 2026

Congratulations to Dr Ewan Forsyth, Departmental Lecturer in Practical Chemistry, who recently received two prizes for his chemical education work at the ViCEPHEC 2026 conference,
hosted by the University of Nottingham.

Ewan attended the conference as a recipient of a Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Group Bursary and presented
an interactive poster showcasing recent developments in the Chemistry Teaching Laboratory at Oxford.

The work focused on a new card-based activity developed for a first-year undergraduate practical chemistry course. Students used the activity to design and justify a reaction work-up, helping them to develop their understanding of reaction work-ups and
liquid–liquid extractions while encouraging chemical reasoning and discussion. Conference delegates were able to try the activity for themselves as part of Ewan’s interactive poster presentation.

Ewan was awarded both the ViCEPHEC2026 Delegate Poster Prize and the Royal Society of Chemistry Higher Education Group Poster Prize for his presentation.

Following the success of this and other teaching developments within Oxford’s Chemistry Teaching Laboratory, Ewan will shortly be taking up a new position as Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Bath, where he will continue his work in
chemistry education and practical teaching.