Great Scot - The Scotch Family Magazine - Issue 151 September 2017 GreatScot_Internal_Sept_2017_FA | Page 26

Features
Fascinating insights into
light emitting polymers
Scotch’s annual Science Oration testifies to the spirit of
science and innovation which blazes ardently within our school
culture. It is an edifying celebration of past scientific exploits,
and an inspiration for our future.
Such an opportunity for boys to contemplate the ideas of
internationally renowned scientists has consistently proven
fruitful and engaging since the inaugural oration in 2013,
and was once again true of this year’s oration. Delivered by
Professor Andrew Holmes – an acclaimed scientist specialising
in the field of light emitting polymers – we were afforded a
succinct yet compelling insight into his and his associates’
many years of assiduous research.
As the President of the Australian Academy of Science, and
an Old Boy of the Class of 1961, Professor Holmes has had a
long and distinguished career. He earned a PhD in Chemistry
at University College, London, and later became a Professor
of Organic and Polymer Chemistry at Cambridge University.
He has served as Chairman of the editorial board of Chemical
Communications, Principal Editor of the Journal of Materials
Research, a member of the board of editors of Organic
Syntheses Incorporated, and he is currently an Associate
Editor of Organic Letters. Professor Holmes has also been
duly recognised for his work, having received the honours of
the Royal Society Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship, a
Tilden Award and Lecturer, Royal Society of Chemistry, and
Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Encompassing some of his more recent research,
Professor Holmes’ oration pivoted on innovation in printed
plastic solar cells; an invention with the potential to preserve
our environment, while saving households thousands of
dollars. Professor Holmes’ thoughtful yet engaging approach
to the subject enabled the whole audience to understand the
realm of science to which he has devoted much of his life.
Preceding Professor Holmes’ oration, we were fortunate
enough to hear from three talented student speakers. Year 10
boys Stone Ke and Irfan Hrelja presented their intriguing work
on the chemical hallmarks of Type 2 Diabetes, while Andrew
Kroger (Year 11) made the most of his opportunity to present
his impressive and economically affordable wheelchair, which
can transfer eye movements to corresponding rotation and
movement.
These speeches gave an indication of the innovation of
which students are capable when combined with their passion
and intellect, and were a thoroughly enjoyable part of the night.
Even for those less erudite than Professor Holmes on the
subjects of polymers and organic chemistry – as most certainly
was the case for many in the audience – it wasn’t difficult to
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appreciate his depth of knowledge, his insatiable pursuit of
innovation, and his uncompromising rigour of research.
Of course it is one matter to be prodigiously intelligent
and hard-working – and both terms are appropriate epithets
for Professor Holmes – it is quite another matter to be able to
carry your audience with charisma, and to kindle within them a
similar degree of passion and excitement.
It is also another matter to explain simply the confusing,
the foreign, the astounding and the esoteric; to drift around the
stage, playing with balloons and light-emitting polymers with a
youthful exuberance, sustained by a love of knowledge, and a
desire for progress. All these things he did with practised ease.
In this year’s Science Oration we learned about
photoluminescence, chemiluminescence, and
electroluminescence. We learned about the technology of
polymer displays, about photovoltaic capacities, and efficient
solar cells. We learned about O-LEDs from a much more
eloquent source than David Warner’s cringeworthy Samsung
advertisement, and about how the fabric of our cash (our
polymer banknotes) can make the most of light’s flash (by
polymer photovoltaic cell storage) – all of which provided a
glimpse into the potential future of our solar energy capabilities.
All this was interspersed with humour, authenticity of character,
and a series of absorbing anecdotes.
If we had held in our minds any preconceptions of the
‘reclusive scientist’ before Professor Holmes’ oration, such
preconceptions were rendered invalid by the end of it.
We thank Professor Holmes for his generous time, and for
his enduring impression on minds young and old. We must
also thank Dr Bhargava, to whom much credit goes for his
meticulous organisation of such a significant event.
MICHEL NEHME - YEAR 12, AND
NICHOLAS KLUCKOW - YEAR 9
Great Scot Number 151 – September 2017