Former MGGS Student & now Sheffield Scientist strikes Silver for Chemistry display in Parliament

“MGGS gave me the confidence and skills I needed for life, and the memories I made will stay with me forever.”

Former MGGS student Felicity Noakes recently got in touch with us, now aged 24, and a PhD student at The University of Sheffield. She struck Silver at a competition in the House of Commons, for the excellence of her Chemistry research, walking away with a £1,250 prize and a medal.

Felicity presented her Chemistry research to dozens of politicians and a panel of expert judges as part of the poster competition STEM for BRITAIN in March. Her research, on a new drug for ovarian cancer treatment, was judged against 29 other shortlisted researchers’ work and came out as one of the three winners.

Felicity told the Royal Society of Chemistry, “It feels absolutely incredible to win. I was not expecting it at all.”

“I applied in order to get my research out there. It was really nice to meet my local MP – he took a real interest in my work. I think it’s important to speak to MPs about my research because they are the ones that have a voice – they’ve got the power to make a difference.”

STEM for BRITAIN aims to help politicians understand more about the UK’s thriving science and engineering base and rewards some of the strongest scientific and engineering research being undertaken in the UK.

Felicity looked back at her time at MGGS: “My time at MGGS were some of the best years of my life. Starting secondary school can be one of the most daunting days as a student, but MGGS was nothing but welcoming and before I knew it I had a great circle of friends. The school is unique in so many ways and I really felt part of a community and part of something meaningful. Events like RAG week and House Arts are one of kind and I still remember them clearly to this day.”

“Academically, it became clear very early on that I loved science, but wasn’t quite sure at first where I wanted to go with it. The support I got from teachers was unprecedented and I am particularly grateful to Dr Relf for the time he took to teach me Chemistry in his lunch break. If it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be where I am today. Following my GCSE results, I became Chemistry Prefect in the Sixth form and a Senior Student Thinking Skills Advocate where I worked with Mr Harris, who was an outstanding biology teacher. MGGS also provided me with the opportunity to study for an Open University Module in understanding drug design where I quickly realised that cancer research was the career path I wanted to follow. I went on to apply to study for a degree in Chemistry gaining a place at the University of Sheffield.”

Years at MGGS: 2006-2013 – School House: Danes – Subjects Studied at A Level: Chemistry, Biology, Spanish and Textiles (AS).

Felicity graduated with a First class Masters degree in Chemistry in 2017 and is now in the second year of her PhD. Her research is multidisciplinary and is based on Chemistry and Biomedical science, where she has the opportunity to work on novel anticancer drugs and test their biological activity first hand.

Thank you for getting in touch Felicity and good luck with your PhD! If you have similar stories please do get in touch via central@mggs.org