‘You don’t need to choose between the arts and science’

By Nina Notman2021-04-29T07:23:00

A photo of Katherine Curran working as a conservator at a museum

Source: © Joyce H. Townsend, Tate and artwork image copyright Tate

Meet Katherine Curran, a chemist applying her polymer know-how to the conservation of plastic museum objects

Meet Katherine Curran, a chemist applying her polymer knowledge to the conservation of plastic museum objects. In this Q&A, Katherine describes how her interests in history, literature, science and collaboration coalesce into her career. She is currently a lecturer at UCL’s Institute for Sustainable Heritage, specialising in measuring the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plastic objects.

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.