The Kroto Research Institute, where I am based, is named in honour of the Nobel Laureate Sir Harry Kroto, who together with several collaborators discovered the molecule C60, buckminster fullerene (or the ‘buckyball’). This was a key milestone in the development of nanotechnology, the applied science of nanoscale materials.

As one of the researchers participating in the GEO (Global Educational Outreach) programme, which Kroto champions, I was invited to meet him at a lunch reception which took place as part of his annual visit to the institute in June. Other activities included a question and answer forum, a poster session, a workshop for early career researchers, and an outreach session involving 60 local schoolchildren, at which I helped out.