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Information About Nicola:

Personal Description:

As a scientist I have had extensive experience of teaching in an academic and lab environment, alongside interactive science at festivals and museums. I have always enjoyed teaching and I am passionate about igniting curiosity about science in those whom I teach. I have worked on a professional and voluntary basis with children from primary school age all the way up to Masters degree level.

Science can be a daunting subject and I appreciate the need to build confidence by tailoring explanations to different levels of understanding, and different types of personality.

My own scientific knowledge comes from understanding a topic rather than parrot-fashion memorising, I believe this is the best long-term learning method and therefore I will use this approach where possible with my students by building up from the basics.

I am very supportive of questions as working in the scientific field has taught me that there are no stupid questions and I think that learning is more efficient when a student enjoys what they are being taught. I also like to incorporate every day examples as I believe this can make science topics come alive and become relevant to an individual.

Teaching Experience:

GCSE Tuition:
- 2015: This year I worked with a mature student who needed to retake Biology GCSE to gain a C+ grade for university entry - after an intensive 2 months she gained an A-grade
- 2014: In 2014 I tutored two year 10 students in GCSE level chemistry, both of which had a notable increase in their grades. One student after only 1 month of tuition made the remarkable achievement of an increase in grades from 34% to 64%.

Work Experience Students:
- Work Experience Weeks (2005-current): I have supervised 16 A-level/undergraduate students for a work experience week. This involves tours of the labs, explanation of the science behind certain experiments and how drug development works (with written materials), as well as supervision of experiments.

Higher Education Teaching:
- Summer Students (2015): I have supervised two summer students on 8 week Wellcome Trust projects teaching them molecular biology techniques such as PCR/mutagenesis, running DNA gels, transforming E.coli (all to an independant level) and expressing and purifying protein.
- MSc Workshop (2011-2014): I created materials and helped run a workshop in Protein Modelling for the UCL MSc Drug Design course.

Science Communication and Demos:
- Volunteer Usher at Cheltenham Science Festival (2008-current): In groups I have helped supervised school classes doing experiments such as making a hot air balloon from tissue paper, drawing organs on a t-shirt (primary school), extracting DNA from a strawberry, making paper model DNA and using chemistry modelling equipment (secondary school)
- Cancer Research UK (2011): Made a video and helped the Science Communication team create an interactive game to help the public understand how drugs bind into proteins.
- Cardiff Science Week (2004-2007): Supervised students with various science exhibits such as fishing for insects from a pond (primary school) and making a cell from a balloon and popping it to look at the inside of the cell (secondary school).
- Science Writing (2008-current): Writing articles at Cheltenham Science Festival, for London Science Museum and the Royal Society (for non-scientists and Children) has greatly improved by ability to write materials for tutoring. I have a portfolio if you are interested in this work.

Tutoring Approach:

As well as the approach I discussed above I also provide and create my own teaching materials with visual and interactive aids. I prefer to familiarise myself with the school syllabus so I can tailor my tutoring to the pupil's needs.

For any older pupils I can also offer advice on careers as well as help with CVs/applications to university.

I can also on request do small fun "kitchen" experiments to inspire interest and excitement in science.

Qualifications:

• MSc with Distinction in Structural Molecular 4Biology
• BSc Hons in Biochemistry with Molecular Biology

Further Information:

Availability:	Weekends / Weekdays (evenings)
Types of Tutoring:	Travels to you / From their home / Online
References Supplied?	Yes
Current DBS/CRB Check?	Yes