MAPS Faculty Education Awards 2018

Each year the Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences recognises excellence in teaching from staff through the Faculty Education Awards (formerly Teaching Awards).

We are delighted to be able to announce the winners of the 2018 MAPS Faculty Education Awards. The winners are as follows.

Teaching Staff Category: Katherine Holt (Chemistry)

Continuing Professional Development Category: Anna Roffey (Chemistry) joint winner with…
Continuing Professional Development Category: Daren Caruana (Chemistry)

Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Category: Emre Sener (Chemistry) joint winner with…
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Category: Pavlos Apostolidis (Physics and Astronomy)

In addition, a special Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Derek Tocher (Chemistry) in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to the field of crystallography and to his department as its Deputy Head.

Our congratulations and thanks to them for all of the hard work they have put in to deliver an exceptional learning experience for our students.

Derek Tocher (Winner of Lifetime Achievement Award):

"It is most heartening to have the work I have done at UCL over the last 34 years recognised by the Faculty. The most enjoyable aspect of my long career has undoubtedly been the fact that I have been able to combine my research interests in crystallography with a love of teaching our undergraduates and it was my privilege as Departmental Tutor for ten years to guide and support undergraduate students through to the completion of their degrees and take the first steps in their subsequent careers. In my time here I have worked closely with too many excellent colleagues to name but special mention needs to be made of Prof Sally Price who I have collaborated with for the last 20 years on a project trying to understand the organic solid state."

 

Katherine Holt (Winner of Teaching Staff Category): 

Katherine Holt is Reader in Physical Chemistry in the Chemistry Department at UCL and for the past 3 years has been Chair of the Departmental Teaching Committee. During that time she has overseen a complete redesign of the Year 3 labs, the recruitment of three Teaching Fellows, a stronger integration of Careers Programme into the department and the introduction of free access to core e-textbooks to students. 

“I’m really grateful for the nomination from my department and really delighted to have won this award. It’s a pleasure working with many enthusiastic and committed colleagues to improve the student experience in the Chemistry Department and I hope we continue to be successful in doing that.” 

 

 

Anna Roffey (Joint Winner of CPD Category):

“I am very interested in the post graduate student experience and it has been such a pleasure helping to design and execute the new postgrad taught Master’s in Applied Analytical Chemistry this year. We have a wonderful bunch of PGT students from a diverse range of backgrounds, and I have had the opportunity to learn what needs these students have, and how we can best meet these at UCL. This has involved being flexible, while still maintaining our academic standards, with the aim of imbuing our students with the professional skills they need to excel in the future." 

 

Daren Caruana (Joint Winner of CPD Category): 

“To create a learning environment that is both challenging and able to connect with students requires us to ditch many of our traditions and assumptions on student capability. If students from 1978 were transported to the present day, they will probably be baffled by Portico, but probably have little problems engaging with the learning environment, as in many respects it remains unchanged. We need to move with the times and deliver a more contemporary learning experience. We should be more creative and take more risks with a firm aim of pushing students in directions that will stretch their abilities; rather than hold their hands. Given the chance to start a new MSc with a new learning approach has been very rewarding, this award highlights the enormously capable colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with and the supportive environment of the Chemistry Department, for which I am grateful." 

 

Emre Sener (Joint Winner of PGTA Category): 

“I tried to provide a supportive safety net for students so that they could freely experiment without fear of failure. At the end, it was incredibly rewarding to see them take complete ownership of their projects."

 

 

 

 

 

Pavlos Apostolidis (Joint Winner of PGTA Category): 

“I am honoured to have received this award and I would like to thank both colleagues and students for their support and cooperation. Students are more engaged in a subject if their curiosity and interest are piqued, and that's what my colleagues and I have been aiming for. I hope I have inspired some students to pursue science further and dive into the world of knowledge driven by curiosity and imagination.”