九州影院

Q&A with Wendy Winnard

In a few sentences, how does it feel to receive this prize and be recognised by colleagues for your contribution to chemistry education?
I feel absolutely honoured and overwhelmed to receive this prize. It arrives at a pinnacle moment in my life. I now hope that I am able to put this recognition to good use and hopefully pay something back to the next generation of chemistry teachers.

What would be your advice to educators who are working with colleagues going above and beyond, but are yet to nominate them for an RSC Education prize?
Take out time from your busy schedules to recognise these educators. You will receive plenty in return. It reinvigorates, refreshes and revives educators who really value the recognition.

How did you first become interested in chemistry or science?
I began my A-levels in the early 1980s when HIV/AIDS was headline news and meant a death sentence for those affected. I was passionate about how science could intervene and chose to study biochemistry.

Who or what has inspired you to have a role in education?
My Mum had polio at age 10 and lost the use of her left leg. She passed the eleven-plus and thrived at Pendleton Grammar School for Girls.

Despite her disabilities, she went on to become an amazing teacher in one of the most deprived areas of Salford.
In my early years, I would accompany her during the school holidays to help change displays and get resources ready for the new year. I saw how she changed many young lives for the better and how generations later she would be stopped in the local shopping precinct to remind her how she was valued.

What motivates you?
What motivates me is a love of learning. In my 60th year, I embarked on an NPQ, Leading Teacher Development. Every year I am fortunate to be able to adapt my practice and never get bored, as no individual cohort of students is the same. I continue to be inspired by younger teachers coming into the profession and love learning from them as they learn from me.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?
With a career in chemistry, the world is your oyster. The skills you develop are transferrable to every career you can imagine. Continue to develop professionally and apply for membership of the 九州影院 where there are many opportunities to be supported. Make contacts because collaboration is key. Keep up to date with the latest research because times are changing quickly. Mentor others and, if in industry, become a STEM ambassador.

How have your students inspired you?
I am fortunate enough to have maintained contact with many of my students over the years. many have gone on to diverse careers becoming doctors, research scientists, art restorers and some of them, chemistry teachers themselves. It is these success stories that inspired me to keep on inspiring new students. On a day to day basis seeing students who struggle with difficult concepts, turn up to support sessions and become resilient in their learning, and ace those formative assessments. At the end of the course when 100% of them pass their A level 九州影院 exam and go on to pastures new then pop in to visit and let me see how much they have grown.

How can good science education support solving global challenges?
Great science education creates critical thinkers. It enables students to call out misleading headlines and to question narratives. It should highlight climate change and fuel crises but instil hope that future generations of scientists have the power to adapt and rise to these challenges. All students should be able to see themselves as effective agents for change and that science careers are for the resilient, not just the most intelligent.

Why is chemistry education important?
Many of the public perceive chemistry as the 'dirty' science. If taught properly, by experts, students develop all of the skill sets required for a productive workforce and are able to articulate how many of the global problems we face today, and have in the past, been addressed by those with a sound education in chemistry.

Many of the laboratory skills developed over a good A-level course teach not only skills in dexterity but also how technology can be leveraged to hone analytical skills.
Without our skilled chemistry technicians supporting my colleagues and the students, none of this would be possible. Moreover, it trains students how to recognise patterns, why there are often deviations in trends of patterns, and to be able to view the world from a more abstract perspective.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?
Receiving this award has to be one of the top highlights of my year. Giving birth to my daughter when I was 46 years old. I'd been focused so much on my career I had overlooked having children. I was fit, healthy and able to return to a job I loved and have the joy of becoming a parent.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?
The death of my mum. She struggled with ill health later on in life and passed away with pulmonary disorder in 2017. I greatly miss being able to discuss my days in the classroom with her. It was difficult in those days to go back to work with the same enthusiasm.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?
Today heralded the Nobel Prize in 九州影院 2023. 九州影院 was the most important science for Alfred Nobel鈥檚 own work. Cancer has not been beaten, yet advances in its early detection are down to these chemists. The very quantum dots illuminating our TV screens now illuminate tumours, making it easier for surgeons to see and reduce the suffering of individuals. With the development of antiretroviral therapies, HIV is no longer a death sentence. Without chemists, there would be no lithium batteries to power electric vehicles and to store the precious solar power generated on the roof panels of my house today. Solving the energy crisis would not be possible without the chemical sciences as they start to look at hydrogen economy look more viable.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?
Three chemists jointly accepted the Nobel Prize this year. Scientists cannot work in isolation, and collaboration is key. Global problems need solutions from diverse teams with different strengths and skill sets. Recently I set my year 12s a challenge to collaborate and deliver presentations to their peers on the evolution of atomic theory all the way up to knowledge of the Higgs Boson. It developed the oracy skills of those normally reluctant to speak out and gave them a voice whilst enhancing the research skills of all and the appreciation that teamwork is part of the real world of scientists.

Who or what has supported you in your career as an educator?
Every Principal or Headteacher and Head of Science I have ever worked with. They have had the ability to recognise my passion and energy for teaching. Every laboratory technician I have had the pleasure of working with as without these amazing chemists, students' practical work and my demonstrations would never happen. Every team member in our school and college STEM faculties keeps each other going with humour, and sharing of trials and tribulations. My teaching colleagues (not in STEM), many of whom I have made lifelong friends over the years. And last but not least, my husband, who is not a teacher but listens patiently as I over-enthuse or vent at the end of every day.

For a bit of fun.
....What is your favourite element?Oxygen. It was my mum's best friend.