Tutors

This ORBYTS program gives PhD students and junior post-docs the rather unique opportunity to be primary supervisors for research students, to lead a research team, direct a complete research project and develop their project management skills. In this way, you will be trained for your future roles as leaders and supervisors.

We welcome undergraduate students as support tutors for existing or upcoming ORBYTS programs.

Other members of the STEM community are also welcome as ORBYTS tutors, e.g. STEM professionals, amateur astronomers, interested teachers etc.

For more information or if you are interested in joining the ORBYTS team, please contact orbyts@twinkle-spacemission.co.uk

Benefits for Tutors

Tutors gain leadership, supervision and mentoring experience, in a direct manner not usually available to researchers until much later in their careers
Tutors gain teaching and outreach experience, building innovative methods to communicate research to specialist and non-specialist audiences, including teenagers
Tutors develop increased confidence and increased research independence by performing research with no oversight from supervisors or senior academics, whilst directing junior partners
Tutors gain increased time and project management skills, including collaboration, through leading and organising their own project
Tutors have the opportunity to be an inspirational role model for the next generation of scientists, address diversity challenges in physics and help to put a human face to science
Remuneration depending on location and time commitment.
Become an author on a peer-reviewed paper

What we expect from you

Lead a collaboration of approximately four sixth-form pupils
Teach pupils the necessary scientific knowledge and technical skills, as well as ‘soft skills’ such as presentation and communication, required to undertake the research project
Organise and run interactive sessions where student interests are followed
Be professional, punctual, enthusiastic and knowledgeable
Fulfil criteria for DBS certification.

What support you can expect

Research and mentoring support from a more senior scientist (note that post-doctoral researchers may choose to deliver a project independently as part of their career development)
ORBYTS administration team to organise funding and events, including your travel expenses
ORBYTS teacher to recruit students and organise classrooms and times for you to meet your pupil team
Support from fellow ORBYTS tutors, including those with previous experience in the program

What's Involved

ORBYTS tutors should select and/or develop a project (see the Project page) with support from an academic mentor (e.g. their research supervisor, a senior post-doc or member of the Twinkle Space Mission).

Typical Job Description for ORBYTS tutor (PhD level)

Meet with students, as required by the program (usually two hours fortnightly for term-time projects).
Supervise a group of students to complete original research project associated with the Twinkle Space Mission. The project should aim to produce publishable research.
Assist students with literature review, data collection or collation, data analysis and presentation of final report.

The ORBYTS tutors meet on a regular basis to exchange ideas and support each other in the development of their skills in supervising, project design, management, working with high school students and writing the final research paper. Further, there will be collaborations in preparing some papers in the science education literature on the pedagogy of the program. School teachers involved in the project are welcome to contribute to these articles if they desire.

Detailed Job Description for Tutors in Diatomic Constant Project

Meet with students, as required by the program (usually two hours fortnightly for term-time projects, and one week over summer)
Assist students in performing original scientific research in collating recent experimental and theoretical data on molecular constants. This will incorporate literature review skills, maintaining an up-to-date bibtex file, analysing papers etc.
Assist in database creation from research results as part of these sessions
Assist students in preparing written reports and oral presentation about the topic
Assist in the preparation of a scientific paper on the research by the students, and in the preparation of a science education pedagogy paper about the overall ORBYTS program. You will be a co-author on these papers.

Experiences of Current Tutors

Katy Chubb: Life as an ORBYTS tutor

Katy Chubb (3rd from right) at the presentation of the Norman White Awards to ORBYTS students by Helen Sharman. Credit: Twinkle Space Mission/B. Coates

We had an event recently where our groups of students were given the chance to present their work to a room of people, including the first Briton in space, Helen Sharman. I was quite overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and effort that they put into preparing and practising. A huge highlight of a project like this is the realisation that these students aren’t here because they have to, but because they choose to be. The start of a project can be a bit overwhelming for everyone, and as a tutor it can be difficult knowing where to start, but it gets easier and there are loads of small rewards along the way. Watching their progress over the weeks, and how they begin to become familiar with physics terms and concepts that are beyond their current curriculum is one. Another thing that I really enjoy about the project is when it gets to the stage when they begin helping each other; it takes the pressure off you as a tutor but also shows that they are learning. We have a couple of months break now for their AS-level exams before a few more weeks of meetings. I should feel relieved that I have more time to focus on my PhD work but I have a feeling I’m going to miss the ORBYTS sessions!

Katy Chubb is a Team Lead for the EduTwinkle ORBYTS programme. She has been a PhD student with the ExoMol group at UCL since September 2014. Read full biography

Jack Baker: Highlights as an ORBYTS Tutor

Jack Baker with Helen Sharman at the ORBYTS Meet an Astronaut event. Credit: Twinkle Space Mission/B. Coates

What I enjoy most about being an ORBYTS tutor is being able to bring important but often neglected aspects of physics and chemistry to the class room. Furthermore, students in the ORBYTS programme are often of the age where they are making important decisions in their lives with regards to University Admissions. I think that ORBYTS gives vital insider information on what it really like is to be a physics/chemistry undergraduate through the content and vision of the project – a chance most do not get at this crucial time.

A definite highlight for me was to see my group and groups from other schools present their work to an audience including astronaut Helen Sharman. It showcased how hard students had worked but also their new-found, genuine, interests in their Diatomic Molecule of choice. It was also a great chance to see the different approaches the other tutors had towards the project. I was then able to reflect upon my own methods and begin to implement good ideas from the other tutors.

Jack Baker is a PhD student at the London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL, undertaking ground-breaking research in the field of Computational Condensed Matter Physics. Read full biography

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