Dr Emma Owens

Winner: 2021 Early Career Prize for Excellence in Secondary and Further Education

Horizon Community College

For demonstrating outstanding skills and knowledge in curriculum design, practical chemistry and contextualisation.

Celebrate Dr Emma Owens

#RSCPrizes

Emma ensures that teaching is adapted to respond to the needs of students and shows clear subject knowledge and passion for the discipline. Emma was appointed to a Teaching and Learning role within the science department after 19 months of teaching, due to her outstanding work ethic, high standards and outward thinking approach to teaching science. Through her additional Teaching & Learning Responsibility for curriculum design, she has been involved in the development of the science curriculum ensuring that all learning builds upon prior knowledge and that this is retrieved throughout her lessons, while ensuring that there is no repetition of what is taught in primary school. Emma’s development of the curriculum and resources ensures that all students are receiving a consistent approach to the delivery of the curriculum.

Emma has been an invaluable member of the science extracurricular team, enabling students to catch up on lost practical learning. Her after school sessions have drawn unprecedented numbers who have attended and shown a genuine joy in practical work. Practical sessions have included dissection of heart and lungs, making a rainbow using acids, alkalis and indicator, extracting DNA from peas, testing food for key nutrient groups and making/firing water rockets.

Dr Emma Owens is a chemistry teacher at Horizon Community College in Barnsley. She started her chemistry career with a Master’s degree from the University of Sheffield, completing a project in computational chemistry studying the formation of molecules in the interstellar medium under the supervision of Dr Anthony J. H. M. Meijer. Through this she developed a love of research but missed working in a laboratory, so changed research field and studied for a PhD under the supervision of Dr Sebastian Spain, looking into the synthesis of polymeric oxidative responsive drug delivery systems.

Throughout her PhD, Emma was a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the undergraduate teaching labs and supervised numerous MChem and polymer MSci students through their research projects. She also had the opportunity to teach at Nanjing Tech university for a short period as part of their joint degree program. Emma received recognition for her contribution to teaching at the University, becoming a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Science teaching gradually overcame her passion for research, and she made the decision to train to become a secondary school teacher via Teach First on completion of her PhD. Since starting the Teach First training programme, she has taught at Horizon Community College in Barnsley, recently receiving an additional Teaching & Learning Responsibility for curriculum design.

My motivation is seeing students who have previously struggled to grasp scientific concepts succeed in lessons and become interested in the topics we are learning about.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry or science?

As a young child I was always interested in the world around me, always wanting to know why things happen. My parents encouraged this and I can remember receiving gifts such as a microscope and science sets for Christmas and birthdays, as well as a copious number of books on scientific themes such as space and medicine.

Who or what inspired you to have a role in education?

During my PhD, I had the amazing opportunity to work under the teaching team at the University of Sheffield. Through conversations about teaching and learning, curriculum development and the opportunity to take part in outreach projects I developed a love for education. In particular, I give big thanks to Dr Julie Hyde for supporting me and giving me opportunities to progress during my teaching role at the university.

What motivates you?

My motivation is seeing students who have previously struggled to grasp scientific concepts succeed in lessons and become interested in the topics we are learning about.

Why is chemistry education important?

Science provides students with knowledge about, and a secure understanding of, life and the world around them. During their education they discover how science has, and continues to, shape the world in which we live. Science education includes skills where they learn to predict, analyse, explain and evaluate, enabling them to take responsibility for the world of tomorrow.

What has been a challenge for you?

The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that as teachers we have had to adapt quickly to the changing climate, ensuring that students can still succeed, whether through online learning or learning a practical subject without the practical aspect. During this time it has enabled me to develop skills in other areas, such as remote learning.

What is your favourite element?

My favourite element is carbon. Carbon is a marvellous element which is the building block of life, existing in all living organisms in some form. It can bond with many other elements, forming a variety of different structures. Not to mention the structures formed of pure carbon including graphite, diamond, nanotubes and nanosheets, where all have different properties with the latter being on the forefront of research for applications ranging from medicinal to electrical!