Pembroke College Hosts Teaching Awards

Last year, students and fellows were asked to nominate tutors for an award to recognise their commitment and dedication to teaching. After having to postpone the ceremony due to the pandemic, it was recently held in College and the tutors receiving awards were celebrated by the Master, Academic Director, students and Fellows. The nine recipients were: Omar Tsang, Aurelio Carlucci, Lucy Auton, Dr Jack Amiry, Dr Roy Norton, Dr Ben Page, Jennifer Redmond, Allie Hexley, and Laurence Wroe.

At the event, Nancy Braithwaite, the Academic Director, said a few words about each award winner:

Omar Tsang:

After completing an MChem at Pembroke and graduating first in his year, Omar has been teaching at the College while pursuing his Masters at Imperial College, London. Students commented that the teaching quality of Omar is very good and that his tutorials allow all questions to be discussed.

Aurelio Carlucci:

Aurelio has been teaching pure Maths at Pembroke for two years. Nancy noted that he is an exceptional colleague: devoting time to support outreach efforts, providing exceptional tutorial reports, supporting students during their Rokos Internship Projects and a great presence in College. Students found Aurelio to communicate ideas well and go beyond what is just on the problem sheet. They also shared that they loved his ‘sales pitches’ for later pure Maths Courses.

Lucy Auton:

Lucy has been teaching Pure Maths at Pembroke for two years. Nancy shared that she is another tutor who goes out of her way to provide excellent feedback and to support students. She is also a visible role model for Pembroke women in maths. She gives students knowledge beyond their tutorial problem sheets, asking them questions and keeping them engaged during tutorials.

Dr Jack Amiry:

Nancy shared that this is not the first teaching Award for Dr Amiry, who has recently received another teaching award from the Medical Sciences division for his work as an Early Career Excellent Teacher. Nominated by his colleagues, Dr Amiry’s work has included introducing new clinical skills tutorials for Graduate Entry Medicine students and playing a major role in making Pembroke a great college for medical students.

Dr Roy Norton

Nancy reported that Dr Norton has ably led the increasingly popular Spanish tuition in Pembroke and is a Senior Research Fellow ‘capital’ in College. He is unfailingly conscientious and caring for the college’s Spanish students. Students described his teaching as “brilliant” and “engaging”

Dr Ben Page

Nancy shared that this is Dr Page’s second year as a Philosophy Tutor at Pembroke. He brings a huge energy to the subject, starting a philosophy blog and being actively engaged in all aspects of student and college life. Students enjoyed being asked questions at tutorials that forced them to think more critically about the material and Dr Page’s essay feedback was much appreciated.

Allie Hexley

Nancy shared that Allie is a distinguished member of our community who is now also distinguishing herself in teaching. Most students found Allie’s tutorials to be extremely useful and helpful and understanding the lecture material. One student reported that they are more confident for exams now as Allie explains concepts really well.

Laurence Wroe

Nancy remarked that Lawrence is another returning Pembrokian - one of our first cohort of Physics students now returning as a tutor. Laurence is committed to access and outreach as well as delivering great teaching. Student highlighted his ability to quickly reduce questions to their key concepts, keeping tutorials to a short length while going into appropriate depth. His clear explanations, concise tutorials and enthusiasm for the topic were noted several times.

Jennifer Redmond

In their nominations, students felt that the quality of Jennifer's tutorial teaching was very good, well-structured, organised and balanced, and that her tutorials were extended when needed to allow questions to be explained. Students also commented that her drop-in sessions were very valuable.