Hike up the mountain.

Snowboard back down :)

One of the EISCAT radars.

I studied at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and UNIS in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (home of the EISCAT radars, and a great many polar bears).  I graduated with an MPhys (Hons) Masters Degree in Physics with Planetary & Space Physics (2:1) in 2004.

I now live in Devon with my lovely wife and teach physics at the wonderful Totnes Progressive School.  In addition to my teaching, I work one day per week for the Institute of Physics' Stimulating Physics Network as a physics coach, training and supporting physics teachers.  I am also a Lead Educator for the National Space Academy, delivering inspirational space-themed masterclasses to students and high quality CPD training for teachers.

I taught physics for 10 years in state sector secondary comprehensive schools and prior to this I worked with Aberystwyth's Infinity Exhibition science shows, teaching from a StarLab mobile planetarium in schools, working in secondary school science clubs, teaching a short course IT programme in an FE college, and teaching the Pre-Master's IT course for EAL students at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth for the Life Long Learning department.

I am very interested in electronics, optics, computer programming, and engineering and crafts.  I started to explore programming in the late 1980s, and I have experience in a variety of programming languages (including C and C++, Basic, Visual Basic, ForTran, and Pascal), HTML web development, scripting languages, and SQL.  I enjoy making demonstration equipment and experimental apparatus, developing electronic resources for teaching and learning, and electronics work involving audio components and/or computer interfacing.  My current focuses are developing web-based resources with embedded simulations and videos, producing computer models of physical phenomena, designing discovery based learning activities, and producing support materials to scaffold learning activities.

In my free time I like mountain biking, snowboarding, comedy, music, art, theatre, languages, reading, eating, dancing, laughing, and lots of other things.