Grace Jacobs Corban

The challenges and complexities of postgraduate studies in Maths along with tutoring experience set Grace up for an exciting role as a science educator.

I enjoyed and was good at Maths and Physics at high school. I liked the challenge that came with these subjects, and I felt that they would continue to be challenging (in a fun way) throughout university. I like thinking through problems logically and using that logical reasoning to make sense of phenomena in the world. I also have had an interest in space for a very long time, so these subjects felt like a good pathway to something space related. Maths and Physics are a bit different to their high school counterparts. University-level Maths is more focused around abstract ideas and proofs, and less on calculations. A big part of Physics is being able to conduct an experiment and present your findings, as well as understanding the theory.

I enjoyed studying Maths and Physics at university and went on to complete an Honours degree in Mathematics. I liked discovering new and interesting aspects of both subjects. I liked being able to work together with my classmates, whether as part of a lab group, or just trying to help each other understand the content of a lecture.

Maths and Physics complement each other. A lot of ideas in physics can be hard to understand without knowing the underlying maths. Similarly, there are concepts in maths that can feel very abstract without knowing the physics application. Before starting university, I didn't have much of an idea about what research was like. Not having that context can make it hard to complete assignments where the goal is to emulate a research paper.

No matter what you study, there are many useful skills you gain, ranging from being able to work to a deadline, managing your workload, taking constructive feedback, to conveying your ideas in a clear manner. These are skills that are useful in any job. As well as this, a thorough understanding of Maths and Physics is a good asset to have for a science education role. Throughout my time at university, I worked as a lab demonstrator in the Physics department and then as a tutor for first-year Calculus courses. This teaching experience helped me understand the specific skills you need to teach. Doing these jobs also made me realise that I quite like teaching, and that helping others understand the subject is a great way to extend your own understanding of it.

Currently I am working at Space Place as an Educator. This means that I work with school groups that visit as part of their LEOTC (learning experiences outside the classroom). This involves communicating with teachers prior to their visit, finding a day and time for them to come, and working with their specific learning goals to plan out a suitable programme for them. On the day, I run an interactive workshop with the class as well as doing a planetarium presentation. We have students from Years 1 to 13, and so I teach a huge range of subjects from understanding day and night, to the astrophysics around the life of a star.

COVID-19 made it really hard to do our work, as up until then the core part of the job was focused on students visiting Space Place. We had to rethink how we could engage schools and students in space-science remotely.

In my opinion, if you are looking for an easy path through university then Maths or Physics may not necessarily be the right choice for you. You have to be prepared to put in some effort. However, the payoff is that you will gain a deeper understanding of the underlying structures and processes that govern the world. My advice for current students would be to not be afraid to ask for help. Lecturers, tutors, postgraduate students, and classmates are all happy to help you.