2024 IOP Technician Award: Nick Mitchener

Nick Mitchener is an outstanding technician and is widely known and respected in the physics teaching community. Mitchener has been a technician for over 12 years, starting from when he retired from senior management in the engineering industry. He continuously shares ideas and helps other technicians and teachers. He monitors forums like PTNC and the PrepRoom.org, and is always quick to respond to a request for help on these forums. He has had articles published including by the Association for Science Education, and a paper in the Physics Education journal. He shares ideas widely through social media, including Twitter (X) and the Preproom.org, and is a regular contributor on multiple forums for technicians.

Mitchener will always have a good idea for an experimental setup. He has also gained a sound knowledge of physics ideas used in all the key stages of education. With this knowledge, he often adds an interesting angle to how an experiment or demonstration can be used to convey a teaching objective. Mitchener possesses the skill of being able to help both teachers and technicians in a constructive way. He offers clear explanations and is happy to engage in further questions on anything asked.

Mitchener has been an invaluable asset in helping teachers and technicians understand old equipment found in cupboards across the land. He also has a private collection of interesting equipment that he uses to great effect with his own students and happily shares with others. Mitchener has presented in sessions at Institute of Physics regional days and attends as many of them as he can to meet others and share ideas. He gives a lot of his time outside of the school day to the physics community.

Mitchener is also an invaluable asset to his own school’s physics department, designing and building new equipment, as well as maintaining and improving existing equipment. He is the type of technician that will engage with students in the classroom, and he will help students understand the equipment and often demonstrate his own equipment to the enjoyment and benefit of the students. Historical knowledge is important to see the development of physics and Mitchener shares his knowledge of this far and wide.