Mr John Jermy - one of our fantastic Science Technicians - received his Institute of Physics Award this week!

We were thrilled to report last month that Mr Jermy, who has worked at King's since the early 1980s, would be awarded the '2025 School and Further Education Technician' prize at the institute's glitzy ceremony at The Kia Oval in London on November 5th.

Mr Jermy attended with our Head of Science and Physics at King's Ely Senior, Mr Ned Kittoe, who nominated him for the award.

Mr Jermy said: "Together with a large group of physicists from business, research, and academia, we were entertained by an insight into the projects being developed by the institute, an interview with England fast-bowler Devon Malcolm, and a light show, all while being served an à la carte dinner. Presentation of the awards followed. 

"From apprentices and technicians like myself, teachers, cutting edge researchers, and diverse high-tech businesses, to eminent physicists receiving gold and silver medals. It was awe-inspiring to be in the company of such distinguished scientists in this field. Huge thanks to the Institute of Physics, of course, for their support of Physics business, research, and education, and recognition of dedicated physicists of all levels, and to Mr Kittoe for nominating me for the award.

"I feel honoured to have my contribution to both Science at King’s Ely and the School Science Technician community recognised in this way."

In his nomination, Mr Kittoe said: "John is an excellent technician. He is innovative in his problem solving, enthusiastic with all things Physics, and is respected and trusted by his peers. 

"John's work is wide ranging, and usually harnesses his creativity and resourcefulness. For example, recently during a space-themed Science Week fair, he sourced and constructed a working radio telescope of sorts from an old BSkyB dish, meter, and loudspeaker. He pointed it at the sun and it screamed. Another time, he was asked to put together an experimental setup to plot stress versus strain curves in real time with sample materials using pressure and displacement sensors plugged into a datalogger. John sourced all parts, constructed a simple amplifier and then mounted it all on a vice, connected through a potentiometer into an old datalogger. Upon winding the vice closed, a graph of displacement versus force was plotted in real time on a laptop screen, even showing the (compressive) creep when the winding stopped. 

"John is known nationally as 'Wobbly John' and he spends a considerable amount of time advising and seeking advice from networks of Science Technicians over Facebook. He provides detail on traditional pieces of Physics equipment, such as Lee’s discs and Searle's bars. He was instrumental in organising and running the first two meetings of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference East Anglian Group Science Technicians Meetings, which were attended by over seventy delegates from a range of schools. He has also presented and demonstrated his electromagnetism circus and diffraction of laser beam setups at the Association for Science Education in York and Birmingham. 

"John has worked diligently, patiently, imaginatively, and enthusiastically at the practical aspects of Physics education for decades and has changed the lives of tens of thousands of students. He is one of the very last of the old school technicians where no job is too much to ask, and he will have found a solution before you have even fully considered the problem."

Congratulations again from everyone here at King's, Mr Jermy!