Profile
Tina Gornall
My CV
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Education:
Palmer Junior School, Wokingham.
St Crispin’s School, Wokingham.
The University of Sheffield – to study Physics and Astronomy!
The University of Central Lancashire – to research into Forensic Science and recycling plastic!
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Qualifications:
1994: St. Crispin’s School, Wokingham. 10 GCSE subjects.
1996: St. Crispin’s School, Wokingham. A-Level Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry.
2000: University of Sheffield. MPhys (Hons) Physics & Astronomy. This was a 4-year degree and was really interesting. Studying Physics meant that I had lots of options when I left university.
2003: University of Central Lancashire. MSc (by Research). I did a one-year research project looking into different types of white paint!….this may sound boring but it was actually really interesting, as I used lots of different pieces of kit to see if I could tell the paint flakes apart, even though they all looked the same. This could be useful when solving crimes as you could compare two paint samples (one from the crime scene, one from a suspect’s clothing) to see if they were a match.
2011: The University of Central Lancashire. PhD. This big project looked into recycling plastic, to see if the waste polymers could be heated up and broken down into fuel that could be used in cars. I really enjoyed doing my PhD, even though it took a few years. It taught me how to think independently, solve problems and manage my time.
2016: The University of Central Lancashire. PGCert Learning & Teaching in Higher Education. This course made me think about the students I teach at university, what their learning styles may be and how I can help them to best achieve their potential.
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Work History:
Since graduating from university in 2000, I have worked in many different jobs:
- DSTL (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory) – Research Scientist – working on a new radar jamming system which I helped to test around the UK and in the Nevada desert in America.
- Lancashire Constabulary – Forensic Footwear Technician – looking at all the footwear marks that had been recovered from crime scenes to see if I could identify which boot/shoe had made the mark, help to link crimes together and also compare suspects’ footwear to the scene marks to see if they were a match.
- GBB(UK) Ltd. – Consultant Forensic Collision Investigator – looking at evidence relating to road traffic collisions, such as photographs of the scene and damage to the vehicles, repair documents, witness statements etc.
- Lancaster University – Research Assistant – I ran trials with volunteers to study social psychology
- University of Central Lancashire – Lecturer in Forensic Science – teaching about different types of evidence, supervising final-year projects in forensic science.
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Current Job:
Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science.
At UCLan, I teach on a number of different modules and have also been Course Leader of the Foundation Applied Science programme for five years. In a couple of months’ time, I am going to be the Course Leader for the Forensic Science degree programmes. I really enjoy my job as every day is different – I get to meet students, teach a variety of subjects and can also get involved in lots of things that are happening at university.
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About Me:
I’m friendly, bubbly and very chatty! I have worked as a Forensic Scientist and now teach at a university in Lancashire. I enjoy meeting new people and finding out about their interests.
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I live in Lancashire in a lovely town in the countryside, with my husband and two children. I like going for walks and getting lots of fresh air ☀️. My favourite food is curry 🌶️ but as a family we love our pizza nights! 🍕 I like rock music and can’t wait to see live bands again 🎸. I have been lucky enough to have visited some fabulous places around the world and hope to book a trip to Japan next year 🌸.
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I am a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire where I teach Physics and Forensic Science. There are some fantastic facilities for the students, such as the crime scene houses and garages where students can fingerprint vehicles and recover evidence as if they were real Crime Scene Investigators!
I have an interest in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA) as it relates to Physics and Maths a lot and is an interesting area of Forensic Science.
Before I worked at UCLan, I used to identify the footwear marks left at crime scenes for Lancashire Constabulary….this was a very interesting job!
I also worked for a different company as an Accident Investigator, looking into the evidence relating to road traffic collisions. I was also employed by an agency of the Ministry of Defence working on radar jamming and I was lucky enough to work as part of a team doing trials in the Nevada desert in America!
I also have a PhD in Environmental Chemistry, where I looked into how waste plastic could be recycled and turned into something useful, such as high-grade fuel for car engines. I will soon be involved in a project with a waste recycling company that will try to up-scale the results from my PhD to try to make the most out of the plastic that we throw away.
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My Typical Day:
I get up early and drive to work in my orange car called Poppy! I teach a number of lessons and try to make them as fun as possible. There is lots of talking and laughing and I often get the students to make things out of pieces of cardboard and string! The day usually goes really quickly and I love that every day is different.
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On a normal day working at UCLan, I would get up early (6am!), have breakfast and a cup of tea and then drive to work in my orange car called Poppy! I would usually have a number of lessons to teach – some lectures, tutorials and practical workshops. This could include asking students to work in teams to build rollercoasters or wind turbines to demonstrate principles relating to energy and power, or helping in the crime scene houses and garages where students would be learning about the recovery of forensic evidence.
I like the variety of seeing different groups of students and moving around the campus to teach in different rooms and labs. Between lessons, I have a lovely office which is full of books and has lots of pictures of my children stuck on the walls. I am a Course Leader so I have to do quite a lot of paperwork and make sure that the students are OK and not struggling with any subjects. This means that I may also have individual meetings with any students that need extra help or would like advice on anything relating to the course.
I also make sure that I go for a coffee break with my work friends at some point in the day to catch up on any news…mine is always a large latte! ☕ I really like that every day is different and that I’m not just stuck behind a computer in one place. Because of this, the day usually goes very quickly and it is soon time to pack my bag and head home 😊
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Build a portable ‘Escape Room’ style activity that I could take to primary schools, where pupils would solve puzzles and unlock boxes for the next clues, to try to solve the crime.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
smiley forensic scientist
What did you want to be after you left school?
A Doctor
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I sometimes got told off for talking too much!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Pearl Jam ('90's grunge rock!)
What's your favourite food?
Curry - anything spicy, yum!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish I could see my sister more often (she lives in New Zealand). I wish I was more confident and I also wish I could play the guitar so that I could look cool!
Tell us a joke.
What did zero say to eight.....'nice belt'!
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