Institute of Physics Prize

Director of STEM Ms Russo has been awarded the 2020 Daphne Jackson Medal for her exceptional contribution to Physics education.

Each year, the Institute of Physics recognises the work of exceptional Physicists in the early stages of their careers. Teacher of Physics Ms Russo has been awarded the 2020 Daphne Jackson Medal & Prize for her championing of girls’ further study of Physics through the creation of events for girls and their parents, and for her advocacy of girls’ STEM education with educators internationally.  In 2018, she was shortlisted as one of the world’s best teachers in the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize.  As well as teaching at the Senior School, she enthuses our Junior School pupils in Years 5 and 6 with plenty of hands-on learning opportunities and runs a number of popular co-curricular Science clubs.

Ms Russo follows in the footsteps of STEM enthusiast and South Hampstead alumna, Dr Jess Wade; the diversity champion and Imperial College London research fellow – who left South Hampstead in 2007 – was awarded the same prize in 2018, for acting as an internationally-recognised STEM ambassador, through sustained and stimulating community engagement and outreach. Dr Wade congratulated Ms Russo on Twitter: “You know what’s awesome? When the Physics community recognises that Physics teachers are (by far) our most precious commodity. Thank you to Ms Russo for her tireless work championing girls in Physics.” 

Find out more about why Ms Russo was awarded this year’s prize here. The award is named after Daphne Jackson, who was appointed as Britain’s first female professor of Physics in 1971 by Surrey University at the age of 34; she later rose to be the dean. She was president of the Women’s Engineering Society and vice-president of the Institute of Physics, after being its youngest ever fellow.