Ms. Nicole L. Martel

Welcome to the World of Chemistry with Ms. Martel!

 

Thank you for visiting!  I hope that you find this site useful!

 

A little background on me:

I grew up in Stamford, CT and attended Stamford High School, where I had a phenomenal chemistry teacher and mentor, Mr. Michael Krein.   I then left Connecticut for North Carolina, where I attended Duke University and studied engineering.  I earned both my B.S.E. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science from Duke.  I worked for several years at Research Triangle Institute and was self-employed as an independent consultant in the field of technology transfer for clients including NASA, The University of Illinois, Rohm & Haas, Avery Dennison, and Textron.  Then, I decided that I wanted to pursue teaching. 

 

I come from a family filled with teachers... my parents, grandparents, various aunts, uncles, and cousins... everyone!  I guess you could say it is in my blood!  I taught while obtaining my teaching certification and continuing my engineering consulting work on the side.  Then, I was afforded an opportunity to work as a Technology Manager at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford.  So, I took a year off from teaching and worked in industry. Working in industry as an engineer was a tremendous learning experience for me, and one that I hope to share with any students who are considering pursuing science or engineering careers.  If you have even the slightest inkling of interest in pursuing studies in engineering in college, please ask me about it - I would love to talk to you about it! 

 

With my engineering background, I was drawn to participate in the SEPT (Science and Engineering Program for Teachers) Program at MIT.  After completing SEPT, I became a NEST (Network of Educators in Science and Technology) member, which means that I maintain a close connection with MIT, a relationship that I find to be quite valuable and useful to students.  My experience working in industry and spending a little time at MIT each summer has fueled my enthusiasm to mentor future scientists and engineers. 

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I have 11 years of teaching experience in Connecticut (Stamford, Darien, and Fairfield), and my students consistently performed among the best on the AP Chemistry Exam.  Several years back, I came upon an opportunity to combine two of my loves - teaching and my passion for dogs, and I currently own and operate a business as a dog behavioral therapist and trainer.  It is a dream come true!  However, given the current situation with COVID-19 and in following the CDC and local government recommendations on "social distancing", I am temporarily limited to supporting my dog clients via remote means (video conferencing, phone, and email).  Being that schools are now closed indefinitely, I believe that I can also be of service to students and parents who are now faced with needing to continue their chemistry studies at home.  And the idea for Online Face-to-Face tutoring was born!

 

A few fun facts:

Obviously, I am a dog lover and enjoy taking my three dogs on walks, runs, and hikes.  When I am not doing things dog-related, I also dance both competitively and socially in several different styles.  I play the flute and piano.  I enjoy applying my chemistry knowledge in the kitchen cooking.  I grow lilies (stargazers are my favorite)  and hydrangeas (watch that soil pH!) and am an avid photographer and green belt in Tang Soo Do karate.