Tula Maxted

Contact

Tula Maxted
Lab Technician
UCL Department of Geography
University College London
Room B24 Pearson Building
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT

Tel: 020 7679 0502

Email: t.maxted@ucl.ac.uk

About

Tula has been a technician in the Geography Department since 1997, supporting teaching and research work in the labs or on fieldwork. She has a background in Earth Science, and an ongoing obsession with bugs, critters, plants and rocks. Apart from technical provision in the Geography Lab suite, Tula also carries out lab analyses related to student work and for research projects. She also provides one to one tuition for students in lab methods, and instruction in the use of analytical instruments.

Outside the department, Tula additionally accompanies student field trips. These may be short visits to fairly local sites, or longer trips further afield, for example the annual Masters Conservation Field Class in Tenerife (see below for related item 'Tenerife Field Trip Gallery'). She has also undertaken various professionally related short courses within the department and outside, in order to update and widen her technical skill base.

She has carried out voluntary work in South America, (2004 and 2007), monitoring species to provide data on biodiversity and conservation issues in the Peruvian Amazon. The fieldwork was a part of two current long term US and British projects. The two projects are located in South Eastern Peru, studying the Great Macaws; and in Northern Peru, studying biodiversity along the Samiria river system. This has been an opportunity to widen field experience and learn first hand about the complex interactions within the Amazon Rainforest ecosystem.

Closer to home, Tula has been involved for several years, in conjunction with other bodies such as Groundwork UK, in LA21 environmental work within the Local Community Forum Network. Project involvement has been both in preparation and development, and on a practical 'field based' level. Most of this community work has been linked to the regeneration and conservation of an area of 'at risk' Grazing Marsh habitat. The aim has been not only to protect and enhance these remaining areas of biological importance, but additionally to raise the profile of marshland biodiversity and to increase public awareness regarding the value of this ecosystem under threat.