1. 26 October 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing in support of Elizabeth Pinder’s application. During my time as a Lecturer in Earth Sciences
at the University of St Andrews, I’ve had two years to get to know Liz, but almost immediately Liz made
a considerable impression on me through her hard work, motivation and enthusiasm.
At the time of my leaving to take up a post at Oxford, Liz was outshining many of her fellow students in
Earth Sciences at St Andrews. Aside from showing a high capacity for achievement, Liz also shows
significant breadth, excelling in many sub-disciplines. I know this firsthand from having taught her in a
variety of modules over the last few years, in particular the undergraduate field course in
Environmental Geochemistry which she received one of the highest overall marks.
More importantly, and one of the main reasons why I strongly recommend Liz for this position, is
because Liz is a lightning-fast learner - a quality that will ensure she will excel in any environment. With
the completion of my research group’s new aqueous geochemistry laboratory, I needed a reliable
undergraduate student to oversee aspects of the lab’s operation and perform research-related work
that involved advanced concepts and topics that the students hadn’t been introduced to yet. After
careful consideration of all of the incoming 3rd and 4th year students, I chose Liz, who was then a
second year student. I was not disappointed. Liz only needs to be shown a protocol or method once
and immediately grasps the concept, working quickly and at a very high level. Liz also has a work ethic
unmatched by any of her peers - she was able to juggle responsibility and work as much as her
schedule would allow. Never once did Liz break appointment and so has cemented her place as one of
the most reliable students I’ve had the pleasure of working with. For Liz, this was a challenge given her
other commitments to extracurricular activities, but evidently this was a challenge easily met. Liz was a
key part of our laboratory group, helping us complete several projects, and I am lucky to have benefited
from her help over this period. She is poised to place herself as one of the top students the programme
has seen and certainly one of the brightest and hardworking students to have set foot in our laboratory.
If afforded an opportunity to work with you, there is no question in my mind that Liz will excel and
prove herself a valuable asset. The combination of her stellar academic performance, strong work ethic,
her ability to think quickly on her feet and grasp new concepts and ideas, as well as her maturity and
reliability, make her not only the ideal candidate for an internship, but a strong future asset. In my
experience students like liz are very rare indeed; they are shining stars with unmatched potential. If I
can be of additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Nicholas Tosca
Sackler-Clarendon Associate Professor of Sedimentary Geology
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Oxford
South Parks Road
Oxford, OX1 3AN
United Kingdom