About
I'm Henry Scheffer, and I'm the sole proprietor and tutor at Hyperion Tutoring. I have been tutoring in biology and chemistry since I was a junior in high school. I graduated from Reed College in 2021 with a BA in Biology where I conducted original research on how organisms respond to mutation and developing methods for the recycling of plastic as well as operating a nuclear reactor. The majority of my career has been split between doing individualized and group tutoring and lab research.
My Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy focuses on a two way relationship formed with the student. I believe that every student can learn pretty much any subject, and that the main predictors of their success are the teaching styles being employed, the motivation of the student and teacher, and of course the resources available to the student. Depending upon what the student and I have decided to focus on for the session, I usually employ an adapted Socratic method which will allow the student to figure out answers independently and build critical thinking skills. My biggest priorities when tutoring are a student's comprehension of the material, their success in a class (if applicable), and that they develop a way of thinking that will allow them to move further and deeper into a subject if they desire.
Experience
My areas of expertise range from natural history and evolutionary biology, polymer chemistry, and nuclear science. In biology specifically, I've worked in microbiology, ecology, cellular biology, biochemistry, and developmental biology. Students at the middle, high school, and college levels are frequently switching scientific subjects either by the month or semester, and my broad knowledge base allows me to stay with a student and continue to build a relationship as they grow and progress.
Below you'll find my résumé if you're interested in my past work history:
Resume_Tutoring.pdfAdditionally, here are my current publications in biology if you would like to see a sample of my writing work (click the doi link to go to the full publication):
Henry Scheffer, Jeremy E. Coate, Eddie K. H. Ho, and Sarah Schaack. “Thermal Stress and Mutation Accumulation Increase Heat Shock Protein Expression in Daphnia.” Evolutionary Ecology, September 6, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-022-10209-1.
Roberts, Cameron, Sabrina Edwards, Morgan Vague, Rosa León-Zayas, Henry Scheffer, Gayle Chan, Natasja A. Swartz, and Jay L. Mellies. “Environmental Consortium Containing Pseudomonas and Bacillus Species Synergistically Degrades Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic.” MSphere 5, no. 6 (December 23, 2020): e01151-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.01151-20.