Teaching Philosophy
My (shortened) teaching philosophy is:
I believe this passion, curiosity, and capacity for understanding exists in all people and that these qualities help people to succeed in all areas of life. My philosophy toward teaching revolves around getting my students to engage directly with concepts through demonstrations and exercises and to structure my course (both inside and out of the classroom) to reinforce student learning while providing a flexible system of support.
For a more detailed look, please read my full Teaching Statement.
Teaching Experience
Introductory Physics Lecture & Lab:
Gustavus Adolphus College - Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Thermodynamics & Statistical Physics Lecture:
Gustavus Adolphus College - Fall 2023
Introductory Astronomy Lecture:
University of Minnesota - Summer 2018
College of Charleston - Fall 2021, Spring 2022
Introductory Astronomy Lab:
University of Minnesota - Fall 2013 - Spring 2015
College of Charleston - Fall 2020, Spring 2021
Guest Lecturing:
Hamline University - Spring 2018:
Algebra-based Physics II
Intro Astronomy
Astrophysics for Physicists
Student Mentorship
Mentored on undergraduate projects:
Christopher Lesoine - College of Charleston
Tri Nguyen - College of Charleston
Jay Ball - College of Charleston
Chika Onubogu - University of Minnesota / Florida State University
Nardin Azar - University of Minnesota
Lab Development
As head TA at the University of Minnesota and later during my postdoc at the College of Charleston, I spearheaded the redesign of existing lab activities as well as designing altogether new labs to explore various concepts in astronomy with hands on activities. This involved building and ordering new equipment, testing lab activities, and writing the lab manual.
Labs I have (re)written:
Meteor impacts
Atomic Spectroscopy
Lunar phases
History of Matter
Optics & Telescopes