Physics for Engineers and Scientists I (PY 205), North Carolina State University
This course is the first semester of a two-semester calculus-based sequence in introductory physics, covering mechanics, sound, and heat.
I taught this course during the Fall 2023 term.
Independent Undergraduate Research, North Carolina State University
Undergraduate physics majors (or prospective majors at North Carolina State University) are welcome to contact me about opportunities to conduct independent research in astronomy. I may not always have space available in my group, but I promise to respond to all inquiries.
The Solar System and the Search for a New Earth (Astro 101), University of Michigan
This course explores how data from NASA spacecraft and other telescopes are used to understand the formation of our Solar System, explain the features of our planets and their moons, and search for evidence of life elsewhere.
I co-taught this course during the Winter 2019 and Fall 2022 terms.
Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe (Astro 102), University of Michigan
This course explores the nature of stars and galaxies. This course invites you to consider our place in the Universe as we discover how the Universe has changed across cosmic time.
I co-taught this course during the Winter 2020 term.
Alien Skies: A Tour through the Universe (Astro 104), University of Michigan
The sky is our laboratory. Most of what humans know about the Universe has been learned by applying mathematical, physical, or chemical laws and principles to what we observe in the sky. We cannot travel to our laboratory, but we can imagine what the journey might be like based on what we observe there. This course invites you to consider the bizarre, spectacular, and otherworldly destinations that might await us and to reimagine our own place in the cosmos.
I taught this course during the Winter 2017 term.
Naked-Eye Astronomy (Astro 127), University of Michigan
Astronomy is one of the oldest activities known to civilization. When you look at the sky, you participate in a tradition that spans uncounted generations across continents and millennia. This course will help you develop the skills and experience to join that tradition, assign a physical understanding to your observations, and equip you with the language to communicate with stargazers around the globe.
I taught 10 sections of this course from 2014-2016.
Stars and the Atomic Age
This course invites you to explore how ancient stardust became the key ingredient in the nuclear arms race in the 20th century, and how this story might impact our expectations on the search for extraterrestrial life.
I developed this seminar course as part of the broader impacts for a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF AST 16-13536). All materials are present, and I have included a link here. Anyone is free to download and use these materials. I have not yet actually taught the course; I hope to do so in the next few years.
Independent Study in Astronomy (Astro 399), University of Michigan
Astro 399 is a research-based course for independent study. Students work one-on-one with me to reduce, analyze, interpret, and eventually publish real astronomical data collected using the Magellan Telescopes, the Hubble Space Telescope, or data found in public archives, such as that from the Gaia astrometry mission. Previous students have worked on deriving vanadium abundances in stars, using heavy-element abundances to constrain the masses of neutron stars that merged in the early Universe, searching for the first stars using GALEX data, and more.
New Horizons in Astronomy (2265X), Pasadena City College (Extension)
Have you ever worried about the black holes lurking in the centers of galaxies? Or marveled at the zoo of planets announced on the news? Or wondered why astronomers choose such imaginative names like “dark matter” and “dark energy” to describe 96% of the universe? This non-credit evening course at Pasadena City College may be for you!
I taught this course in Summer 2012.