Teaching
Interests
My teaching interests lie in the areas of astronomy,
astrophysics, and physics. While I have most enjoyed teaching students at the
intermediate undergraduate level I have had many enjoyable teaching
experiences. These include astronomy labs at the University of Maryland that
involved observational work, classroom teaching and assigning grades. I
participated in the "Open House" nights hosted by the Astronomy
Department at the observatory for the general public. In addition, I
participated in a program where elementary school classes would visit the
observatory to learn about astronomy.
Most recently during my postdoc at the University of Alabama I
participated in the REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program. I
mentored a student each summer that I was there. This involved introducing and
explaining the research problem, working with them to develop a research plan,
supervising their work and helping them with the final oral presentation.
I also have experience teaching physics
labs both for majors and non-majors and the University of Florida and as an
undergraduate of the University of Alabama. In each of the classes that I have
taught I have tried to incorporate some of the latest results from the field to
enhance the course. I believe that teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels is an
important component of fostering their interest in the sciences and
communicating the excitement of research.