Teaching
I will be teaching 2022-2023: ASTR 117 High Energy Astrophysics (in construction).
Past teaching experience can be found in my CV.
Mentoring
Previously mentored: Chen Ding (now PhD student at Brown University).
Currently mentoring: Vanessa Mendoza (LAMAT), Caitlyn Nojiri (UC Leads) on interdisciplinary research projects.
Vanessa Mendoza studies the interactions between circularly polarized light and biopolymers by performing laboratory experiments. Our goal is to understand the magnitude of chiral-selective effects and investigate possible routes for the origin of biological homochirality.
Caitlyn Nojiri studies the impact of nearby supernovae on the levels of cosmic radiation. Our goal is to model the diffusion of cosmic rays in the local bubble and seek signatures of elevated radiation doses in the past to understand if they could have impacted the biological makeup of living species.
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Why interdisciplinary research?
Before the world “scientist" appeared, we were called “natural philosophers” and science was less an academic field as it was a way of thinking about the world. In this day and age research is much more specialized, and our education is dedicated to develop the ability to answer specific questions rather than learning how to question our understanding of the world. Students are typically tested on their ability to remember the answers to questions that have already been answered; but they aren't tested on their ability to think in a different way. I think it is important to provide students with a first exposure to research that is interdisciplinary to broaden their horizon and allow them to come up with questions of their own.
Vanessa Mendoza
Caitlyn Nojiri
"You teach best what you most need to learn."
Richard Bach