 This famous 1869 graphic by Charles Joseph Minard, displaying losses suffered by Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign of 1812, represents my interest in using clear and well-designed communication tools in science education as well as in scientific research. |
| I believe science education, both of students and of the general public, is a key responsibility of any scientist; striking a balance between research and educational activities is one of my ongoing career goals. In my teaching, I favor depth of understanding over breadth of topic, and I continually search for new and more effective ways to improve the engagement and active learning of those I teach. |
| Teaching Philosophy | Sample Syllabus |
| I have been involved in physics and astronomy teaching in many different educational settings. I have been a teaching assistant for lecture courses in both introductory physics (at UC Berkeley) and introductory astronomy (at UW-Madison), as well as a laboratory instructor for undergraduate astronomy labs at UW-Madison. In 2000, I was named a Teaching Fellow of UW-Madison's College of Letters and Sciences; I received a $1000 award and the opportunity to conduct training sessions for new teaching assistants. |
| Group Project Assignment | Compiled Teaching Evaluations |
| Science education also occurs in a variety of venues outside the college lecture hall. I have designed and led astronomy workshops for middle-school students at the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference for five years and at the Explorathon for Girls in Science for two years. As a graduate student, I also helped develop an evening lecture course in astronomy for adults through the UW-Madison Astronomy Department's Space Place outreach facility and a summer astronomy laboratory course for high-school students through UW's College Access Program. In addition, I presented astronomy lectures and led star parties with the Universe in the Park project. |
| Mapping the Solar System (EYH 2005) | Solar Astronomy (EYH 2004) |
| Daytime Astronomy (EYH 2006) |
| Student mentoring is a vital part of my educational involvement. As the observing coordinator for UW-Madison's Pine Bluff Observatory, I trained and supervised 20 undergraduate student observers over five years. I also collaborated with several of these students on research projects involving PBO data. At UC Berkeley, I have been involved with the mentoring program of the Society for Women in the Physical Sciences for the past three years, serving as a resource and role model to undergraduate women majoring in astronomy. I have also designed and organized a yearly orientation for incoming physical science majors at UC Berkeley called Launch Day; it has been running since 2004! |
| In 2006, I have organized a teaching discussion group at UC Berkeley. Graduate students and postdocs with a range of teaching experience meet weekly to discuss issues such as designing courses for non-majors, strategies for keeping students engaged in large lectures, current developments in pedagogical research, and other topics of interest. |
More information about Minard and graphical displays at Edward Tufte's page on information design. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant AST-0302123. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. For more information, please send email to Jennifer Hoffman. November 2, 2006 |
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