Tell me a little about your science background and what drew you to physics as a career.
"It may sound cliche, but I became interested in physics and astronomy from watching Star Trek as a child. When I eventually took my first physics class in my junior year of high school, all the blocks sliding down inclined planes didn’t initially live up to the Star Trek hype. But as the class progressed, I was drawn in and wanted to learn more. That interest led me to a college major in astrophysics and later a Ph.D. from Columbia Physics, where I studied the orbital dynamics of binary black hole systems."
What is it about physics that you find fun and exciting?
"Even today, learning new things about how the world works leaves me in awe. There is always more to learn. I have taught some of the same material many times over the years, but each time I gain small new insights and understand things a little more deeply. With physics, there's always some new nugget to learn or appreciate, even with the centuries-old "basic" material. And I love that about the subject."
What was your last position and what did you do there?
"For the past decade-plus, I have owned and operated a private math and physics tutoring company in New York that works with students from high school through advanced undergraduate. In that time, I have also taught undergraduate physics on and off at Barnard College, Copper Union, and here at Columbia."
What are you looking forward to in this new role at Columbia?
"I want to try to make physics more tractable and less daunting for undergraduates. Introductory physics is a rite of passage for lots of majors, from physics to engineering to pre-med. Most don't exactly look forward to their physics courses, and it will be a welcome challenge to try to make the subject inspiring or even fun for a broader array of students."
What do you want our community to know about you to get to know you better?
"I love teaching. That moment when I see something click in a student is what drives me. I’m constantly trying to figure out how to be a better messenger of physics, and how to deliver information in new and inviting ways so that we can attract and retain as many people as possible in this field."
