Office: Engineering D107
Phone: (970) 491-8723
Education
- B.S. in Physics, University of Dayton (1997)
- M.S. in Electro-Optics, University of Dayton (2001) and M.Ed. in Classroom Teaching, Wright State University (2004)
- Ph.D. in Physics, University of Colorado (2006)
About
My focus is in undergraduate student success. I develop tools for, collect data on, and analyze statistics of undergraduate student success -- both at the department level and as part of the assessment team at TILT (The Institute for Learning and Teaching). At the department level, I develop advising and recruitment materials, and I advise undergraduate students on their transition to the major. I additionally work on ways of incorporating peer instruction and active learning to improve education in undergraduate courses (currently focusing on the recitation). My background is in optics & materials science -- as a research engineer for the Air Force Research Lab Sensors Directorate and in my graduate work -- but I became tired of being in the dark. During my time at three land-grant universities (Tennessee, Kansas State, and now here at CSU) I found new use and meaning for my interdisciplinary background by focusing on one of the core missions of a land-grant -- helping undergraduate students succeed in finding their own light.
Disclaimer: My work in student success statistics does not support graduate student research for the Physics M.S. or Ph.D.