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Outreach |
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Inspiring the next generation of scientists is crucial for continuing our scientific/technological advances and ensuring a scientifically literate public. In addition to the activities described below, I've been involved in science nights at local elementary schools (and totally served liquid nitrogen ice cream to 4th-graders), have visited schools to talk about careers in physics/astronomy, wrote some of the glossaries on Astrobites, and occasionally answer questions on Quora.
I was part of a three-person team that designed a two-day inquiry-based activity for incoming transfer students in STEM as part of the Workshops for Engineering and Science Transfers (WEST). Our activity consisted of two parts; the first was based on characterizing and quantifying properties of wind & solar energy (eg. power-conversion efficiciency, land usage, cost per kWh). In the second part, students applied their findings to propose renewable energy solutions for different states based on their energy usage and availablity of solar/wind resources.
I helped organize professional developement programs for several of the undergraduate research internship programs (EUREKA, UC LEADS, CEEM, and Beckman Scholars) through the Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships (CSEP) at UCSB in the summer of 2013. This culminated in a symposium that students gave at the end of the summer which they built up over several months with the help of myself and the other organizers.
I designed a 5-week weekend course on special/general relativity (Juggling Space and Time: Einstein's Relativity) for local high school students through the School for Scientific Thought - also part of CSEP. I also participated in training for instructors in subsequent years. I also made a somewhat embarassing YouTube intro video...
- UCSB - Effective reforms in undergraduate physics education (2012) [[pdf]]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/Reforms.pdf)
- Santa Barbara Amateur Astronomy Club - Stellar death, and other things that go boom in the night (2011) [[pdf]]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/SBAU Talk.pdf) [[ppts]]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/SBAU Talk.ppsx) [[key]]({{ site.baseurl }}/assets/SBAU Talk.key)
- Phil Macias (undergrad, UCSB)