Statement of Teaching Interests-Example 3
Statement of Teaching Interests-Example 3
Statement of Teaching Interests-Example 3
One
of
the
practical
ways
in
which
I
implement
(a.)
and
(c.)
is
to
ask
students
to
present
their
weekly
homework
assignments
to
their
peers
in
the
form
of
an
oral,
blackboard-style
presentation:
I
believe
that
orally
explaining
science
to
others
is
a
skill
that
can
and
should
be
learnt
by
anyone
interested
in
successfully
pursuing
scientific
research.
Students
particularly
appreciated
my
emphasis
on
(b.)
in
both
my
Quantum
Field
Theory
and
Classical
Mechanics
courses,
where
often
the
intricacy
of
the
theoretical
setup
fogs
up
the
physical
meaning
and
the
implications
of
the
matter
under
discussion.
An
important
aspect
of
my
teaching
philosophy
is
the
notion
that
at
UCSC
the
faculty
are
doing
cutting-edge
research.
We
are
not
telling
a
story
that
others
are
writing.
We
are
co-authors
(sometimes
first
authors!)
of
that
story.
And
although
we
are
not
re-discovering
matrices,
complex
numbers
and
classical
mechanics,
we
know
first-hand
why
all
those
things
are
important
crucial!
to
tackle
questions
in
contemporary
research.
Fourier
transforms
are
what
we
use
to
calculate
how
much
dark
energy
and
dark
matter
contribute
to
the
energy
budget
of
the
Universe;
the
Lagrangian
function
we
write
down
for
a
simple
harmonic
oscillator
is
the
same
we
use
to
quantize
particles
in
quantum
field
theory,
and
to
understand
how
electrons
and
protons
(and
particles
yet
to
be
discovered,
like
the
one
making
up
the
dark
matter)
behave
at
the
most
fundamental
level.
The
first
thing
I
do
in
class
at
the
beginning
of
the
quarter
is
to
present
in
quite
some
detail
my
research
and
the
work
of
my
close
collaborators,
especially
my
graduate
students;
I
then
always
ask
my
TAs
to
talk
about
their
own
research.
Every
week
I
introduce
the
topics
of
the
weekly
Physics
and
Astronomy/Astrophysics
colloquia.
It
is
my
strong
believe
that
much
of
the
value
added
of
getting
an
education
at
UCSC
comes
from
having
such
a
formidable
research
environment.
My
constant
efforts
to
bring
research
in
the
classroom
have
many
benefits,
including
for
my
own
scholarly
activities.
For
example,
I
recruited
many
excellent
undergraduate
and
graduate
students
out
of
my
classes,
all
genuinely
curious
about
my
work
and
eager
to
start
doing
research
with
me.
It
is
perhaps
the
best
possible
compliment
when
students
ask
me
to
join
my
group
and
to
get
involved
in
the
very
research
I
tell
them
about
in
class.
My
experience
as
a
teacher
at
UCSC
is
unfolding
as
a
truly
fascinating
journey.
One
that
started
with
some
trepidation
and
which
has
now
turned
into
one
of
the
main
reasons
why
I
am
so
excited
and
professionally
fulfilled
by
being
a
faculty
member
at
UCSC.