Teaching

I teach undergraduate physics at Bard College, spanning the core curriculum, electives in modern theoretical physics, and sometimes non-majors courses (e.g., exploring paradoxes in science and science fiction).

My emphasis is on learning to think like a physicist: to strip a problem down to its essential structure and build a coherent argument from first principles, using both physical intuition and mathematical reasoning. Physics is learned by doing, and my courses emphasize active problem solving - not just applying techniques, but understanding when and why they work. Over time, students develop the ability to move fluently between intuition and calculation, and to recognize the simple ideas underlying complex phenomena.

Courses

Upcoming

  • SCI 110: Strange Loops — Paradox in Science and Literature — Fall 2026
    An interdisciplinary exploration of paradox pairing Borges, Pynchon, and Barth with relativity, entropy, information theory, and quantum mechanics.

Past

  • Phys 142: Intro to Physics II (Electromagnetism) — Spring 2026
    Calculus-based introductory electromagnetism covering electric and magnetic fields, circuits, and Maxwell’s equations.
  • Phys 141: Intro to Physics I (Mechanics) — Fall 2025
    Calculus-based introductory mechanics covering kinematics, Newton’s laws, energy, and conservation principles.