Home Institution: Grove City College
Research Project: Research-based Instructional Strategies for Teaching Physics
UW Mentor(s): Lillian McDermott, Paula Heron, Peter Shaffer

Q: What are your physics/science interests?
Freshman year, I did a project on the age of the universe. My part of the project involved looking up a lot of information about the speed of light, and this led me to an article about time dilation. I was fascinated and decided there was no way I could exclude this topic from the final presentation. Since no one in the class really had any experience with relativity, the explanation didn't go quite as smoothly as I had hoped. Still, the time dilation remains my favorite topic to this day.

Q: What are your other interests?
I've been playing the violin since elementary school, and I love lots of different kinds of music. Currently, I'm trying to teach myself how to play the ukulele. I also enjoy knitting, reading, running, and going on adventures.

Q: What would you like to do after college?
After college, I would like to teach high school physics or math. I love learning about physics, but I like helping other people to learn it even more.

Q: Tell us one strange but interesting fact about yourself.
Once, my friend and I choreographed and performed a synchronized toothbrush dance routine. (It was for a talent show at camp. It's still weird, but a little less than you might think.)

Q: What first sparked your interest in Physics?
In middle school, I loved science! But when I started high school, all of a sudden it seemed like my science classes were more about memorizing information and less about thinking things through. I was so bored! Then, I took my first physics class and I loved it because it allowed me to use basic concepts and ideas to solve larger problems-and without all the memorization. Physics was one of the first subjects I could enjoy regardless of how much I liked how the class was taught. (Although my first physics teacher was excellent.)

Q: If you could have any pet what would it be?
If I could have any pet, I would definitely pick a mouse. Mice are super smart and you can train them to do lots of cool things, like running through obstacle courses, playing mouse basketball, decorating a mini Christmas tree, and so many more (there's lots of videos and I suggest you look them up because they're super cool). Plus, they're adorable! And furry and soft and cute. In conclusion, get a pet mouse.

Q: If you had a free month and unlimited funds, how would you spend your time?
I would probably buy a whole bunch of books and go live in a cabin in the mountains and just read for the whole month. Except I would also bring a friend along for the rare times when I got tired of reading and needed to see people.

Q: If you could get a grant to study anything what would it be?
I really love Physics Education Research. In particular, I'm interested in transference, or students' ability to apply concepts from earlier topics to a new situation. I want to know what makes some students able to apply the past skills they have learned, and some students completely ignore those ideas. And of course, after figuring that out, I would want to find a way to get more students to be able to use the skills they've already developed.