JU Physics alum begins teaching at Georgia Southern University

Congratulations to JU Physics alum Ashley August, who recently graduated with her Master of Science in Teaching at the University of Florida and is beginning a new job teaching physics at Georgia Southern University!

Many in the JU community will remember August as a member of JU's volleyball team and an exciting presence in the classroom. Now, she is looking forward to sharing that excitement with over 170 students at GSU this fall.

August says that she first became interested in teaching when she was a student in second grade and her teacher directed the class in a common exercise: Students exchanging papers to grade. "I don't know what happened," August says, "I just got so excited. I love grading papers." She later found an interest in physics, and found the two passions combine in a call to teach physics.

We asked August what she learned in her MST program that she plans to put to use at GSU. She says she learned that "if I didn't know something, which happened more often than not, I found that I was capable of learning on my own. I knew that before, but this was at a whole new level." She describes this new confidence as "quite a valuable lesson" that she plans to pass on to her students.

August also learned a great deal about teaching based on students' learning needs. "Everybody comes from a different background [with] different skills," she says. "It can affect a student... I think at GSU, it's going to be my job to be observant of my students and be willing to accommodate the learning style that each of them has."

We also asked August what she learned at JU that has been most helpful to her and that she plans to pass on to her students. She says she learned that one does not have to teach the same way every time: "There are no limits in the classroom... Being adventurous is a good thing because students see that it's new as well and get excited."

Through her interactions with JU professors outside the classroom, August also learned that "Teachers are people too... When you had us in office hours, it was like you still had that authority, but you became almost like a student and were welcoming and kind and wanted us to ask questions." From this experience, August says she wants students to understand that there are things that happen outside the classroom that affect one's academic performance.

Finally, August learned at JU that, when teaching, it's important to be oneself. "I need to be okay with learning what my teaching style is... and try to have some fun!" She says that, in doing so, teachers will "inspire and motivate in any way that we can."

We thank Ashley for talking with us about this next adventure and wish her the best!

Fall 2014 blog series!

Welcome to the fall 2014 semester! Whether you are a new or returning student, a faculty member, or a friend of the JU community, Phys dot JU exists to help connect you with the exciting world of physics.
Each week this fall semester¹, this blog will feature a series of posts about a given topic that is actively being researched by physicists today in the various subfields of physics.

In spite of the picture we often paint in our introductory courses, physicists do not spend their days calculating the acceleration of blocks down ramps. From elementary particles and condensed matter to black holes and galaxies, physicists study any number of complex systems built out of basic particles and interactions. (We use those ramps to help our students first learn about basic particles and interactions, but the problems quickly expand to encompass the entire universe!)

However, it's difficult for young physicists to learn about all the possible avenues of physics research, and so it's easy to feel like you've missed something and it's difficult to identify your research interests! So, each of these weekly series will highlight a currently active problem in physics research in an accessible manner by...

• Providing links to free-access articles. Each week, we'll include a popular article about the week's topic, an article that overviews the foundations of the week's topic, an article describing practical applications of the week's topic, and a recently published article highlighting new findings about the week's topic.
• Summarizing important key concepts and terms employed in each article, along with links to helpful explanations. Even if you never understand or even read the actual article, these explanations will be helpful and interesting!

Each of these posts will be shared via our Twitter and Facebook accounts, so follow and/or like us to see our updates.

So, how can you make the most of these series?

1. Stay updated! Follow or Like  us to learn the week's topics and follow the links to each day's post!
2. Read each day's post! If you come across a term or concept you don't understand, click on the associated links! If you still don't understand, search for the term on Google; if you find a more helpful explanation, share it in the comments!
3. Read each day's article! You likely won't understand the entire article, and that's okay! Journal articles are not meant to be memorized and recited, but to be treasure troves of knowledge where you gain one or two gems each visit.
4. Discuss the article and topic with your classmates and professors! Ask questions of them, or in the comments of each post.
5. If you find a topic particularly interesting, search for other references about it! You may have just stumbled upon a topic that carries you through a lifetime of learning and research.
6. Finally, share what you've learned with someone else: A friend, a family member, an English professor... You'll be surprised at how much you've learned, and they'll b eager to hear it!

The series begin next Monday, September 1, with galactic cannibalism!

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1 BTW - Did you know JU classes are on break all week for Thanksgiving this year?!^↩