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Teaching Philosophy and Experience
I started teaching at Mount Holyoke in the Fall of 2011.
In addition to being here, I have been lucky enough to teach at other schools that also place a strong emphasis on excellence in teaching and
participation of undergraduates in research, including Colorado College and Bryn Mawr College. Most recently I have taught at Denison Unviversity and Whitman College.
In addition to physics, I have also taught astronomy, mathematics and chemistry.
I am very interested in helping students
more effectively learn physics and astronomy. My work in this
area has led me to adopt a non-teaching style in the classroom
where students are very active in teaching themselves. We use
group discussions, in-class experiments, and computerized
simulations to keep things moving.
Some of my recent pedagogical papers and talks are listed below.
- Burciaga, J.R. "Iconic Problems in the Undergraduate Physics Curriculum"
AAPT Summer '10 Meeting, Portland, OR
- Burciaga, J.R. "The Application of Play Theory to Pedagogical Design"
APS Forum on Education Newsletter, APS Forum on Education, Summer 2010
- Burciaga, J.R. "Crafting the Laboratory Experience: An Exercise in Pedagogical Design, Development and Assessment"
http://services.aamc.org/30/mededportal/servlet/s/segment/mededportal/?subid=8120, referenced 26 September 2010
, AAMC/MedEdPortal, 2010
- Burciaga, J.R. "The Role and Preparation of Faculty for the Changing Community of Physics" (invited)
NW APS Regional Meeting '09, Vancouver, BC
- Burciaga, J.R. "How Do We Increase the Participation of Under-Represented Groups in Physics?" (invited)
AAPT Summer Meeting '08, Edmonton, Alberta
- Burciaga, J.R. "A Journey into Inquiry, Research, and Social Community in the Introductory Physics Laboratory: A Short Course in Experimental Philosophy"
Conference on the Innovations in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Liberal Arts Colleges, St. Olaf College/Carlton College, 2004
- Burciaga, J.R. "Physics as Community: Social
Construction in the Introductory Physics Lab"
AAPT Winter '03 Meeting, Austin, TX
- Burciaga, J.R. "Learning Cycles and Epicycles
in the Introductory Physics Lab"
AAPT Summer '02 Meeting, Boise, ID
- Barbara L. Whitten and Juan R. Burciaga,
"First Steps Toward A More Feminist, Muticultural Physics" ,
Transforming the Disciplines: A Women's Studies Primer,
Editors : Elizabeth L. McNabb, Mary Jane Cherry, Susan L. Popham,
Rene Perri Prys, Haworth Press, 2001
- Barbara L. Whitten and Juan R. Burciaga,
"Feminist and Muticultural Pedagogy in Physics:
A Status Report(with Syllabus)" ,
Women's Studies Quarterly, Spring/Summer 2000
I enjoy teaching intro courses and advanced
theoretical-based physics courses. But
I also enjoy experimental work where I have a zillion pieces in
front of me and no instructions.
Research Interests
My research interests are varied but center
around atomic physics and astronomy. My masters thesis at the
University of Texas at Arlington was based on positron-atom
scattering and my doctorial work at Texas A&M was studying
how rapidly hydrogen molecules photodissociated into their
component atoms.
Recently I became interested in the pervasive role of
molecular hydrogen in astrophysical phenomena and I have restarted my research
program on perturbation effects in molecular hydrogen.
Several of my research papers are listed below.
- Burciaga, J.R. and A.L. Ford,
"Nonadiabatic Perturbation of the C State Shape
Resonances in the Photodissociation of Molecular
Hydrogen", (J. Mol. Spec. 149,1,1991)
- Burciaga, J.R. and A.L. Ford,
"C State Shape Resonances in the Photodissociation of
Molecular Hydrogen"
Regional Meeting of the American Physical Society,
Texas Tech University, November 1988
- Burciaga, J.R., et al, "Scattering of
low-energy positrons by helium and neon atoms",
(Phys. Rev. A 20,145,1979)
- Burciaga, J.R., et al, "Positron-helium
scattering at low energies",
(J. Phys. B 10,L569,1977)
I enjoy working with students on projects. Sometimes we
will work on some of my interests, either in computational molecular physics or in physics pedagogy and curriculum development.
But there are other time we will work in areas where I have little experience but the student has a great deal of enthusiasm for the project such as building a robot, a radio telescope, or an STM.
Organizations
I think of myself as a physcist and as an educator. Most
of my work in organizations has been with the
American Association of Physics
Teachers and I am presently Book Editor for the AAPT.
I am also the Education Officer for the National Society of Hispanic Physicists.
I have represented AAPT or NSHP on several task
forces studying issues of diversity, policies of tenure and reappointment,
and guidelines for the undergraduate curriculum.
I belong to several other physics and astronomy organizations, including
SACNAS and APS, but my lack of time usally permits me only to pay dues.
Why go into physics?
Passion and wonder.
The universe is filled with beauty, mystery and unexpected delights. From
the puzzling quantum world of the very small to the majestic motion of
galaxies; from the wonderland world of the very fast to the almost
motionless world of the very cold; from a single atom trapped in a well to
the uncountable number of stars in the universe; from the beginning of
time to the unfathomable future -- all of the physical universe is the
realm of physicists.
Many people think of physicists as formal, stiff and overly-analytical. But what drives us is our passion to understand the universe and our delight in the wonder we see.
Last updated 6 September 2011
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