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Teaching Philosophy
As an educator and mentor in astronomy and astrophysics, I strive to impart three essential learning objectives to my students through their education in these fields. First, I believe it is crucial for students to develop a solid understanding of the scientific method, particularly the concepts of testing claims, analyzing evidence, and deductive reasoning that lie at its core. These skills are fundamental not only to science but also to critical thinking in any discipline.
Second, I emphasize the importance of effective communication. I encourage my students to convey their work clearly and confidently across various technical levels and to different audiences, including the general public. The ability to communicate complex ideas is a vital skill for a successful career in science and is equally valuable in other fields.
Third, I stress the significance of recognizing the human element in scientific research. Drawing from the National Academies' latest decadal survey in astrophysics, Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s, I want students to understand that the people who comprise the scientific community are the most fundamental component of the research enterprise. It is imperative for students to realize that science does not happen in isolation and that they have a responsibility to contribute toward achieving social justice.
Education and Mentoring Experience
- Andean Cosmology School 2015 (sponsored by the Office of Astronomy for Development of the IAU), Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Invited instructor to give 4 lectures on weak gravitational lensing and astronomical instrumentation and detectors (July 2015).
- Workshop on Statistical Methods in Cosmology, UNAM, Mexico. Invited Lecturer (August 2018).
- Member of LSST Corporation Catalyst Mentor Task Force, 2023.
- Rubin Observatory LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC) liaison to LSST Education and Public Outreach subsystem.
- Mentor in “Mentors Program” of “Red Estudiantes Colombianos de Astronomía” (RECA) (Sep 2020 - Present); mentorship of undergraduate physics students in Colombia.
- Main instructor of “Clubes de Ciencia - Colombia”. One-week cosmology school for under-served high school students from Bogotá, Colombia.
- Supervision and mentorship of international (Colombia) undergraduate student at Caltech under Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program (with the support of Dr. J. Rhodes, Dr. R. Smith, and Dr. C. Shapiro, and Universidad de los Andes, 2017).
- Proposer of an initiative to bring and supervise the first international (Colombia) undergraduate student at JPL under Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program (with the support of Dr. J. Rhodes and Universidad de los Andes, 2016).
- Supervised and mentored undergraduate student from Stanford University at JPL for Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program (with the support of Dr. J. Rhodes, 2015).
- Co-founder of the Asociación Colombiana de Estudiantes de Física (Colombian Association of Physics Students), 2004.