Biography

After earning my bachelor’s in physics from Reed College and my master’s in ocean science at UC Santa Cruz, I did some data-analytic consulting work in industry before my path led me back to teaching and tutoring. I had entered graduate school with the intention of becoming a professor, and while I found that the vagaries of research funding dimmed my enthusiasm for that path, the lectures, sections, and office hours that I held while I was a teaching assistant kept my passion for teaching alive.

One of the things that my work in physical oceanography taught me was the importance of seeing math and all the branches of science (biology, chemistry, physics, geology) as an interconnected whole. Whether you’re focused on the arts and humanities or technology and science, learning to understand natural science teaches important skills in critical thinking and systems analysis that enrich every aspect of your life. As such, I place an emphasis on understanding and relating fundamental concepts while growing problem-solving techniques organically from that foundation of understanding.

That sense of inter-connectedness and wonder in the natural world is something that I strive to bring to my tutoring in physics and calculus, along with a sensitivity to the stresses that my students are under (as a graduate of Monta Vista High School, I experienced many of the same pressures when I was their age). My goal is for my students to walk away with an understanding, not just of “what”, but of “how” and “why”, that will serve them well no matter where their path in life might lead.

In my free time, I mentor a young man with special needs, run board-gaming nights at local game stores, blog about ocean-related topics, help colleagues from graduate school with research projects, and work on finding a publisher for a card game I developed.