I am an assistant professor (fixed term) at Michigan State University, working on Computation Education Research in the Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering department. I am interested in how students solve computational data analysis problems, specifically, how they build their understanding of ordered data structures (e.g., lists). More broadly, my work is driven by a desire to make computation more accessible to students from diverse academic backgrounds.
My Ph.D. work was in astronomy and focused on modeling multi-wavelength observations of gamma-ray-emitting Classical Novae, specifically focusing on the V1324 Sco. I used radio observations to probe the extensive properties of nova ejecta, optical data as a plasma diagnostic, and gamma-ray data to constrain the dynamics of the event.
After my Ph.D., I moved into Physics Education Research at the University of Michigan. My work focused primarily on developing methods and tools to help physics instructors incorporate computation into their classrooms in an equitable and inclusive way.
I spent a year at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I had a tremendous time teaching in a small liberal arts setting for the first time. While there, I (co-)developed a Computational Physics course with Dr. Tonnis ter Veldhuis.
Dr. Thomas Finzell 