20150120

Presentation: instructor background

(Slides shown introducing the instructor for the first day of class.)



...let's talk about the most important component of this course...me. So let me introduce myself--I'm Dr. Len, which is a bit formal, so I'm kind of just 'meh' about that.

If you want to get a bit less formal and more friendly, I'm okay with being on a first-name basis in class.

And if you really want to get on my good side, you can call me...'P-dog.' Remember, there are only two types of students in this class--those that can call me 'P-dog,' and those that just can't. You'll figure it out soon enough. It's not that hard.



Some deep background about my education. I was born and raised in Hawaii, and I graduated from my hometown high school in Aiea, which is the notably the only city in the U.S. that does not have any consonants in it.

Then I went away to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and took a lot of math and fine arts classes, until declaring a major in physics at the end of my second year. As a result I have a B.A.--a liberal arts degree--in physics, along with double minors in both math and fine arts.

Since I wanted to be able to teach physics, I needed to get a graduate degree, so after seven years of evil doctor school at UC-Davis, I got my Ph.D. in physics.

After getting my Ph.D. at UC-Davis, I also taught introductory physics there for six years as a lecturer. My UC-Davis students freaked me out, because they were in a very competitive pre-med program, which made them very sensitive about their grades. And they were just weird, in general.

Which is why Mrs. P-dog and I decided to move to where students keep it more real. Which would be Cuesta College. We've been here more than 14 years, and we like it here.



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