Courses taught
Faculty in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Rice teach one course (3 credit hours) per semester.
- Spring 2024 — Intermediate Electrodynamics (PHYS 302)
- Fall 2023 — teaching release
- Spring 2023 — Quarks and Leptons (PHYS 543)
- Fall 2022 — Quantum Field Theory (PHYS 622)
- Spring 2022 — Quarks and Leptons (PHYS 543)
- + Astronomy Seminar (ASTR 400/500)
- Fall 2021 — Quantum Field Theory (PHYS 622)
- Spring 2021 — Quarks and Leptons (PHYS 543)
- Fall 2020 — Quantum Field Theory (PHYS 622)
- Spring 2020 — teaching release
- Fall 2019 — Graduate Special Topics: Cosmological Relics (PHYS 600)**
**I developed this course for the graduate students at Rice University who were interested in particle physics and cosmology.
Since we cannot recreate the extreme conditions of the Big Bang in the laboratory, we must learn about this period in our cosmic history instead through the study of cosmological relics. Relics are particle, waves, or extended objects that were created when the universe was only fractions of a second old, that evolved throughout the 14 billion years of its cosmic history, and that remain in the universe today where we are attempting to uncover their presence with ongoing experimental efforts. Students will explore a zoo of cosmological relics including the cosmic microwave background, the relic neutrino background, the light element abundances, the dark matter, primordial magnetic fields, primordial gravitational waves, topological defects, cosmic strings, dark radiation, primordial black holes, and the cosmological excess of matter over antimatter. Measurements of these relics today help us to understand the laws of nature that governed the extreme environment in the moments after the Big Bang.
Taste of Science
In April of 2023, Taste of Science organized a viewing of the movie Interstellar at the Axelrad Beer Garden in downtown Houston. My colleague Dr. Megan Reiter and I sat on a panel and gave commentary of the film for an audience of around 20 space enthusiasts. We fielded questions on a variety of topics from black holes and time dilation to planetary systems and the power of love. Keep an eye out for ToS’s next event!
North Houston Astronomy Club
In February of 2023, it was my pleasure to visit the North Houston Astronomy Club and deliver a lecture on dark matter. The lecture and discussion was scheduled for an hour, but I was happy to field questions for almost two hours! This was certainly one of the most engaging and informed audiences that I’ve ever encountered for a public lecture. If you’re in the Houston area and interested in learning more about space, whether you’re a novice student astronomer or a seasoned veteran, drop by one of their monthly “star parties”!
Youth in Physics Summer (YiPS) Program
In June of both 2021 and 2022, I was invited to deliver lectures for the YiPS Program. This month-long, online summer school was self-organized by a group of high school students in Houston, TX. It was an amazing opportunity for me to work with such driven young people who chose to spend their summer break from school by listening to physics and astronomy lectures!
Spacevision 2021
In November of 2021, I had the opportunity to attend Spacevision 2021 organized by SEDS Rice and hosted by the Johnson Space Center. Each year the Spacevision conference brings together students with interests in space science, space exploration, and engineering. It was a joy to deliver a lecture on dark matter to a jam-packed room full of eager and energized young people. I also sat on a panel with other scientists to discuss our views on the future of space science and exploration.
Life Long Learning
While I was working at the University of Chicago from 2016-2018, I became involved with Daniel Grin’s Life Long Learning program. Researchers from the university would visit libraries, senior centers, and older-adult residences around the city to talk about contemporary topics in physics and astronomy. Subjects ranged from exoplanets and neutrino telescopes to particle colliders and the Big Bang. I was very happy to discuss my own work in a talk titled “Demystifying Dark Matter,” and later I also took on an administrative role by arranging speakers for the various venues around Chicago.
I’ll never forget those fond experiences with Life Long Learning. Not only did I get to spend an afternoon talking about my favorite topics in physics with an engaged and eager audience, but I made some new friends along the way and honed my skills as a public speaker.
Symmetry Magazine
I had the pleasure to be interviewed for an article that appeared in the February 2017 issue of Symmetry Magazine called How to Build a Universe by Sarah Charley. The article highlights one of the biggest outstanding problems in particle physics and cosmology, namely: Why is there more matter than antimatter?
This question has not yet been answered, and this whole field of study, called “baryogenesis,” remains a very active subject of research! However, although we don’t know the correct recipe for baryogenesis, we do know the necessary ingredients. Andrei Sakharov identified the three necessary ingredients for baryogenesis in his famous 1967 paper, and Sarah’s Symmetry Magazine article does an excellent job of explaining those conditions for a general audience.