Alumna Christina Manzano wore a different hat three weeks ago at UC Riverside when she attended the weeklong Summer Physics Academy organized by the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Manzano, a former graduate student of Gabriela Canalizo, a professor of physics and astronomy, now teaches college freshmen and sophomores at Mt. San Jacinto College, a public community college in Riverside County. 

The academy, led by Michael G. Anderson, an associate professor in physics instruction, and Maria Simani, director of the California Science Project, was advertised for high school teachers but “has a lot of value for college-level educators as well,” said Manzano, who graduated from UCR in 2020 with a doctoral degree in physics and astronomy.

“Networking with high school teachers in the area was an excellent way to learn more about the students entering our college and brainstorm ways to best support them through multiple stages in their education,” she said. “It was great to catch up with former colleagues and see everything the department has been doing since I left. It’s very reassuring to know that this department is here as a resource for educators in the area and I’m looking forward to collaborating in the future.”

Manzano found it helpful to learn new pedagogical techniques and spend several days exploring how they can be implemented in a physics classroom.  

“There were many ideas for active learning sprinkled through the academy and I am excited to try them out in the fall,” she said. “Most schools offer pedagogical training for instructors, but the specific benefit of this summer academy was that it was geared specifically toward physics educators. Getting together with other educators in the same field allowed us to delve into problems specific to physics education. I came away from this academy with a long list of concrete action items to implement in the classroom this fall.”

Manzano began teaching at Mt. San Jacinto College in Spring 2021. Many of her students are first generation college students and belong to groups underrepresented in the STEM workforce.  

“The favorite part of my job is mentoring future scientists and guiding them through the daunting first steps in their careers,” she said. “I take great pride in providing my students the guidance I wish I had when I was in their shoes.”

The Summer Physics Academy, which is held on campus each year, offered lectures and hands-on activities to the visiting physics teachers. Nine high school teachers and two community college teachers participated this year. Schools and colleges they represented are Mount Saint Jacinto College, Paloma Valley High School, Eisenhower High School, Redlands High School, Citrus Valley High School, Long Beach Jordan High School, and the California Military Institute.

“I found it very enlightening to hear from high school teachers in the area,” said Manzano, who also teaches at Riverside City College. “Their students feed into our program, and it was very valuable to hear what challenges they face and brainstorm ways to best support students in their transition into college and later into university classes. This workshop gave me a valuable opportunity to refresh my course materials and jumpstart new collaborations.”

Manzano said she took a lot away from the academy, but one part stood out the most to her: specifications grading. 

“It’s about using learning outcomes to evaluate how well a student demonstrates mastery in an essential skill,” she said. “I am especially excited about this grading approach because it keeps the overall goals of the course in focus and increases transparency in the grading process.”

Manzano suggests that future attendees of the Summer Physics Academy come prepared to network and bring samples of their assignments and a list of their favorite resources.  

“We spent a lot of time during the academy sharing resources and brainstorming ideas for the fall,” she said. “Having your teaching materials ready makes it easy to make on-the-fly improvements as the ideas come pouring in.” 

Header photo shows some of the participating physics teachers along with UCR faculty.