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2012

Educating the Innovators of the 21st Century, at Encuentro Internacional de Docencia Universitaria, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria (Valparaiso, Chile), Monday, August 20, 2012:
talk_1978.pdf
Can we teach innovation? Innovation requires whole-brain thinking — left-brain thinking for creativity and imagination, and right-brain thinking for planning and execution. Our current approach to education in science and technology, focuses on the transfer of information, developing mostly right-brain thinking by stressing copying and reproducing existing ideas rather than generating new ones. I will show how shifting the focus in lectures from delivering information to team work and creative thinking greatly improves the learning that takes place in the classroom and promotes independent... Read more about Educating the Innovators of the 21st Century
Femtosecond laser texturing and doping of metals and semiconductors for solar harvesting, at SPIE Optics and Photonics (San Diego, CA), Thursday, August 16, 2012:
talk_1977.pdf
Shining intense, ultrashort laser pulses on the surface of a crystalline silicon wafer drastically changes the optical, material and electronic properties of the wafer. The resulting textured surface is highly absorbing and looks black to the eye. The properties of this 'black silicon' make it useful for a wide range of commercial devices. In particular, we have been able to fabricate highly-sensitive PIN photodetectors using this material. The sensitivity extends to wavelengths of 1600 nm making them particularly useful for applications in communications and remote sensing.
Peer Instruction Breakout Session, at 27th Showcase on Teaching and Learning, Missouri State University (Springfield, MO), Wednesday, August 15, 2012:
talk_1976.pdf
The basic goals of Peer Instruction are to encourage and make use of student interaction during lectures, while focusing students' attention on underlying concepts and techniques. The method has been assessed in many studies using standardized, diagnostic tests and shown to be considerably more effective than the conventional lecture approach to teaching. Peer Instruction is now used in a wide range of science and math courses at the college and secondary level. In this 2-3 hour long workshop, participants will learn about Peer Instruction, serve as the "class" in which Peer Instruction is... Read more about Peer Instruction Breakout Session
Confessions of a converted lecturer, at 27th Showcase on Teaching and Learning, Missouri State University (Springfield, MO), Wednesday, August 15, 2012:
talk_1975.pdf
I thought I was a good teacher until I discovered my students were just memorizing information rather than learning to understand the material. Who was to blame? The students? The material? I will explain how I came to the agonizing conclusion that the culprit was neither of these. It was my teaching that caused students to fail! I will show how I have adjusted my approach to teaching and how it has improved my students' performance significantly
Towards increased efficiency in solar energy harvesting via intermediate states, at Gordon Research Conference on Defects in Semiconductors, University of New England (Biddeford, ME), Monday, August 13, 2012:
talk_1973.pdf
Shining intense, ultrashort laser pulses on the surface of a crystalline silicon wafer drastically changes the optical, material and electronic properties of the wafer. The process has two effects: it structures the surface and incorporate dopants into the sample to a concentration highly exceeding the equilibrium solubility limit. This femtosecond laser "hyperdoping technique" enables the fabrication of defect- and bandgap engineered semiconductors, and laser texturing further enhances the optical density through excellent light trapping. Hyperdoped silicon opens the door for novel... Read more about Towards increased efficiency in solar energy harvesting via intermediate states
Mid-infrared absorptance of silicon hyperdoped with chalcogens via fs-laser irradiation, at Black Silicon Symposium (Albany, NY), Thursday, August 9, 2012:
talk_1972.pdf
Silicon hyperdoped with heavy chalcogen atoms via femtosecond-laser irradiation exhibits strong broadband absorption. Understanding this absorption could enable applications for infrared detection and the intermediate band photovoltaic effect. In this work, we extend absorption measurements to wavelengths >14 μm using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and study sulfur-, selenium- or tellurium-hyperdoped Si before and after annealing. We find that the surface morphology of the sample significantly influences the extent of absorption into the mid-infrared wavelength range.... Read more about Mid-infrared absorptance of silicon hyperdoped with chalcogens via fs-laser irradiation
Memorization or understanding: are we teaching the right thing?, at China-US Advanced Forum on Physics Education, Tsing Hua University (Beijing, China), Monday, August 6, 2012:
talk_1963.pdf
Education is more than just transfer of information, yet that is what is mostly done in large introductory courses -- instructors present material (even though this material might be readily available in printed form) and for students the main purpose of lectures is to take down as many notes as they can. Few students have the ability, motivation, and discipline to synthesize all the information delivered to them. Yet synthesis is perhaps the most important -- and most elusive -- aspect of education. I will show how shifting the focus in lectures from delivering information to synthesizing... Read more about Memorization or understanding: are we teaching the right thing?
Confessions of a converted lecturer, at 2012 American Crystallographic Association Annual Meeting (Boston, MA), Saturday, July 28, 2012:
talk_1807.pdf
I thought I was a good teacher until I discovered my students were just memorizing information rather than learning to understand the material. Who was to blame? The students? The material? I will explain how I came to the agonizing conclusion that the culprit was neither of these. It was my teaching that caused students to fail! I will show how I have adjusted my approach to teaching and how it has improved my students' performance significantly
Flipping your classroom using college readiness assignments: Research-Based Strategies for your Classroom, at CRAFT Professional Development Institute, KIPP Austin (Austin, TX, USA), Wednesday, July 25, 2012:
talk_1964.pdf
How can I help my students learn in ways that pique their interest and enrich their subject matter understanding? We will explore this perennial question by considering an innovative, research-based teaching method called Peer Instruction (PI). Originally developed by Dr. Eric Mazur to address major gaps in students' conceptual knowledge of physics at Harvard University, this interactive pedagogical method is now widely used by thousands of instructors across the world. PI leverages the power of social learning and the latest advances in cognitive science to confront students' misconceptions... Read more about Flipping your classroom using college readiness assignments: Research-Based Strategies for your Classroom
Anatomy of a College Readiness Assignment, at CRAFT Professional Development Institute, University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX), Tuesday, July 24, 2012:
talk_1965.pdf
The College Readiness Assignment Field-Test (CRAFT) project is working to disseminate standalone lessons designed by expert educators to prepare students for college-level success. In this presentation will discuss the heart of the CRAFT project: college readiness assignments (CRAs). We will dissect CRAs and demonstrate how the various parts map to state standards.

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