September 2024: Adric Quackenbush

About Adric

I follow in the footsteps of many who pursue physics by falling in love with the subject while taking honors physics in high school. I still remember my jaw dropping to the floor and realizing ‘you can do THIS with math?’ I was immediately in love with the science of creating mathematical models to make predictions. I was especially intrigued by the ability to refine the models by accounting for more nuanced interactions. My family was not surprised by my desire to pursue physics in higher education. As a child, I was often found in the basement of my parents’ house, examining devices in different states of disassembly. I once even dragged home a payphone I found on the curb, amputating the box to learn its secrets. Beyond natural curiosity, I’ve always enjoyed being in the role of an educator: my first paid job was as a computer camp counselor teaching kids how to program Java.

It is a lot of work to create community, and I am appreciative of the AAPT (and my local NJAAPT) building that space. I feel it is important to participate as it allows me to stay invigorated by meeting other physics professionals or participating in various workshops. It is always a pleasure when I find that extra hour during the month to sit and read The Physics Teacher. I like to print out the articles that spark my creativity and store them in a binder, revisiting them every so often to work on adopting their ideas into my classroom.

I am a big believer that physics is for everyone. I try to design my courses to emphasize doing science much more than reading or solving problems day after day. My most cherished feedback from students is when they fondly recall completing projects where they felt they created something rather than completed routine academic tasks. Last year, one of the more driven students invited me to help form a team for CERN’s Beamline For Schools competition. It was a fantastic way to challenge myself to create a new educational experience for the participating students.

My favorite thing about teaching physics is how creative I can be in designing opportunities for students to grow. I get a real charge out of designing experiments or model-building tasks that allow students to see their own growth once they have completed the final product.

I am so grateful to have this as my career and could not imagine being as happy doing other work. While not working, you’ll find me chasing after my young children or coaching ice hockey.