{"65420":{"#nid":"65420","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Prof\u2019s Teaching Reaches Students Beyond Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThanks to videoconferencing equipment and a few large-screen televisions, Jennifer Curtis is reaching out to students beyond Tech\u2019s Midtown campus. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurtis, an assistant professor in the School of Physics, participates in the Direct to Discovery program, a Georgia Tech Research Institute program that brings research labs into K-12 classrooms with a little help from technology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program\u2019s goal is to help students better understand various areas of science and mathematics in a way that fosters ongoing interest in these areas. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSince my lab is so interdisciplinary, we can tie into the curriculum of a physics, chemistry or biology class,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Kimm Bankston, the Winder-Barrow high school teacher Curtis has worked with, the demos have been quite successful and have stimulated student discussions about science that extend beyond the classroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI think the program is an excellent way to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists,\u201d Curtis added.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had an opportunity to learn more about Curtis and her approach to teaching. Here\u2019s what we learned:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you get to Georgia Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2006, both my husband and I were seeking tenure-track academic positions. In the end, it was clear that Tech was the best fit for our combined interests both professionally and personally.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you become interested in your area of teaching and research? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen I started out as an undergraduate at Columbia University, I wanted to pursue photography and writing. But I experienced a major creative block, which led me back to my first love, science and mathematics. The next semester, I started taking physics classes and the rest is history. As for becoming a biophysicist, I always loved biology and after observing that some of the most interesting work done by physicists was in the area of biophysics, I knew where I needed to be. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn a few sentences, tell us a little bit about your research focus.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003EMy research group studies the mechanics of cells and biomaterials. Also, we invent or develop unique tools to help answer questions about, for example, the coating of a \u0026nbsp;cell. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your greatest challenge as an instructor, and how have you dealt with it?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHelping students figure out how to learn and study effectively is always a challenge. For example, there is always a large group of students who work very hard and spend vast amounts of time studying for my introductory physics course. Yet, their performance on tests does not reflect their efforts. I am experimenting with how to instruct students to get to the point where they can internalize and comprehend the difference between deeply understanding how and why they solve problems a certain way versus superficially memorizing or accepting a concept or problem-solving strategy in physics.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without as an instructor?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI think a tablet PC works wonders for large classroom lecture halls. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is the best place to grab lunch and what do you order?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy favorite place used to be Bobby and June\u2019s, but it recently closed. I\u2019d order the Salisbury steak with a side or two of vegetables.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell me something unusual about yourself.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen I was younger, I was a competitive \u00e9p\u00e9e fencer and trained several hours a day while I was in high school and for part of my time in college.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThanks to videoconferencing equipment and a few large-screen televisions, Jennifer Curtis is reaching out to students beyond Tech\u2019s Midtown campus.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Thanks to videoconferencing equipment and a few large-screen televisions, Jennifer Curtis is reaching out to students beyond Tech\u2019s Midtown campus."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2011-04-07 09:45:13","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:08:30","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-04-04T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-04-04T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"65421":{"id":"65421","type":"image","title":"Jennifer Curtis","body":null,"created":"1449176831","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:07:11","changed":"1475894579","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:59","alt":"Jennifer Curtis","file":{"fid":"193218","name":"Curits_Photo.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Curits_Photo.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Curits_Photo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4074113,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Curits_Photo.jpg?itok=qwtlNjB6"}}},"media_ids":["65421"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"5081","name":"Jennifer Curtis"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}