Academics

Travis Norsen - Physics and Astronomy

After completing his doctorate in theoretical nuclear astrophysics, coming to Marlboro to teach undergraduates physics was, for Travis Norsen, a breath of fresh air. "I definitely preferred my own undergraduate experience to graduate school," he explains. "In fact, my main interests in physics lie in topics that, unfortunately, are usually covered only at the undergraduate level, so it’s been wonderful to return to these interests alongside good students at Marlboro." These interests include the historical development of physics and, in particular, foundational and philosophical issues in modern physics.

Teaching Philosophy

Travis stresses the historical and conceptual aspects of physics in his courses. "Many physics courses these days give the impression that physics is an incomprehensible grab-bag of mathematical formulas, and that doing physics consists essentially of plugging numbers into them to solve contrived exercises. While problem-solving skills are important to develop, I think it is crucial to give students something more basic: a firsthand sense of how to think scientifically, of the scientific method." In the classroom, Travis helps students develop this perspective not only by stressing the lively historical steps by which important physical ideas were induced, but also by focusing on conceptual understanding and reasoning with physical ideas. Along these lines he is especially excited about a new, workshop model for his General Physics course which stresses inductive discovery and quantitative reasoning skills. "I want to work with any student who is passionate about—and hard working in—physics and its connections to philosophy, history, astronomy, music, computer science, engineering...or whatever."

Student Plans and Collaborations

Scholarly Activities

Travis’ own research is also intimately related to his work in the classroom. "I disagree strongly with the traditional view of a dichotomy between teaching and research. Each can cast a useful illumination on the other." In fact, Travis has integrated several of his own works into his course syllabi. "I am quite proud that the same paper can simultaneously be regarded as an original and even controversial contribution to the physics literature, and also be illuminating and comprehensible to undergraduates in a survey course for non-science majors. It goes to show that good, clear reasoning is really the essence of science, and that, therefore, any reasonable person can understand and appreciate science."  In addition to his academic pursuits, Travis enjoys tending his vegetable garden and playing soccer and ultimate Frisbee.

Selected Publications

Selected Conference Papers

External Links

Travis's personal homepage, with links to courses

B.A., Harvey Mudd College, 1997; M.S., University of Washington, 1998; Ph.D., University of Washington, 2002; Marlboro College, 2002 –