Photo by Greg Watry/UC Davis

The UC Davis College of Letters and Science Magazine has published an article featuring Matthew Smith, the Department of Physics and Astronomy's lecture demonstration support technician.

Excerpt from the Letters and Science Magazine article:

Behind the blackboards of Roessler Hall is a storage space filled with gadgets, tools and other physics demonstration materials. Matthew Smith stood among the rows of shelves in the room. In his hands, he held one end of a hand boiler flask; its opposite end, connected via a thin glass tube, was filled with an amber liquid. As Smith held the flask, his body heated the apparatus causing a shift in temperature and pressure. The amber liquid began bubbling.

“I always equate physics demonstrations to visiting the Grand Canyon,” said Smith. “You can see a picture of the Grand Canyon but going there just cements the experience in way that a flat image can’t.”

For close to 20 years, Smith has worked as the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s lecture demonstration support technician. Each quarter, he assists faculty and lecturers between 10 and 20 classes, helping with audio-visual equipment problems and solving information technology questions.

...

Please read the rest of the article on the L&S Magazine website here!

Published: November 22, 2024, 6:03 pm