Eric Mazur at UMW

Here’s a video from the Bok Center at Harvard. See introductory Physics students and Professor Mazur talk about how and why peer instruction works. (Click replay or the forward arrow below.)

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Here is the University of Mary Washington news release of Professor Mazur’s upcoming visit.

“In the halls of academia, it is the rare senior professor who volunteers to teach basic science courses to undergraduates. But Eric Mazur, [Balkanski] Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard,is driven by a passion. He wants to end science illiteracy among the nation’s college students; specifically, he strives to open them to the ‘great beauties of physics.’”

So begins a July 17, 2007, interview with Mazur by reporter Claudia Dreifus in the New York Times.

Dreifus calls Mazur’s introductory physics course “the kind of science class that even a literature student might love — playful, engaging, something like a trip to a science museum.”

We hear his workshops and public lectures have the same quality and are looking forward to several chances to hear him speak on the University of Mary Washington campus in March.

Several of our faculty have had a chance to participate in Eric Mazur’s workshops on innovative teaching or to hear him speak at conferences.

They tell us these have been dynamic and inspiring experiences.

Have you heard Professor Mazur speak? Share your comments here.

This is the web presence for national Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar and Harvard University physicist Eric Mazur‘s visit to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on March 12-14, 2008. During his stay on campus Professor Mazur will share his passion for innovative teaching with students, faculty, neighboring educators, and the community surrounding UMW.

We invite you to follow our progress as we plan this visit. Mark your calendars and spread the word about the inspiring events that we have scheduled. Check back often or set up a feed from this page.

And please, feel free to comment.