Oglethorpe physics professor gets A+ for latest experiment

Howard also rewrote the directions to include use of smartphones for setting In the few months that timers and taking measureeducation has become a ments. Each student indilargely virtual experience, vidually conducted experteachers and students have iments, then jumped on a learned that some courses group video call to discuss move more easily online than results, and Howard was with others. Classes that require them to answer questions. hands-on or physical expeRising senior Kris Bass riences, for example, face a admits he was skeptical about different set of challenges — doing the experiments on but also present opportunihis own. ties to get creative. “I didn’t expect to be able

That was the conundrum to run the lab in my living Oglethorpe University phys- ments with materials found room,” said the Austell resiics instructor Daniel Howin their homes presented dent. “But the kit had what I ard faced when he thought another problem: Would needed, and Professor Howabout teaching two summer all students have access to ard showed us how to set it physics courses with multi- the same items? He came up. And he was on Zoom ple lab assignments. Having up with a solution. while we set it up to make to come up with a solution to “I designed experiments sure we did it properly. It an unprecedented challenge that could be done with ele- ran a lot smoother than I was nothing new. Before he ments I found on Amazon, expected. I’ve had other labs began teaching last year, the and at Home Depot and that were simulations, but Buckhead resident spent 40 Lowe’s, and tried them out for this, we actually did the years as a telecommunicaat home,” he said. “As an engi- experiments, and that was tions engineer and launched neer, I like to build stuff, and I by far the best.” three start-ups. have a workshop in my baseHoward recently assem

“I’m used to looking at ment. I also had my division bled 80 kits for his remote problems and solving them,” chair help me cut out some fall semester students, and he said. wooden discs. Then I phys- whenever classes do resume

Howard also had data ically assembled and mailed on campus, he intends to to work with after teach- out 31 kits for the first course make some changes. ing the course in the spring and 24 for the second.” “I’ll make more copies of and being forced to finish The kits, paid for by the the kits or push for budgets it online. usual lab fees, came with that allow fewer students

“I saw t hat stud e nts materials for experiments per station, so everyone weren’t engaging,” he said. to measure the acceleration has to contribute through“They weren’t able to figure of gravity, centripetal force, out the process,” he said. out critical concepts like the inertia and the conservation “The key is to match the uncertainty of a result. I also of momentum, to name a existing experiments to easdidn’t have the usual three few. The tools included a ily obtained materials, not to four students at a station Hot Wheels car, an alumi- rework the entire curricwith specialized equipment.” num track, a steel ball, nylon ulum. And I know we can

Howard knew that trying and cotton string, a yard- figure out low-cost ways to to have students run experi- stick and more. that.”

CONTRIBUTED Before sending lab kits to his students this summer, Oglethorpe University instructor Daniel Howard and his daughter, Jacqueline, try it all out at home.