College Physics

Randy Knight has taught introductory physics for over 30 years at Ohio State University and California Polytechnic University, where he is currently Professor of Physics. Randy received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California-Berkeley. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the faculty at Ohio State University. It was at Ohio State, under the mentorship of Professor Leonard Jossem, that he began to learn about the research in physics education that, many years later, led to Five Easy Lessons: Strategies for Successful Physics Teaching, Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach, and now to this book. Randy's research interests are in the field of lasers and spectroscopy and he has published over 25 research papers. When he's not in the classroom or in front of a computer, you can find Randy hiking, sea kayaking, playing the piano, or spending time with his wife Sally and their six cats.

Brian Jones has won several teaching awards at Colorado State University during his more than 20 years teaching in the Department of Physics. His teaching focus in recent years has been the College Physics class, including writing problems for the MCAT exam and helping students review for this test. Brian is also Director of the Little Shop of Physics, the Department's engaging and effective hands-on outreach program, which has merited coverage in publications ranging from the APS News to People magazine. Brian has been invited to give workshops on techniques of science instruction throughout the United States and internationally, including Belize, Chile, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Mexico, and Slovenia. Previously, he taught at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College in Mbabane, Swaziland, and Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Brian and his wife Carol have dozens of fruit trees and bushes in their yard, including an apple tree that was propagated from a tree in Isaac Newton's garden, and they have traveled and camped in most of the United States.

Stuart Field has been interested in science and technology his whole life. While in school he built telescopes, electronic circuits, and computers. After attending Stanford University, he earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, where he studied the properties of materials at ultralow temperatures. After completing a postdoctoral position at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, he held a faculty position at the University of Michigan. Currently at Colorado State University, Stuart teaches a variety of physics courses, including algebra-based introductory physics, and was an early and enthusiastic adopter of Knight's Physics for Scientists and Engineers. Stuart maintains an active research program in the area of superconductivity. His hob?bies include woodworking; enjoying Colorado's great outdoors; and ice hockey, where he plays goalie for a local team.