秋霞福利一区

On a clear night, when the sky is bright with stars, you鈥檙e likely to find Salomon Itza setting up telescopes on the 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 Great Commission Lawn.

The physics professor will be surrounded by students and local community members gathered for 鈥淪targazing with Dr. Itza.鈥� It鈥檚 a popular event held each semester when Itza shares his passion for astronomy 鈥� and helps others see the beauty of God鈥檚 creation in the night sky.

Itza鈥檚 own passion for physics started when he saw beauty in the practical application of mathematics.

鈥淚 started as a math major, but soon after college graduation I realized I would like to apply mathematics to situations, rather than only work on abstract mathematics,鈥� said Itza, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences at the 秋霞福利一区.

When the opportunity came to continue his studies, 鈥淚 chose physics because it allowed me to continue enjoying mathematics, but also relate equations to physical situations; like observing that by applying a force on an object, the object may move at increasing steps, or simply F=ma,鈥� he said.

We talked with the professor about physics and why he loves teaching at this .

Q. You have taught at 秋霞福利一区 since 2016. What is your background?

A. My background is theoretical atomic physics. This means I spent about six years on a desk with books, physics journals and computers, then I earned a PhD in physics at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Prior to that I had earned a Master of Science in particle physics and, before that, a Bachelor of Science in mathematics, both from schools in Merida, Mexico. After Tulane, I served two years at Kansas State University in the Physics Education Research Group. Thus, my passion for serving as a professor of physics.

Q. What is your particular area of interest?

A. My doctoral dissertation was to calculate how two electrons interact, specifically in the negative hydrogen ion and the helium atom. One of the books most cited on these topics is by J.H. McGuire, who was my doctoral advisor.

Q. What courses do you typically teach in 秋霞福利一区鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences?

A. I am responsible for teaching physics, physical science and astronomy courses. Some of these courses are designed for non-science majors, but others are for students who chose a career in the sciences, like pre-health biology, or mathematic majors.

My favorite course is calculus-based physics, the sequence PH-311 and PH-312, because of the use of calculus to derive fundamental physics equations. After all, physics is about problem-solving processes and not 鈥減lug-and chug.鈥�

Q. Why do you choose to teach at the 秋霞福利一区?

A. I like that at 秋霞福利一区 we are encouraged to share our faith with our students, in the classroom or out of it. We are encouraged to be servants, and our leadership demonstrates that by example.

I choose to teach at 秋霞福利一区 because I can share my passion for physics (and astronomy) along with sharing what I have learned from the Word of the Lord. Very often my students give me different perspectives, and thus I keep on learning, a never-ending process.

Kathy Dean

Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.