A327 Zaffarano
Ames, IA 50010, USA
+1 (515) 294-2219 

jbsimon.astro 'at' gmail.com 

Jake Simon

 Assistant Professor

 Iowa State University

I enjoy teaching courses in both astronomy and physics.  In my experience, the best way to learn something is to actually do it.  Thus, I am a very strong proponent of active learning at all levels, including in-class activities, discussions, and highly interactive lectures.  Furthermore, I enjoy using state-of-the-art technology in my teaching. 

Here are the courses that I have taught and will teach, with links where appropriate.  

Computational Physics (Physics 551) 

Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology (Astronomy 150) 

Course theme: Introduce students to the power and potential pitfalls of computation in physics and to always be careful with "black box" codes 

Next semester to teach this course: Spring 2021 

Class materials/references: Computational Physics: Problem Solving with Python (Landau et al.) 

Philosophy 

Course theme: A survey of astronomy for the non-scientist, with a focus on the universe beyond our solar system: stars, black holes, galaxies, cosmology, life in the universe.  

Next semester to teach this course: Fall 2020 

Class materials/references: Openstax Astronomy (free and online)