July 2026: Daniel Borrero Echeverry

About Daniel

For me, the initial hook of physics was the sheer magic of predictive math: the fact that you could take a word problem, scribble down some equations, and actually predict the outcome of a real-world experiment was mind-blowing. Later on, I realized that experimental physics is basically an excuse for creative tinkering and problem-solving, which is exactly the energy I try to bring to my students. My favorite class to teach is one I developed where students design, machine, instrument, and calibrate their own fluid dynamics apparatus from scratch. But a very close second was recently leading my Quantum Information class through testing Bell's inequality. Watching students look on students' faces when they realize that they've just shown that the universe can't be both local and real is just too cool!

As a professor trying to balance my own research with a full teaching load, I don't always have time to keep up with the latest Physics Education Research. That's why I joined the AAPT. It's a unique space to swap cool classroom ideas and network with people who genuinely care about being good teachers. Over the years, I've used AAPT meetings to present on lab activities and career development, and it completely reshaped how I think about my own department. By taking what I learned there about equity and inclusion and applying it at home, we've built a super tight-knit community—so much so that we now graduate one of the highest numbers of physics majors per faculty member in the country.

AAPT also opened the door to my broader service work, introducing me to the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA), where I now serve as Treasurer. I've loved being of service to the wider physics community, whether it's through the APS Committee for Careers and Professional Development, the Forum for Early Career Scientists, or my current role as President-elect of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. At the end of the day, whether I'm helping a student wire up a custom experiment or working on national initiatives, my goal is the same: making sure physics is an inclusive, supportive, and fun place to tinker.