June 2025: Anthony Escuadro

About Anthony

I can't remember a time when I wasn't interested in science. As a child of the 80s, I have fond memories of finding the latest issue of Odyssey magazine in the mail or recreating a science demo I saw on an episode of Mr. Wizard’s World. I owe much to my parents’ support; even though they didn't have a science background, they indulged me with the aforementioned Odyssey subscription and trips to the California Museum of Science and Industry. While I knew I wanted to pursue a career in science, I hadn't considered teaching until I was in college studying materials science. I chose this major because of the opportunities for both research and teaching. As a course assistant for my university's introductory materials science course, I discovered that I enjoyed mentoring my fellow students and developing questions and examples to simplify complex topics.

I continued to seek teaching opportunities in graduate school, but I hadn’t decided what I wanted to do after earning my Ph.D. I finally committed fully to teaching after a lunch meeting with my classmate and current AAPT Board Two Year College representative, David Marasco, who returned to Evanston a few years after graduating to meet with our advisor. During our lunch, I asked David about his experience teaching at Foothill College. I remember him saying something like, "I can see myself retiring after doing this for the rest of my career." His vote of confidence for teaching physics at a two-year college had an immediate impact on me, and after our conversation, I dedicated all my energy to following in David's footsteps.

As luck would have it, I landed my current position at Harold Washington College in the fall of 2007, and I joined AAPT shortly afterward (probably due to some advice from David). A few months into my first semester teaching, I began seeking more resources and support from AAPT, as I was quickly learning that being an effective teacher involves much more than just being a dynamic lecturer. I made it a priority to attend the 2008 Winter Meeting in Baltimore, where I realized that the heart of any organization is its people. Although I remember feeling slightly overwhelmed by the number of workshops, talks, and committee meetings on the program, I soon felt at home, especially when connecting with other two-year college faculty at the meeting. I owe so much to AAPT for supporting programs that bring two-year college faculty together. In the July 2023 member spotlight, Krista Wood mentioned the AAPT TYC New Faculty Experience, and I want to echo her thoughts on how participating in that program in 2012 and connecting with mentors like Tom O'Kuma, Dwain Desbien, Scott Schultz, and Todd Leif (along with other colleagues too numerous to name) has helped shape me into the educator that I am today.

The primary way I currently contribute to physics education outside my classroom is by helping to coordinate the PER Interest Group programs of the Organization for Physics at Two Year Colleges (OPTYCs), which unfortunately had its funding terminated by NSF earlier this month. I hope that AAPT and the larger physics education community will find ways to sustain and support programs like OPTYCs and STEP UP. While the federal government's funding priorities regarding STEM education may have changed, the critical need to improve physics education for students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives has not.