Abstract: Physics majors often hear about graduate school and academic careers, but what does life as a professor actually look like day to day? In this talk, I’ll share my path from undergraduate physics student to physics professor and physics education researcher at San José State University. I’ll talk about what graduate school was like, how I chose my research area and career path, what skills and experiences mattered along the way, and what my work looks like now. I’ll also discuss work–life balance, the realities of academia, and some of the things I wish I had known as an undergraduate. This talk is intended to give students a candid look at one possible career path in physics and to answer questions about graduate school, research, teaching, and academic life.
Bio: Cassandra Paul is a professor at San José State University in the Physics and Astronomy Department and the Science Education Program where she teaches both introductory physics, and master’s level science education courses. Dr. Paul’s main research efforts involve how instructors use active-learning and asset-based pedagogies, the ways in which these pedagogies support equity, and faculty professional development activities that support these efforts. Dr. Paul is also very interested in better understanding the relationships between student assessments, instructor feedback, grading practices and how these factors determine student success in the classroom, and what implications this has for student retention and equity. She has also been instrumental in founding SJSU’s Learning Assistant program, a national model that has been shown to support historically marginalized student populations. These research efforts have resulted in multiple NSF grants. In 2023, Dr. Paul was honored as SJSU’s “Outstanding Professor,” an award recognizing a professor for excellence in teaching effectiveness and service to the San José State campus community.
