POSTDOC
Princeton University
Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows Program

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Dr. Matthew Trawick,
the Aaron Lemonick Fellow, graduated from Oberlin College in 1991 and completed his PhD in Physics at the Ohio State University in 1998. After joining the Physics Department, Dr. Trawick first used research-guided interactive methods in teaching Physics 103/104 and instituted informal weekly meetings of other preceptors in the course to exchange practical pedagogical insights and methods. Dr.Trawick administered a concept-oriented diagnostic exam to the same students and uncovered a lack of fundamental comprehension, which has helped lead to a re-thinking of the introductory course curriculum and the development of a new course for under-prepared students. Dr. Trawick then helped teach "Science, Technology and Public Policy," in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. The course emphasized the ways in which science and technology can affect our political and social landscape, and also examined how scientific and technical analysis, sometimes involving very simple "back-of-the-envelope" calculations, can be used as a guide to effective policy. In addition to leading weekly discussions with students, Dr. Trawick was also co-advisor to a task force of students who studied the problem of eutrophication in local streams. The students examined water quality data and land-use patterns and suggested policy alternatives that might improve the health of the streams' ecosystems. Matthew also assisted in an outreach program, in which students in Physics 111 taught in local schools, and has been working on the AI training workshop with the Teacher Preparation Program. He has simultaneously been performing research with Professor Paul Chaikin in studying diblock copolymers, which can undergo micro-phase separation and self-assemble into periodic structures with a length scale of tens of nanometers.