Hesam Oveys

I'd be studying and researching physics, particularly astro- and theoretical physics. There is so much I don't yet understand, and the universe has always intrigued me. I wish I had more time to learn more about it.

Sub sandwiches (“heros” in NYC). To me, they're a complete meal, delicious, and can be made a variety of different ways: hot, cold, turkey, chicken, roast beef, healthy, unhealthy, etc.

Peaky Blinders. It's a great show — I highly recommend it.

Although my background is in probability theory (branching processes), and I like to keep up to date with it, a lot of my recent focus has been on mathematics education. I like to read articles about what works in the classroom, what doesn't, and study why.

Physics 2. Physics has always been a huge interest of mine. A second semester physics course generally covers topics in electricity, relativity, and magnetism, among other topics. One of the reasons it was my favorite class was because I took it during my last year of college. By then, I was quite versed in mathematics, so during class, I could focus exclusively on the underlying theory. This allowed me to get engrossed in the concepts and readings, and not worry too much about solving the problems, which is often the most challenging part of a physics course.

If you asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, “teacher” would not be in the top 10. In fact, I didn't look forward to being required to TA in graduate school. But after the first weeks, I absolutely fell in love with it. There is so much satisfaction in understanding a concept so well, and then also conveying that understanding in a clear, logical way. In addition, you're working directly with the students and making a real, positive impact.