OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Jeremy Hoffman is a doctoral candidate in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) studying geology and geophysics as well as a member of the 2014 GCCUT cohort. Jeremey is also a song writer and performer. His songs include topics such as climate change, educational theories, and graduate student experiences. He was recently featured in an article on Upworthy for this educational song parodies.
The popular website Upworthy posted two of his videos.
Jeremy was also a recipient of the Graduate School's 2011-2012 Provost’s Distinguished Graduate Fellowship.
Why did you decided to enroll in the GCCUT program?
I chose to enroll in the GCCUT program in addition to my degree in geology because I wanted to learn about learning. I am fascinated by how people (both college-aged students and the general public) integrate new, sometimes dissonant information into their existing world views, especially with relation to scientific concepts. The GCCUT program has provided me with a critical theoretical foundation to begin designing new ways of teaching science in the classroom, online, and in public forums.
In what ways has taking part in the GCCUT program changed your thinking about teaching, learning, or higher education in general?
The GCCUT program has fundamentally changed my thinking on undergraduate and public science education. For most of my life, science classes were taught as mainly lecture-style courses, and most of my friends would exhibit a lack of enthusiasm about going to our science classes. Now, I see how the learning theory we are exposed to in GCCUT can inform purposefully-designed and interactive science courses with very little to no lecturing necessary. I think this outlook on science education is key to inspiring a department to hire me in the near future (I hope!).
Is there anything you would add about your GCCUT experience that you think would interest prospective students?
Don't worry about the "time commitment" for the GCCUT program - it's doable for people of all backgrounds and from all departments. This program will enlighten you in ways your time in lab can't even touch!
Jeremy's passion for science communication, public engagement, and outreach has lead to his current position as the Climate & Earth Science Specialist at the Science Museum of Virginia as well as Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
