Teaching

Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy at Central Wyoming College

I teach chemistry, physics, and astronomy at CWC. My goal is for students to leave each course seeing the world a little differently — recognizing that the same principles governing a chemical reaction in a flask also govern the nuclear furnace of a star, or the electrical signals in their own nervous system. These aren’t separate subjects. They’re different windows into the same universe.

General Chemistry I (CHEM 1020)

We start with the tools of chemistry — units, measurement, and the language chemists use to describe matter. From there we build toward the periodic table, chemical nomenclature, and stoichiometry — learning to read and write chemical equations and figure out what’s actually happening quantitatively in a reaction. Atomic theory and bonding come later, once students have a foundation to hang them on. No prior chemistry assumed, though comfort with algebra helps.

General Chemistry II (CHEM 1030)

The sequel. We dig into equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry — the ideas that explain why reactions happen, how fast they go, and whether they’ll go at all. By the end, students have a solid foundation for organic chemistry, biochemistry, or any other science that builds on general chemistry.

Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 2420)

Carbon chemistry. We spend a semester learning how carbon atoms bond to each other and everything else, and what happens when those bonds break and form in new ways. Heavy emphasis on mechanisms — understanding why reactions happen, not just memorizing that they do. Lab work builds practical skills in synthesis and identification.

Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 2440)

We continue into the functional groups that matter most in biology and medicine — aldehydes, ketones, amines, carboxylic acids — and introduce spectroscopic methods for identifying unknown compounds. If you’ve ever wondered how a chemist figures out the structure of a molecule they’ve never seen before, this is where you find out.

College Physics I (PHYS 1110/1310)

The first semester of the introductory physics sequence. We cover mechanics, thermodynamics, and waves — the physics of motion, energy, heat, and the behavior of matter you can see and measure directly. Good physics is about building intuition for how the world works, not just grinding through equations.

College Physics II (PHYS 1120/1320)

The second semester picks up with electricity and magnetism, then moves into light, optics, and modern physics. We finish the sequence with quantum mechanics and relativity — ideas that are genuinely strange and genuinely true, and that changed everything about how humans understand reality.

Survey of Astronomy (ASTR 1050)

From our solar system to the edge of the observable universe. We cover the planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, and the big bang — and along the way, we use the same physics from the introductory sequence to understand all of it. No prior science required. Just curiosity.

Fundamentals of the Physical Universe (PHYS 1090)

A conceptual tour of physics and chemistry for students who aren’t science majors. We move fast and cover a lot of ground — motion, energy, electricity, light, atoms, reactions — but the emphasis is always on understanding over calculation. Science isn’t just for scientists, and this course is designed to prove it.