My appreciation and respect for Dr. Stephanie Fiorenza goes above and beyond our galaxies... Pun Intended... But seriously, from day one in her class I knew she was someone special and I got the privilege to take her class.
Physics and Astronomy are not easy subjects to learn. Luckily, having a teacher like Dr. Fiorenza, it wasn't a problem learning astronomy. Dr. Fiorenza made the subject look fun and interesting every topic we covered. She shines in making the difficult subject looked effortless! It's not easy being a teacher, especially for a subject that not many people get. I admire Dr. Fiorenza for her strength, kindness, and knowledge. I would be in contact with her every week with topics I didn't really grasps. She would always answer me and had so much patience for all my elaborate questions.
We have kept in communication since I finished her class. I love any chance I get to talk to her. I recently sat down with her to talk about the subjects of physics and astronomy, being a teacher during the pandemic, and of course had to ask her the question we all want answered: does extraterrestrial life exists?
Please take a read!
Explain to the readers who you are and what do you teach?
I am Stephanie Fiorenza. I teach Physics and Astronomy.
What made you go into teaching?
I just found that teaching was something I was always passionate about. I was always interested in the universe and how it works. I was always big in academia. I always got a lot of fulfillment out of studying and doing well on assignments. It was like that from high school to graduate school. In graduate school, a lot of my professors were emphasizing the “research” aspect of Astrophysics. But I was finding myself more into teaching. I also found that the doors for teaching were the ones that were really opening for me. I was just drawn more to teaching.
What does education mean to you?
I think the overall purpose of it is to teach people how to think… And that is actually what I wrote about in my statement of teaching! It’s a statement that explains, what is your idea of teaching and how do you approach it? My approach is teaching students how to think. I think Astronomy is one mode to learn how to think. Nobody in a job interview is going to ask you to list the order of the planets. (I laugh) Unless you’re going to be an Astronomy teacher! But what they are going to be interested in is whether or not you can think because there is no concrete answer to a lot of the problems in the real world. As you go through life, you’re going to encounter problems, and a lot of times it’ll be problems nobody has a solution to! They’re unique problems or roadblocks and you need to figure out how you’re going to go about solving those problems! If you can do that, even in assignments in school, that’s one way to learn how to be a better critical thinker.
That’s beautiful. So, you kind of gave this answer but what is something you love about teaching, and what is something you hate about it?
I just love when students have those “lightbulb moments”. And sometimes they’re really dramatic! There was this one time when I was teaching Astronomy lab in person, I had the students do this pre-lab assignment. I don’t think some of them really understood it… I remember this one student, there was something she didn’t quite understand in the pre-lab. She submitted the assignment prior to coming to class and when she came to class, I did my little in-person lecture before they break into groups and do the lab. As I was explaining something that she has gotten wrong on the pre-lab, I just saw her face! She just lit up! You saw the connection and I was just like, “YES! You understand that now and now when you do the lab, it’s all going to make sense!” (I laugh) Sometimes there’s work where you come in and it’s already easy. If that’s how it is, you’re not really growing! There has to be that level of discomfort and then when it clicks, it’s the most rewarding thing for the students as well as for the instructor. I’m sorry, these are longwinded answers! (We laugh)
No, you’re good! I love it!
If I’m being honest, as time goes on – and I feel it wasn’t like this several years ago – I’m noticing students’ attitudes about education are changing… They do expect it to be easy. They do expect to get A’s without having to do a lot of work. They sometimes put me in a position that is really unfair… Like, for example, if a student misses the bulk of the assignments and doesn’t submit them, then at the end of the semester they come to me. They say, “Can’t I just make up all my work?” or “Well, you know I’m failing this class!” or “If I don’t pass – I don’t graduate”. They kind of put that responsibility on me like all of a sudden it’s my fault that they’re not graduating because they didn’t keep up with their assignments. But they’re adults. They’re not little kids… I’ll try to reach out but if they don’t take responsibility for their work, they have to deal with those consequences. One of my least favorite things is when they put their failures on me… It’s not fun. (She laughs)
Yeah, people like to point fingers. They don’t like to point it at themselves. What was it like teaching during the pandemic?
Well, for me, most things were not that different because I had been teaching online well before the pandemic. I had an interesting time with this when teaching in both online and in-person classes… About a year before the pandemic, I thought to myself, “You know, what else can I do to better my online classes?” and then I thought, “I think I’ll start recording my in-person lectures and put them in the online courses”. That way the students online literally have everything the in-person students have! I started making videos and then when the pandemic hit, it was unbelievable! I was like, “Oh, my God! I’m actually prepared for this!” (I laugh) The students that were in-person that were now suddenly having to switch to online, have all these video recordings of me giving these live lectures in exactly the same way that they were getting it in person!
That’s awesome!
Yeah, I was so glad I listened to that intuition!
You know, I was always curious about that when taking your class online in 2020! I do remember you had the video of a PowerPoint with your voice recording and you had the in-person lectures. I was always thinking, did she plan this? (I laugh)
I just listened to this gut instinct… And I did it. I’m really glad I did it because for some students that weren’t expecting that to happen and wanted that live lecture, they still got it.
Yeah, and you got two different perspectives on the same topic! That’s what I really loved about your class. That’s just fascinating… So, we’re seeing a lot more problems come out and being addressed between budgeting (that’s always been a problem). We’re hearing more about budgeting. We’re also hearing more about students being worse and worse towards the teachers. Parents are getting involved, even for kids that are college students! Now that everything is at home, the parents are now more involved. Do you think that was going to organically happen eventually or do you think the pandemic had something to do with it?
It's hard for me to talk about budgeting… I do think the pandemic played a role in the same way it’s playing a role now! We had to find a lot of money to pay for unemployment. All that money that we put into it- I think that’s part of the reason that inflation is out of control right now. Nothing is free. If you take money that’s set aside to pay for one thing and use it to pay for something else, you’re eventually going to need to figure out where to get the money to pay for the thing you once had money for but don’t anymore.
Do you think there will ever be a solution to budgeting? Or do you think there will always be a problem?
This is hard because I don’t play a large role in budgeting at my job. I guess one potential solution, because a lot of money is from the state, is convincing the state we need more money. But again, if they give education more money – somebody else might suffer.
Have you experienced any struggles with the budget or with students’ behaviors? Or parents’ behavior being aggressive towards you?
For budgeting, I had some students who didn’t have enough money for high-speed internet at their house. There was a little bit of that, but I know some people were able to work it out and get the high-speed internet. I also know CSN was providing laptops to students in need. That was a solution for those students who didn’t have the equipment for these online classes. The behavior? I have experienced some aggressive behavior from students. It just came down to the student not doing what they were supposed to do and then they were expecting me to have them magically “makeup” a whole semester's worth of coursework in two weeks. But unfortunately, that wouldn't be fair to everybody else who did everything they were supposed to do.
Many students suffer from depression and high anxiety. If you’re actually paying attention in college, we all have our issues. I even had mental breakdowns during some of my exams! (I laugh)
I’ve had that happen to me, too! I remember taking a Calc-3 exam as an undergraduate… I was looking at the problems and I was like, “Oh, my God!” I really did do all the practice problems and homework – I studied so much for it and it was really hard! The clock was ticking and I couldn’t finish them all. I got really upset. I think you’re right, that happens to the best of us.
It’s part of being human. You want to do good and sometimes you just can’t do it all. It’s okay.
For a lot of people in admissions offices, if they’re looking at your transcript and everything is an ‘A’, they’re actually sometimes suspicious about it. They’re not looking for somebody who’s focusing on perfectionism. Perfectionism can be to a fault. If you’re focusing on all the nit-picky little details, then something else is suffering. They actually prefer a well-rounded person. When I’m accepting students into the research program that I manage at CSN, if I see a student that I can see struggled during a few semesters, or whose GPA wasn’t the greatest initially but then they started improving, that shows growth and that’s what I’m interested in.
That’s fascinating! I was never a student who cared about grades. But coming back to school, I have managed to become a straight ‘A’ student. I think that’s more because I went to my professor when I had problems. I kept in communication with the professors to keep up. That really helped.
Just be the best that you can be.
It’s crazy because there are a lot of students who feel they must have the perfect grade and GPA. I was fortunate to take years off of school when I graduated from high school, which not a lot of my friends could do. I didn’t go right into the next institution. And now I see a lot of my friends, who weren’t able to do that, I’m seeing more pressure on them and who they are because they had to keep going. Sometimes you have to do that. I was just fortunate enough to take a break and was able to know who I was. And then I went into college. I get to be the person I am today.
You said something that resonated with me. “I was able to know who I was”. I think a lot of students are jumping into college and they’re young. There are benefits to maintaining the momentum going from high school to college. But if you need a year to just work and save money and figure out who you are, there is nothing wrong with that. Also, if you were good in every subject, would you really know who you are and what you wanted? That’s not how it is. I’m not good at everything. (She takes a moment) For instance, sports that involve balls… I’m really bad! (We laugh)
What advice would you give to anyone trying to be a teacher?
Honestly, get to know your audience. That is so important. Try and ask your students questions about themselves. Through the years I have done this, and it helps to understand who I’m teaching and how to relate to them. A lot of my students have very different backgrounds and experiences than I had when I was an undergrad. A lot of people have kids while getting their undergraduate degrees, and I didn’t have to deal with that. A lot of students are struggling with different things than what I was struggling with. So, it helps to know my students.
Astronomy. (We laugh; as I say it in a semi-disgusted, but also, intrigued way) I had to ask this question… When did you know you wanted to get into this subject? When did you know you wanted to get into teaching? I guess the better question, for me, is why this subject?! (I laugh)
When I was really young, maybe six years old, I remember my neighbor had this ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ and some Astronomy books. I just remember looking at the pictures and I can’t explain it… (She smiles) I had this strange knowing, even as a six-year-old, that this was what I was supposed to do. I felt this was what I was supposed to study! As I got a little bit older, I investigated that interest. I realized that I wanted answers to some pretty big questions like, “Why are we here?” and “How did the universe come to be?” That’s honestly how it started. I have been exploring those questions for a long time now. Of course, I don’t have “the Answer”, (I laugh) but I have my own personal truth. (She laughs) It has helped me along my journey in life. As I got older, it evolved into a more spiritual journey.
Why do you think astronomy is important?
In my very first semester as a graduate student, I had this professor come and give a seminar to me and my peers. He asked a question… He asked essentially the same question you’re asking, “Why study astrophysics?” And he listened to everybody’s responses. There were some self-righteous and “proper” sounding answers, etc. Then he simply answered, “Honestly, it’s just cool”. People just think it’s cool and it’s interesting! Will the world go on whether we understand the physics of the universe? Probably. (We laugh) He just gave this honest, raw, and humble answer! It was just so cool to hear him be like, “You know what, there’s actually no serious immediate need for this knowledge”. We’re not curing cancer with it – it’s just interesting and it helps us live our lives more efficiently, in some cases. Astrophysicists actually invented the Internet! We have definitely benefited from it. But then somebody could be studying infrared galaxies and how does that help the world? It may just pique somebody’s interest. (I laugh) I think some people also study it because they are looking for a sense of purpose. I think a lot of people do want to better understand where things came from.
Are there a lot of careers in astronomy?
You can apply for jobs in industry. There are government jobs that you can apply for. You can also be a science writer! I have seen people go to school and focus on math and science and then transition into writing! You can also teach! It is tricky, though. Most places require a Master's to be an educator, and it’s possible to focus as an undergrad on astronomy and astrophysics and then apply for a graduate program focused on teaching. For me, I ended up going to grad school specifically for a Ph.D. astrophysics and focusing a bit more on research. Once you have your Ph.D. in physics or astrophysics, you do have a better shot at getting a job like the one I have in academia. You can teach college classes and write grants to do research if you work at an institution that wants you to focus on teaching. I mostly teach and I can do research projects on the side if I want to. I knew I didn’t want to go down the research-focus path because I was more passionate about teaching.
Do you have any idols that you look up to in the astronomy industry?
I was always a Stephen Hawking fan. Of course, most people know he passed away… It’s great that he was with us for as long as he was. He was one of my first real astrophysics reads. I always had this interest in astronomy when I was young, and I saw his book on a reading list. I was like, “Of course, I need to read that one”! (I laugh) I read it and I was just so intrigued by how much we already knew about the universe, but also that there was so much that we could potentially learn. And he could explain everything in a way that made sense!
He is very inspirational. So, what is your favorite thing to teach in Astronomy, and what is your least favorite?
I really love the extraterrestrial life conversation that I have at the end of my AST 103 course. When I lived in New York, I would sometimes strike up a conversation with somebody while riding the subway or hanging out in a bar, and as soon as people found out I did astrophysics, there were always two questions that popped up… Are aliens real? And… explain string theory! (I laugh) I would be like, “Sure! Let me get another drink and explain string theory in five minutes!” (We laugh) I always love asking my students if they think extraterrestrial life exists and why they think what they think. And the conversation is coming full circle, back to teaching you how to think. I am always more interested in why my students think what they think than whether or not they think extraterrestrial life exists. My least favorite thing to teach… I was never a big fan of the rocket ships and sci-fi stuff. I was never a big fan of sci-fi movies.
Interesting!
I know, it’s shocking, but I’m not a big fan of ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Star Trek’. I just don’t have a big interest in keeping up with all the technicalities like space exploration.
Now I have to ask… Do aliens exist?
I can’t give you a yes or no answer to this question… There are arguments for both sides that are actually really good! I also don’t want to bias anyone.
Now… If you had to pick a sci-fi movie that you actually like, what would that be?
Interstellar. It took me a long time to sit down and watch it. But it’s good because the physics involved in the movie is actually reasonable. I’m my own worst enemy when watching sci-fi movies. I want to sit and relax, but then I find myself trying to figure out if certain things are feasible or if they’re physically possible… it’s too much! (We laugh)
You’ve had an impressive resume. So, what’s your favorite job you have had?
I honestly think teaching at CSN is the best job anybody could’ve paired me up with! The universe sent me exactly where I need to be. I’m so grateful for that. Another job I just adored was teaching for Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. They have this summer program where talented thirteen- to fifteen-year-old kids go. And I taught them college-level Astronomy - even more advanced stuff than I teach in both my current AST 103 and 104 courses! They were really smart students! I loved working for that program. It was intense but I loved it!
What’s your advice for anyone learning Astronomy?
Just be okay with not being perfect. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get it at the snap of a finger. I didn’t always get certain topics in physics and astronomy at the first presentation of it. It took time. It’s not an easy subject.
What are your favorite things to do, hobbies-wise?
I love to travel! I also love to travel blog. But it’s not serious and in public. I’ll just share photos with family and friends. I love to do these really elaborate road trips! Last summer, I drove from Las Vegas to Canada and back myself! I stopped at national parks and took photos. I would post them and share my journey. I love to explore!
If you could describe yourself, using three adjectives, what would they be and why?
Ambitious. Adventurous. But also, empathetic. Those are the three that first come to mind. I’m very ambitious. I'm not necessarily the smartest person in the room, but my ambition and passion drive me. Adventurous, I just can’t get enough of experiencing new things and meeting new people. Empathetic, I feel my empathy resonates through my courses, in the sense that, I provide a variety of different types of tools. I have videos and PDFs, and you can email me to understand a lecture. When I was an undergrad, I remember feeling at times like I couldn’t understand certain things. I want students to get the material and a lot of times different methods of learning really help with that. So, I try to give everyone different ways to learn.
To my surprise, I admire and appreciate her even more after our interview! It's important to remember teachers are human too. We all have lives. We all work hard for the common good. Dr. Fiorenza is a hard worker and I'm so honored she found the time to spend the whole afternoon with me, literally. Take a moment to reach out to a teacher that means something to you and just say, "Thank you". Teachers deserve to be appreciated. Teachers deserve more.
Thank you, Stephanie Fiorenza! Your students are lucky to have you.
If you or someone you know have a story that you would like to share, please contact me. This is all experience for me. I would love to share any and all stories I can!
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