I’ve been lucky enough to have many great teachers.
I can never forget Mrs. Flannigan (3rd grade), Mr. Kerr (4th and 5th-grade science and sex education), Mr. Shea (English and my Newspaper elective), Mrs. Fithian (HS English), Mr. Danhouer (HS math and physics), Dr. Hammerly (College physics), Dr. Edgerton (Great Traditions of Asia and College Honors), Dr. Sprouse (Modern Physics and my Fiber Optics Research project), my fiery Differential Equations instructor, and so many others!
Having said this, there is one teacher who has managed to inspire me more than the rest. His name is Dr. Ismail Zahed.
He would walk into the classroom wearing jeans and a casual shirt. A piece of chalk is the only thing he brought with him. Then, he would fill up the chalkboard multiple times with extraordinary physics problems presented in a way that made the entire subject clear.
I am beyond grateful for the way this man opened my eyes to what physics is really about. His passion and enthusiasm for the material is contagious.
I have learned Electricity and Magnetism, Quantum Mechanics, and Relativity from Dr. Zahed. These classes are probably the best ones I’ve ever taken throughout my entire life.
One day, a fire alarm caused us to evacuate the physics building during one of his lectures. All of his students surrounded him outside, and he kept teaching the material from that lecture as if nothing had happened.
Thank you, Dr. Ismail Zahed, for your inspiration and for sharing with me your love of physics!
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