Astronomy’s greatest contribution to society is how it influences our perspective of life on Earth. Therefore, I view teaching and outreach as an essential part of being a professional astronomer.
Courses I’ve Taught:
I have been a teaching assistant for the following courses at UCLA:
- Astro 180 (Astrophysics Laboratory) – Fall 2021, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Springs 2024, Fall 2024
- Astro 3 (Nature of the Universe) – Spring 2021, Fall 2022, Winter 2024
- Astro 127 (Stellar Atmospheres, Interiors, and Evolution) – Winter 2021
- Astro 5 (Life in the Universe) – Winter and Fall 2020
- Astro 4 (Cosmic Catastrophes) – Spring 2020
- Physics 5AL (Physics lab for life science majors) – Fall 2019
At UCLA, I received Outstanding Teaching Awards for the 2019-2020, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024 academic years based on anonymous teaching evaluations from students.
Pedagogy
In a continued effort to improve my teaching practice, I’ve recently completed two pedagogy courses:
- UC San Diego Pathways to Scientific Teaching
- University of California Observatories ISEE Professional Development Program
Outreach
The following are significant ongoing and past outreach efforts I have been a part of:
- Twitch – With my partner, I do monthly streams about topics in astronomy on the Astronomy Arcade Twitch channel
- UCLA Planetarium – during my time at UCLA, I was a regular volunteer presenter and logistical coordinator for the UCLA planetarium. I also created the planetarium YouTube channel during the COVID pandemic.
- Astronomy Live! Summer Observing Workshop – after a hiatus during the COVID pandemic, I restarted UCLA’s observing workshop for LA high school students with the help of other grad students
- Active Galactic – As an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, I produced content for the YouTube channel Active Galactic, run by Prof. Chris Impey.
Aidan Gibbs, Ph.D. 