Christopher "bowties" Miller

Background

I am a STEM educator combining nuanced views of artistic and scientific practices to explore new pedagogical presentations of knowledge production.

Teaching/Mentorship

Courses Supported as Technical Instructor (2022-)

  • 8.01 (F22 L03 - Joe Formaggio [95 students], F22 L04 - Mohamed Abdelhafez [109 students], F22 L07 - Or Hen [62 students])
  • 8.02 (S23 L07 - Joe Checkelsky [82 students], S23 L08 - Peter Dourmaskin [67 students])
  • 8.012 (F22 - Lina Necib)
  • 8.022 (S23 - Tracy Slatyer)

Advising / Formal Mentorship

  • Mentor (Spring 2023) in the Physics Mentoring Program for 8.02
  • Mentor for the Physics Directed Reading Program on the topic of Quantum Optics (coherent and squeezed states)
  • Mentor (Fall 2022) in the Physics Mentoring Program for 8.01
  • Completed 8.S998 Pedagogy and Practice evidence-based mentor training course
  • Traditional Associate Advisor (2020-2021) for 13 first years alongside Jocelyn Heywood - Senior Staff Associate, Advising and Academic Performance, OFY
  • Mentor (2020) for Edgerton Center Engineering Design Workshop
    (helped a team build muon detector from scratch)
  • Traditional Associate Advisor (2019-2020) for 4 first years alongside Jesse Thaler - Professor of Physics; Director, IAIFI
  • Seminar Associate Advisor (2018-2019) for 12 first years in the Edgerton Center Engineering, Art, and Science seminar alongside the well-known Ed Moriarty; K-12 Maker Team Leader (and my first year advisor) Diane Brancazio; and fellow associate advisor Talia Blum

Activities in MIT Edgerton Center

  • Student Project Lab (4-409) Assistant Shop Manager (2019-2021)
    • Maintained a makerspace to facilitate a community of student-engineers from middle schoolers through professional alumni accessibly sharing advice on personal, class, and research projects
    • Recruited and scheduled 12 mentors to provide monitored access to students in addition to weekly hours in which I held a safety orientation for new users
    • Scheduled and conducted weekly training workshops on design for and operation of digital fabrication tools (3D printers, laser cutter, vinyl cutter) as well as drill presses, saws, a glass fusing kiln, a sewing machine, soldering tools, and/or electronics test equipment
    • Developed and co-taught a month-long virtual class on digital fabrication of pinball machines (assembled 24 108-piece kits, produced 231 student-designed parts)
    • Assessed the need for ordering and organizing tools, materials, and storage in addition to maintenance, repair, planning, and mentoring activities
  • Volunteer Makerlodge Mentor (2018-2019)

Past MIT Courses Taken

Physics

Mathematics

  • 18.022: Multivariable Calculus
  • 18.032: Differential Equations (Grader)
  • 18.700: Linear Algebra (Done Right)
  • 18.100B: Real Analysis
  • 18.101: Analysis on Manifolds
  • 18.103: Fourier Analysis
  • 18.152: Partial Differential Equations

Art

  • 4.301: Intro to Artistic Experimentation [Daemons]
  • 4.322: Intro to 3D Artwork
  • 4.314: Intro to Photography
  • 4.373: Adv Projects in ACT [Color]
  • 4.314: Adv Workshop in Art & Transdisciplinary Research [Interspecies Ecologies]
  • 4.368: Studio Seminar in Art & Public Sphere [Nuclear Aesthetics]
  • 21M.803: Prison Mural Painting Project
  • 21M.863: Exploring the Dramatic Imagination
  • 4.601: Intro to Art History
  • MAS.377: How to Write (and Talk, and Think) about Objects
  • STS.074: Art, Craft, Science

Other

  • EC.A790: Engineering, Art, and Science
  • 21W.031: Explorations In Communicating About Science & Technology
  • 16.S685: Computational Methods (MATLAB for Aero/Astro)
  • 7.016: Intro Biology (Biochemical focus)
  • 5.111: Principles of Chemical Science (as opposed to 3.09fun)

Past Activities

MIT Rocket Team

  • Avionics sensor simulation interfaces
  • Kalman+Madgwick sensor fusion filters
  • Dispersion analysis plugin for supplemental FAA paperwork
  • NAR L1 Rocketry Certification
  • Co-ran L1 construction session for new members
  • Outreach for engineering careers

MIT ESP Teaching

  • Splash 2022 - The Atom: Theory and Experiment
  • Splash 2017 - What's the Matter
  • Spark, Splash 2018-2019 - Atomic Theory I-III
  • Spark 2018 - Broad History of American Politics
  • Splash 2018 - What is a Vector
  • Spark 2019 - Geometry

General STEM Outreach

  • ClubChem magic shows at USASEF (2018) and MIT Parents Weekend (2019)
  • Physics at career fair for HS students
  • MIT Museum presentations about Rocket Team
  • Consulting for physics demos
  • MIT Northeast Regional Science Bowl: timekeeper (2018)
  • MIT Science Olympiad volunteer: Picture This (2018, 2019), WiFi Lab (2023)
  • Cambridge Science Festival volunteer (2022)

High School Achievements

  • Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Key in Critical Essay
  • Best of Show - Ebensburg Christmas Gingerbread Contest
  • 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd Holiday Window Painting Contests
  • CACCC + Allied Artists Art Achievement Award at CACCC Young Artists Exhibit
  • Senior Computer Science, Engineering Technology, Math Awards
  • The Challenge Program Academic Excellence, STEM Awards
  • 1st, 2nd Penn State Altoona Math Competition
  • 1st IU8 PA STEM Competition (2016)
  • Student of the Month (April 2015, February 2016)
  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • National Merit Commended Student

Technology Student Association

  • PA-TSA State Conference Judge (2022) for:
    • Data Science and Analytics HS
    • Technical Design
    • Electrical Applications
  • PA-TSA Region 8 Judge (2018-2022) for:
    • Coding (x3)
    • Software Development (x3)
    • Technical Design
    • Microcontroller Design
  • Former PA state finalist (2014-2017) in:
    • Software Development (x3 [twice 2nd place])
    • Electronic Research and Experimentation (x2)
    • Tech Bowl Written (MS)
    • Tech Bowl (MS+HSx2)
    • Energy Sources (MS)
    • Engineering Design
    • Scivis
    • Electrical Applications (MS)
    • PA-Robotics
    • Video Game Design (MS+HS)

Technologies/Media

Technologies

Media

Contact

bowties (at) alum (dot) mit (dot) edu

I wear bowties on Tuesdays.