Teaching at the University of Amsterdam
As a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam I teach at bachelor and master level and have been involved in many bachelor and master projects. The last few years I have also been the honours-coordinator for the UvA physics programme.
Teaching for the 2018-2019 academic year:
1] Introduction to (astro-)particle physics
- Bachelor year 2 (Feb-Mar), co-lecturer: Patrick Decowski.
- This introduction course covers a wide range of topics: from Rutherford scattering, nuclear physics, particle detectors, (mathematical) symmetries in physics, particle accelerators, relativistic kinematics, astro-particle physics, the discoveries leading up to quarks and the other particles of the Standard Model, forces, and a first introduction to Feynman diagrams. We end with a lecture discussing what we do not yet know and what Patrick and I are currently working on.
2] Particle Physics I
- Master (Sep-Nov), co-lecturer: Wouter Hulsbergen
- This course in the Particle Physics master programme discusses the theoretical basis of the electroweak sector of the Standard Model. The Lecture notes contain all topics and exercises. Wouter covers the first (and largest) part of the lecture series and I discuss the electroweak symmetry breaking: the Higgs mechanism.
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3] Introduction to programming (Python)
- Bachelor year 1 (Sep-Dec), co-lecturer: Martijn Stegeman
- Despite all the mathematics courses in the physics curriculum physic students quickly learn that there are many problems do not have a (simple) analytic solution and that computing skills are crucial to solve them. In this course, designed as an introduction to scientific programming, we focus on solving physics/mathematics problems and we cover exercises in four areas: mathematics, numerical techniques, simulations and 'big-data'. More details in the slides of our opening lecture. (in Dutch).
- In 2016 we received a grant from SURF as part of their
'stimuleringsregeling open en online onderwijs 2016' program. This allowed us execute out
proposal and
transform the course to an open, online course for all students in the science faculty.
An additional (small) Grassroots grant allowed us to develop animation for lectures in the regular physics program.
- Talks about the course:
- - 11/2016: ICAB conference
- - 12/2017: workshop Python programming during the WND conference
- - 01/2018: talk and discussion with staf-physicists at Groningen University
Teaching at PhD schools
As part of their training, PhD students also attend (international) PhD schools, where they attend lectures in advanced topics. Here are the schools I participated in during the last five years:
- 1] Terascale statistics school 2018
- February 19-23 2018 at DESY (Hamburg, Germany)
- Lecture on basic concepts of statistics for an 'analysis walk-through'. If you want to have a go, just download the data-set from the wbisteand have a look at the slides and exercises
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- 2] Pre-conference school for LASNPA & WONP-NURT Joint Conference
- October 19-20 at InSTEC (Havana, Cuba)
- Lecture on electroweak symmetry breaking in the Standard Model
- 3] Introduction to the Terascale 2015
- April 20-24 2015 at DESY (Hamburg, Germany)
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- Lecture on Higgs physics (slides)
- Hands-on (statistics) exercises with intro slides .
- 4] Joint Belgian Dutch German Graduate (BND) school 2014
- August 25 - September 5 2014 at Rolduc (Kerkrade)
- Lecture on Higgs physics. With the theory part done on the blackboard you can only look at the presentation of the experimental part and the exercises .
- 5] HASCO school 2014
- July 10- August 1 2014 at Gottingen University (Germany)
- Lecture on statistics with the goal to perform an 'Higgs analysis walkthrough' during the exercise sessions. On the website you can find the slides, the fake datasets and the exercises
- 6] HASCO school 2013
- July 7-19 2013 at Gottingen University (Germany)
- Lecture on statistics with the goal to perform an 'Higgs analysis walkthrough' during the exercise sessions. On the website you can find the slides, the fake datasets and the exercises
- 7] Introductory Statistics School 2013 for the Helmholtz Alliance at DESY (Germany).
- March 18-22 2013 at Gottingen University (Germany)
- Lecture on statistics with the goal to perform an 'Higgs analysis walkthrough' during the exercise sessions. On the website you can find the slides, the fake datasets and the exercises
As a bonus for reading until the bottom of the page here the link to my
coffee-time lecture on Poisson Errors. Discuss it with your colleagues.