Personal website of Simon Birrer
Teaching and Mentoring
I consider teaching and mentoring students as an integral part of being a scientist. Since the beginning of my undergraduate studies, I actively tought and menored students, ranging from senior highschool to advanced PhD students.
Teaching
As a PhD student at ETH Zurich I had the opportunity to contribute to the teaching efforts at the Institute of Astronomy. During my bachelor and masters degree, I got employed by the D-MATH at ETH as a teaching assistant for undergraduate mathematics courses. Througout my studies and my PhD at ETH, I coached high school students to prepare them for physics competitions.
- Advanced Physics Lab: Advanced bachelor level lab course. I was responsible for the student telescope operations and mentored students. I got awarded the Physics Lab Award for experimental and teaching innovation.
- Astrophysics I: 3rd year undergraduate course. Teaching assistant, taught weekly exercise classes, ETH Zurich
- Physics I: first year undergraduate course (Physics & Maths students). Teaching assistant, taught weekly exercise classes.
- Analysis II: first year undergraduate course (Physics & Maths students). Teaching assistant, taught weekly exercise classes.
- Swiss Physics Olympiads: Swiss Physics Olympiads: Coaching high school students. Lectures and exercises to prepare students for the International Physics Olympiad.
Mentoring students
During my PhD at ETH Zurich I had the chance to mentor and work with Bachelor's and Master's students. At UCLA I am involved in the mentoring of PhD and undergraduate students.
- PhD thesis, Daniel Gilman, 2017 - present
- PhD thesis, Anowar Shajib, 2017 - present
- Undergraduate project, Eden Molina, Fall 2018
- Master's thesis, Felix A. Kuhn, Fall 2016
- Semester thesis, Felix A. Kuhn, Fall 2016
- Semester thesis, Florian Lienhard, Spring 2016
- Semester thesis, Felix Mayor, Spring 2016
- Master thesis, Cyril Welschen, Fall 2015 - Spring 2016
- Semester thesis, Kevin Fusshoeller, Spring 2015
- Semester thesis, Janik Andrejkovic, Spring 2014