The Graduate School: Teach, Bake, Travel

An article published on the Graduate School’s website highlights the work of Mike Galczynski, a PhD student in TLPL focusing on science education. The article describes how Galczynski has been able to combine his three passions—teaching, baking, and travel—through his academic and professional pursuits.

For instance, he’s currently working to organize a study abroad program in Costa Rica that will examine how sustainable technologies are used to address climate change.

“I believe that it is the responsibility of educators to help bring out the best in their students, and to ensure that they are well-rounded – that is, able to handle the complex and diverse challenges that our world faces,” Galczynski told the Graduate School.

“For example, climate change is not only an ‘engineering problem,’ it involves technology, policy, law, economics, health, and many other areas. Going abroad opens the door to looking at the world differently, seeing something first-hand and solving global issues with an interdisciplinary approach,” he said.

Building an immersion program, the article posits, is similar to baking in that “it’s a science, and it’s meant to be shared.” And Galczynski’s students seem to agree, having high praise for his pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, according to the article.

Mike Galczynski is a PhD student in TLPL and a lecturer in the College of Engineering.