Physics Club Science Cafe with the Provost of Cal Poly Pomona Dr. Marten denBoer

Physics Club Science Cafe with the Provost of Cal Poly Pomona Dr. Marten denBoer was recently held at the local Applebee's on January 20th 2015.

Science Cafe is an informal seminar over dinner with the physics majors and it is a great opportunity for the students to learn about what people do with their physics degrees. Prof. Homeyra Sadaghiani helped plan this event. Dr. Marten den Boer received his baccalaureate and doctoral degree in physics and ended up as a provost. The physics students got a chance to learn what it is a provost actually does and they were able to ask him questions about how his academic journey led him to his particular career. Dr. denBoer also shared some personal stories with the students that helped steer him into certain directions. It is important to have events like this that are informal because then the students don't feel as pressured to ask the "right" questions. They have to freedom to discuss things that may not be completely academic but still have an impact on their paths in life. He was excited to talk to students and tell him about his life but he also asked the students what problems he could address to administrators. It was refreshing to know he still cared about the student experience even though he had been an administrator for so long. Overall the event was successful and most of the students were quite impressed with Dr. denBoer and expressed their interests for more Science Cafe Events.