Diane Turnshek Letter

Dear Colleagues

I am happy to recommend Diane Turnshek for reappointment as special lecturer. I first got to know Diane in 2019 while teaching the introductory lab courses, and I have worked closely with her in the departments outreach committee for the past five years. I strongly support her reappointment.

Diane is exceptional in outreach; she does more in this area than anyone else in the department. She embodies our "everyone counts" motto engaging a wide range of audiences: elementary students, high-school students, non-STEM undergraduates, high school physics teachers, astronomy hobbyists, disabled veterans, and senior citizens. As demonstrated in her CV, she is continually giving public talks. Her work on the negative impacts of light pollution in the Dark-sky project has garnered national and international attention, from NPR to the Joe Rogan podcast. Diane is effective and natural when discussing physics and astronomy with non-experts. She excels both as the "star of the show" and when coordinating events "behind the scenes". She is a leader – developing and carrying out her own outreach projects – and a team player – helping many in the department execute their outreach projects. Diane's outreach efforts are major asset to the department.

In addition to outreach, I have worked with Diane in her role as coordinator of the department's physics demonstrations. I have frequently used demos when teaching Physics 3 and in outreach programs, eg: when high-schools students visit campus. This is one area where there is room for improvement. When done right, physics demonstrations can be a gem of the department. Currently, many of our demonstrations are outdated, marginally functional, or not well-aligned with the courses we teach. The demo room is cluttered and disorganized; for example, I’m not sure it would meet the CMU safety inspections my lab undergoes annually. Diane manages to get by, but I would like to see this become more of a priority. With relatively modest effort, the physics demonstrations could become a vibrant, integral part of the department, helping to attract majors, inspire the public, and enhance our courses. This would involve refreshing broken equipment, experimenting with new ideas, and stealing the best ideas from other institutions. Many of our peers universities have thriving demonstrations programs that serve as cores of their departments—both for teaching and public engagement. Diane is clearly the right person to lead such an initiative. Given her extensive connections with physics educators and her outreach expertise, I’m confident she could revitalize this part of the department if it were made a priority. I encourage us to support her in this direction.

In summary, Diane Turnshek is a value member of our department whose outreach efforts and dedication to public engagement significantly enhance our visibility and impact. While there is room to expand and improve the demonstrations program, I believe Diane has the vision, expertise, and connections to lead this effort. Her reappointment would ensure the continuation of her outstanding outreach contributions and could provide an opportunity to elevate the department’s demonstrations. I strongly recommend her for reappointment as a Special Lecturer.

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