Diana
Ryder

Diana has been living in Colorado for about the past 3 years now, but calls the mid northeast her home, having lived in Ohio and Pennsylvania for 17 years and the large majority of her family being from New York. When she finds free time outside her major (astrophysics), she likes to spend her time with friends, playing tennis, singing and dancing, with animals (domestic or wild), and experiencing nature.

Diana has been working with Dr. Ben Zwickl and Mike Verostek, comparing how physicist researchers use approximations and analogies in their own projects and in a classroom setting, especially for upper-division physics courses.

These past few years of college Diana has figured out what she enjoys the most in school, and that is helping others succeed and learn. Having been an LA, LA mentor, and TA, she feels fortunate to be able to help other students learn and succeed, and further developing her interest and understanding of education. Here at this program, she hopes to further expand my knowledge of the educational experience. She is most enjoying the connections and relationships she has been able to make with the other students and faculty. That being said, she also finds her research to be very informative and has helped her reflect on her own experiences as a student.

In the future, Diana hopes to pursue graduate school. However, she is still deciding whether to go the educational route or focus more on her specific field. Further, she is still deciding if she wants to pursue a masters or PhD, although she is leaning towards a PhD. Overall, her main desire is to continue to help others.