The PTSA Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will hold its last Diversity in STEM Talk for the school year in May! This series is especially for elementary and middle school students in grades 4-8. 

Dr. Zephania Birech will be our guest on Monday, May 17, at 6 p.m. He will be joining us all the way from the University of Nairobi in Kenya. Dr. Birech earned his Bachelors of Education with a major in Physics and a minor in Mathematics from Kenyatta University, Kenya in 2000. He then taught physics for seven years at a Kenyan high school before pursuing his doctoral degree at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, where he earned his Ph.D. in Physics in 2012. Dr. Birech is currently a Lecturer — equivalent to an associate professor at U.S. universities — in the Department of Physics of the University of Nairobi. He is leading a laser physics research group to investigate light-matter interactions for solar energy harvesting and single-molecule detection. Join us in May to find out more about Dr. Birech and his projects!

– What sparked his interest in physics?

– What does he enjoy most about physics?

– How does he merge research and teaching as a physics professor?

– What would he recommend to students who want to pursue a career in science?

– What else would you like to know?

Parents, register at this Zoom link*: http://bit.ly/TJStemTalk5

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

  *To ensure you receive the Zoom link, do not use an FCPS schools student email account!

Submit questions in advance here: https://bit.ly/tjdiversitytalks

Information and recordings from past Diversity in STEM Talks can be found on the TJ PTSA Diversity Committee webpage: https://tjptsa.com/committees/diversity/