Adam J Beehler portrait

Biography

I am currently the Lecture Demonstration Specialist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah.  I function as an educational resource when it comes to teaching with demonstrations.  If an instructor would like to show their class how something works, or help them visualize the concepts discussed, then I assist them in making it happen.  I usually prepare and set up thousands of equipment requests a semester.

I also teach various physics courses, where I focus on how things work.  My classes are ultimately about learning how to find answers for oneself by developing an understanding of the basic physical principles that underlie the world around us.  I encourage students to learn how to critically think and apply general physical laws to specific phenomena.  Demonstrations of many of the phenomena are performed in class.  Physical and conceptual understanding are emphasized rather than memorization.

As adapted from the announcement of the State of Utah's 2016 Governor's Medal of Science and Technology:

"Adam Beehler’s preferred title of “phyzard” was dubbed by his daughter, but his official designation is Lecture Demonstration Specialist for the University of Utah's Department of Physics and Astronomy.  With more than 20 years of experience in physics teaching, Mr. Beehler is passionate about community engagement and outreach.  He has reached nearly 70,000 people (outside of the classroom) through his volunteer lecture-demonstration presentations and outreach activities.  Mr. Beehler’s demonstration activities have been published as a national best practice and have been adopted by many peer institutions due to their effectiveness for increasing student learning.  Mr. Beehler loves physics and loves sharing it.  Some would say that getting into the details of science to explain something as beautiful as a rainbow would dampen the experience.  For Mr. Beehler, understanding the science behind a rainbow opens his eyes even more to its beauty."