Dr. Katrina Hay

Professor of Physics

Katrina Hay

Email: hay@plu.edu

Office Location: Rieke Science Center - 251

  • Professional
  • Biography

Education

  • Ph.D., Physics, Oregon State University, 2008
  • B.S., Physics, Mathematics, Linfield College, 2002

Biography

I enjoy explaining physics concepts on a level that is understandable. Depending on a student’s mathematical and scientific background, the language you choose to communicate physics to them is crucial. Physics often has a reputation of being mystical and impossible, but it’s not when it’s broken into its most simple concepts. It’s all around us: driving a car, making music, flying in an airplane, drinking through a straw, riding roller coasters… It can be very satisfying to understand the physical phenomena in the world around you. The value of physics is that it is a way of thinking, not just a piece of knowledge. The most important thing you can take from a physics class is the ability to look at a problem that you have never seen before, break it up into its fundamental concepts and not give up until you have solved it.