William DeRoccoOutreach & mentoring
I’ve organized public physics events in Santa Cruz and mentored high school students as they turned their own questions into research projects.
Physics in Santa Cruz
Dumb Questions Night
At UC Santa Cruz, I helped organize evenings where anyone could ask a panel of physicists whatever was on their mind. After three years, the program is still going strong.
See the event photosNo-Jargon Talks
I founded the Santa Cruz Organization for Outreach in Physics (SCOOP). In our No-Jargon Talks, student researchers practiced explaining their work to undergraduates in everyday language and left time for questions about doing research.
Explore the talk seriesPhysics Book Club
SCOOP partnered with the Santa Cruz Public Library to read physics books with the community. We discussed Michael Dine’s This Way to the Universe and Anthony Aguirre’s Cosmological Koans, with a physicist on hand for questions.
Visit the book clubMentoring
Mentoring with Stanford FAST
Through Stanford’s Future Advancers of Science and Technology program, I mentored high school students over a full school year on projects ranging from simulating black holes to building an ionic thruster.
About Stanford FASTStudent research with Polygence
I mentored five high school students on independent projects, from statistical mechanics to cybersecurity. One of their projects won first place at the Symposium of Rising Scholars.
About Polygence