Michael Dowding

Michael Dowding is a Lecturer with the Department of Physics at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.  His main focus is undergraduate education along with educational outreach, recruitment and retention.  He has been the recipient of numerous campus and Board of Regents awards for his work as advisor to the local chapters of SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma.  A military brat since birth, he traveled the world with his parents who were both enlisted in the Air Force. An interest in science from an early age and a passion for anything from the Science Fiction genres led him to pursuing a bachelors in Physics, followed by 3 masters’ degrees in Materials Engineering & Science, Technology Management and Education. He began teaching freshmen level courses for the Physics department while pursuing his second masters and also began working as an instructor at Sylvan Learning Center and National American University.  His full focus is on the students! Preparing them for their upper level coursework while also helping them to plan social activities and events,  making the Physics department less like a school and more like a second home.