Randy McEntaffer

Graduation Year: 2000
Major(s): Physics, Astronomy
Hometown: Sioux City, IA

What was the most important thing you learned?

The most important thing that I learned while at Iowa was that paths can change.  I came to Iowa quite certain that I would be a medical doctor.  It was something that I told myself throughout high school and even earlier.  I wouldn't say that it was my dream job, but it just seemed like the right thing for me to do.  However, after going through three years of coursework I realized that the biological sciences weren't really my calling.  During my Biology degree pursuit (I think I was one class shy of the degree) I took physics and also took astronomy as an elective.  I really enjoyed the classes, but more so I enjoyed the ability to ask some pretty incredible questions about the universe while studying in these fields.  The exploration space of physics and astronomy resonated with me more than my pre-medical courses.  I took a leap of faith in switching majors (something that not everyone was a fan of, including my mother), but was so glad after I did.  The breadth of course choice at Iowa really allowed this to happen.  Being in a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences afforded me the opportunity to experience a wide range of courses which in turn helped me to hone down my interests.

My research and teaching have continued to grow from the strong foundations that were laid at Iowa.

Where are you now and how have you applied what you learned?

Since graduating from Iowa, I went on to graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder to obtain my Ph.D. in Astrophysics in 2007. While preparing to defend my thesis, one of my committee members showed me a job ad for an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa! The position was for an experimental astronomer and was well-tailored to my graduate experiences, so I applied.  I was quite thrilled when I was offered the job and was happy to be going back to my alma mater.  It made me proud to be teaching in the very classrooms that I sat in as a student and mentoring those that would be future physicists and astronomers. I had a wonderful 8 years at Iowa and once again had seminal experiences for which I am grateful. I moved to the Pennsylvania State University in 2016 and work there currently as a Professor in Astronomy, Physics, and Materials Science & Engineering.