Cartoon Physics (PDF)

Who is Scott Calvin?

Professor Scott Calvin (he) is the Pre-Health Program Director at Lehman College of the City University of New York, where he also teaches physics courses. Prior to this, he was a professor of physics at Sarah Lawrence College, where he has developed courses such as Crazy Ideas in Physics, Rocket Science, and Steampunk Physics. He has also taught at the Hayden Planetarium, Examkrackers, the University of San Francisco, and Southern Connecticut State University, as well as operating Mirare Services, a private tutoring agency. He has authored XAFS for Everyone, a textbook on x-ray absorption spectroscopy; and Beyond Curie: Four Women in Physics and Their Remarkable Discoveries, 1903 to 1963; co-authored Examkrackers 1001 Questions in MCAT Chemistry, a best-selling chemistry test-prep book; and co-designed and produced an artisanal pop-up book promoting the National Synchrotron Light Source II facility.

Who is Kirin Furst?

Kirin Emlet Furst (she or they) is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at George Mason University, where she conducts research on topics in water quality engineering and aquatic chemistry. Professor Furst holds an MS and PhD in Environmental Engineering & Science from Stanford University, and a BA from Sarah Lawrence College where she studied physics under the tutelage of Professor Scott Calvin. Furst is a visual learner and often doodled diagrams and cartoons in her STEM classes to teach herself the material and explain it to others. She is thrilled to share her illustrations and insights with students in college-level physics courses and hopes that this book makes the journey easier and a lot more fun.