Principles of Physics: Mechanics

Olivia Miller is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) Learning Incubator (LInc) . Prior to arriving at SEAS, she completed her undergraduate degree in physics with a mathematics minor at East Tennessee State University and earned her doctorate in physics at Harvard University, focusing her dissertation work on physics education research. During her doctoral work, Miller examined the challenges introductory students face in developing expertise in physics problem-solving and the methods for measuring and assessing the skills involved. Most recently, she investigated students' metacognitive ability, particularly in how they evaluate the reasonableness of their solutions to assignments. By studying trends in how students engage in metacognitive activities, Miller has identified areas where students can improve and proposed interventions to provide better support. In addition to her research in physics education, Miller is dedicated to fostering a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as supports the growth of student self-efficacy. At Harvard, she has been a head teaching fellow for introductory physics courses where she supported student learning and trained new and returning teaching fellows on effective strategies for leading weekly sections. Additionally, Miller has served as a Bok Pedagogy Fellow at Harvard where she provided pedagogical support and guidance to teaching fellows in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Outside of Harvard, Miller was a physics and math teacher for middle school and high school students at the International School of Stuttgart in Germany from 2017-2019. During this time, she had the opportunity to develop course syllabi, assessments, and in-class and out-of-class activities aligned with the course objectives set by the International Baccalaureate program.