Instructional assistant who joined Physics & Astronomy in her first year of undergrad celebrating her 20th anniversary with the department

Hollywood blockbusters need gaffers, grips and line producers. Rock bands and pop stars rely on roadies. Formula One drivers depend on their pit crews. And the Department of Physics & Astronomy counts on Sara Cormier working behind the scenes to deliver its largest course.

Cormier is an instructional assistant supporting introductory physics for first-year students. She’s also been the department’s outreach coordinator, a sessional instructor and teaching assistant.

This year marks Cormier’s 20^th anniversary in Physics & Astronomy – she started working in the department during her first year of undergrad. That makes Cormier a fixture, if not something of an institution. “It also makes me feel old,” says Cormier.

“Sara’s been an advocate for students in introductory physics since she was a teaching assistant,” says Alison Sills, Chair of the Physics & Astronomy Department. “Her enthusiasm for the material is matched only by her confidence that the students can succeed in the courses.

“Students tend to arrive with differing levels of concern about physics, especially if they had a poor high school experience or none at all. They soon find that Sara’s support and confidence in them does indeed mean that they will succeed and in many cases thrive. Sara’s enthusiasm also reaches the general public through the various outreach and recruitment events she’s participated in over the years. She brings a lot to the department and it’s been fantastic working with Sara over the years.”

Let’s work backwards and start with your current role. What exactly does an instructional assistant do?

My job is to support students and faculty in our department’s introductory physics course. It’s our largest course with an enrolment of around 2,000 first-year students a year. There are a lot of moving parts with a course that big so it’s important it runs smoothly.

I help with everything from lectures and labs to assignments, tests, grades and course outlines. I also make sure we maintain clear, transparent and consistent policies. By having all the details taken care of, research faculty can focus entirely on delivering fantastic lectures to first-year students. I also supervise teaching assistants and meet with students who have questions and concerns.

We realize that most students in the course aren’t in love with physics. They’re taking it because they have to. With that in mind, I got to be part of a team that completely redesigned the course. We rethought and reworked lectures, labs and assessments. We went into the redesign determined to make the course fun, make it a positive experience and make it relevant and useful beyond physics. Our goal was to have students come out of the course knowing not just the fundamental laws of physics but how to work with data, think critically and solve problems.

What’s your best day as an instructional assistant?

It’s any day where I get to engage with students and help make physics click for them. Whether it’s during office hours, over MS Teams or email, or even a quick conversation after class, those moments remind me why I love teaching physics. It’s not just about delivering content – it’s about helping students build confidence and develop problem-solving skills. Seeing that “light bulb” moment, even in a single student, always makes my day better.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Supporting students who are dealing with things beyond the classroom is really challenging. In a large course, there are always students facing difficult personal circumstances. It can be hard to hear their stories and not carry them with you. I try to be present and supportive while also recognizing the limits of my role. It’s a constant reminder that while physics is fun and teaching it is important; it’s not the most important thing in our students’ lives.

I have so much respect and admiration for the academic advisors and counselling staff who do this meaningful work every day – it’s incredibly important and not easy. Learning how to support students while maintaining boundaries and consistent and fair course policies has been one of the more challenging, but also important, parts of my job.

You were the outreach coordinator for the department for nearly four years. What drew you to that work?

It was all about getting younger students excited about physics and showing them really cool stuff in our everyday lives. I was incredibly lucky to have a teacher in high school who encouraged me to take physics – if it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t have taken physics at Mac and I would’ve missed out on this amazing career. Not every student has a teacher like that so outreach can step in and be the spark that gets them interested in physics.

I really enjoyed doing physics demonstrations because I learned from one of the best. Kari (Dalnoki-Veress) was one of my undergrad professors and then the supervisor for my masters in experimental polymer physics. Kari is so enthusiastic when talking science and doing demos. I knew that if I could channel even just 10 per cent of his energy level, I could instill a sense of wonder in students.

Our department’s outreach work is now in very good hands with my colleague and fellow instructional assistant Jody Bruulsema and a team of graduate students who are passionate about making physics and science accessible to everyone.

Because you’re not busy enough already, you’ve gone back to school to earn your PhD. Why and how are you doing that?

I’m a part-time PhD student with a heavy emphasis on the part-time. I’m doing this with a whole lot of support here at Mac, at home and at the University of Guelph. I can’t say enough about my supervisors Dr. Martin Williams and Dr. Mary Wells.

I’m pursuing a PhD in Physics Education and studying gender gaps in STEM, why those gaps persist and what can be done to close the gaps. We’re losing women at every step along the way from elementary and secondary school to university and the workforce.

I’ve been thinking about getting my PhD for a long time. This is actually my second try. I started a lab-based PhD in January 2020. But then COVID happened and I had two young kids at home. A PhD just didn’t fit into my life at that time. It does now and it’s been a lot of fun.

What’s kept you working in Physics & Astronomy for 20 years?

Every term is different. There are different students, TAs and faculty to work with and learn from. Every term is a refresh. And I’m constantly impressed and inspired by our students – they’re all trying to do their best. I like reminding students to take a step back and look around. You’re learning some really cool things in a state-of-the-art institution full of brilliant people. How awesome is it that you get to learn what you’re learning. The same applies to me and everyone who gets to work at McMaster.