According to the American Physical Society, a nonprofit organization based in Maryland, only a quarter of U.S. graduates who earn bachelor’s degrees in physics are women.
However, Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova, a physics professor at Texas A&M University, is determined to change this trend with the help of social media.
Her physics experiment videos on TikTok have attracted tens of millions of views over the past two years, sparking curiosity and inspiring young women to pursue physics.
Erukhimova’s journey began in Russia, where she grew up with two physicist parents and later married a physicist, Alexey.
They moved to College Station, Texas, where they serve as educators.
Erukhimova is involved in outreach when she is not teaching, and in 2021, she was involved in a study that included 10,000 students, physicists, and other science professionals.
The study showed that men are not inherently better suited for physics than women, a message Erukhimova uses to encourage her students.
Former students of Erukhimova praise her enthusiasm and dedication to teaching.
Nicole Cirigioni said that Erukhimova cares about her students’ learning and wants them to succeed.
Callie Rethman said that Erukhimova always wants everything to be like a celebration of science.
Erukhimova is preparing for the upcoming “Physics and Engineering Festival” at A&M in April, an event that draws thousands of people to campus every year.
She believes that science should be celebrated by everyone, regardless of whether they are scientists or not, just as music is celebrated by music festival attendees.
Her videos going viral on social media have helped spread that message and inspire more young women to pursue physics.
»Physics Professor Uses Social Media to Inspire Women to Pursue Physics«
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