Undergraduate Alumni Spotlight: From Cardwell Hall to the Head of the Class

A Conversation with Jeff Murray (BS ‘16)

Jeff Murray’s path through academia has been defined by resilience, mentorship, and a love for the "aha" moment. After navigating the rigors of a K-State Physics degree and a Master’s at Purdue University, Jeff has found his true calling back in Kansas, teaching in the science department at Seaman High School in Topeka.

Reflecting on his time at K-State, Jeff recalls the hands-on labs with Dr. Glenn Horton-Smith and current department head Dr. Tim Bolton as foundational. "I’m not just sucking up because he’s sitting here!" Jeff joked during our conversation. "Now that I’m creating my own labs, I have a renewed appreciation for how well-organized those Engineering Physics Studios were."

Beyond the classroom, Jeff dove into research and teaching as an undergraduate. He served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Bret Flanders and worked with the Physics Education Research (PER) group under Dr. Sanjay Rebello. His work on eye-tracking research—which he eventually presented at a National Association for Research in Science Teaching Conference—remains a highlight of his K-State experience.

Though Jeff was a non-traditional student, he felt right at home in the department—mostly. He recalls a funny moment in one of Dr. Bolton’s lectures when a fellow student approached him to explain an upcoming absence, assuming Jeff was the professor due to the age gap. While he struggled to find partners in his Spanish gen-eds ("19-year-olds didn’t want to work with the guy 25 years their senior!"), the Physics department was different. Through the Physics Club and the Giese Undergraduate Student Center, Jeff found a community. His advice to students? "If you want to get plugged in, join the club."

After K-State, Jeff moved to Purdue to pursue a PhD in Science Education. However, life intervened when a family illness required him to become a primary caregiver. While Purdue was supportive, Jeff made the difficult decision to pivot.

"I had to take an 'off-ramp' and finish with a Master’s degree to return to Topeka and be near family," Jeff explains. Back in Kansas, he took an emergency substitute position teaching Biology at Seaman High School. A year later, a Physics position opened up. Jeff "slid in" and hasn’t looked back.

Today, Jeff teaches a mix of Physical Science, Physics, and Honors Physics. He credits his time with the K-State PER group for his pedagogical edge. "As physicists, we know the content, but the research side helps us hone the skills to be better educators," he says. "I use PER 'tricks' I picked up at K-State and Purdue every single day to head off common student misconceptions."

One of his favorite current challenges for his students is the "Lock or Learn" circuit. Students must design a combination circuit where a locker light stays on if the door is open but turns off when closed, forcing them to truly grapple with series vs. parallel wiring.

For Jeff, the reward is in the real-world connection. "Students will come in talking about their tire pressure or something they saw outside of school and realize, 'Hey, that’s what we talked about in class!' When it clicks, that’s the best part."

The K-State connection remains strong—so strong, in fact, that we learned about Jeff’s work through one of his standout seniors, Brice, who is joining the K-State Physics family this fall.

"It’s pretty cool," Jeff says. "It feels like it wasn’t that long ago that I was the one sitting there listening to Dr. Bolton. To see the journey come full circle with my own student is a neat deal."

Before heading back to his students, Jeff offered a final shout-out to the mentors who shaped his path: Drs. Tim Bolton, Brian Washburn, Kristan Corwin, Bret Flanders, Brett DePaola, Amit Chakrabarti, and Bharat Ratra. "They were all phenomenal," Jeff says. "It was a great experience in a phenomenal department."