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Rowan Professor, Taryl Kirk, is looking to not only change the way students learn at Rowan, but also, change the lineup for the 2016 Summer Olympics. (Photo provided by Caitlin Wills)

When Taryl Kirk isn't sprinting, coaching, or fighting fires, he is teaching. The Rowan University professor is a Jack of all trades.

The 34-year-old assistant professor in Rowan's Physics Department is a world traveler, a volunteer firefighter, a soccer coach and an aspiring Olympic athlete. This man does it all.

Kirk started his undergraduate education at the University of California at San Diego, where he earned a B.S. in physics. From there, Kirk traveled to the University of Stuttgart, in Germany, where he completed his M.S. in physics.

His Ph.D. came when he traveled yet again, to Switzerland, to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Eventually, Kirk made his way to Rowan University in 2011.

“Rowan is an amazing teaching school. There is a lot of actual teaching happening. There was a big shift in physics education and there’s always a lot going on,” Kirk said of Rowan.

He recently integrated a podcast program into his teaching, in collaboration with Dr. Eduardo Flores. This program has impacted Rowan students immensely, he tells.

“The way it was before, students would be assigned reading, and then I would find out the next day, that no one read. I would hear crickets in the classroom after I asked a question,” he laughed.

“But, now, it’s a podcast that students can watch and learn from that has quiz questions within the podcast. It’s great. I have noticed now, that students are much better at understanding and learning.”

Kirk said that the shift in learning went from passive to active learning in the classroom, which impacts students a lot.

“These new technologies were not available to me before, and now that they are, I want to give students what I never got a chance to do. I mean, when I had textbooks, they had no pictures in them!” said Kirk.

When he’s not teaching and implementing new styles of learning, he is running. Kirk is a sprinter and he is currently looking to be a candidate for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

“Right now, I’m just trying to keep in shape, but I will be in the market for a trainer, possibly next year. It would be great for me. If I could get him to help me with my form, I’d be able to train in between my classes,” said Kirk.

The Deptford Township resident has dual citizenship, in the United States and in Trinidad and Tobago. He considers it an honor to run for either country, but a challenging decision, since each country has excellent sprinters.

“It would be easier to qualify for Trinidad and Tobago, but it’s still a tough decision,” he said.

When he isn’t training and teaching, he is a volunteer firefighter in Deptford Township, where he also coaches soccer.

“I’ve recently gone to my children’s school to give demonstrations. I made ice cream out of liquid nitrogen. It’s fun. I’m into cooking, so to incorporate physics into one of my passions is great,” Kirk said.

Kirk teaches introductory physics classes at Rowan and plans on incorporating new and exciting ideas to keep learning fun in the future.

Contact Caitlin Wills at cwills@southjerseymedia.com