Meet your GAFs
They sit in lectures and in Foundations of Science labs. In the morning, they come down with the same elevators to the lobby. At night, they can be ...
Sep 21, 2013
They sit in lectures and in Foundations of Science labs. In the morning, they come down with the same elevators to the lobby. At night, they can be spotted in the campus lounge playing FIFA. Some mistake them for professors or for visiting NYU New York students. They are the Global Academic Fellows.
During the day, GAFs work at the Science Academic Resource Center, an unexplored region for many humanities students. Everyday, the room is buzzing with the hum of computers and air conditioning.
John Carges sat at his desk, typing away at his computer. Across from him, next to some potted plants, were Rob Speare and Sam Raasch.
“We lead labs and recitations and sometimes grade work,” Carges said, explaining the role of GAFs with the patience of an experienced teacher.
“I’m a physics GAF, and I help with FOS 5 and 6,” Speare said.
“And you can find the entire spiel on the Internet,” added Raasch, a Biology GAF who leads FOS 1 and 2 labs. With a no-nonsense attitude, he seemed to beckon for more hard-hitting questions.
These three GAFs come from different regions and academic backgrounds in the United States. Carges, a NYU 2012 graduate with a math degree, came here to help with Calculus courses. Raasch is in the second year of his stint, having previously graduated from Penn State’s honor program and worked as an ecologist. Speare graduated from Princeton with a degree in physics.
In general, they all enjoy this opportunity in Abu Dhabi that is both engaging and different. Speare expressed a palpable affinity for teaching.
“You could ask any of my students — they would say that I love teaching,” he said. “This might be a bit dorky, but I really enjoy being able to read a lot.”
Raasch, like many of the students here, enjoys the convenience of the location in travelling around the Middle East.
They are also involved in out-of-class activities. In the past year, Speare coached running on Wednesdays and led a special relativity seminar, which may be offered later this year. For Raasch and Carges, their Wednesday nights are just as busy as Speare’s; Raasch is involved with the Squash Club and Carges with beach volleyball.
As a parting note, the GAFs imparted some wisdom for seniors who will be graduating at the end of the school year.
“Put yourselves out there,” Raasch said. “It’s your last year in college, make the most of it.”
“Embrace your senior projects,” Speare said. “It’ll reveal a lot about what you like to do. Be enthusiastic.”
For seniors who want some more one-on-one advice, Carges added, “Seniors are welcome to come talk to us GAFs.”
Emily Wang is a contributing writer. Email her at thegazelle.org@gmail.com.
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