Hector Cruz

Background

Hector Cruz is on the faculty of the Department of Physics & Astronomy and holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Before Porter, Hector taught physics at a liberal-arts college.

Hector's research focuses on acoustics, with related work in instrumentation; undergraduates are involved in the lab most terms.

Areas of expertise

• Acoustics
• Instrumentation
• Undergraduate research and project mentoring

Teaching

Hector regularly teaches courses in Physics, Astronomy. Specific sections and syllabi are listed in the class schedule each term.

Courses lean on current problems from the field: students read recent work, reproduce a result or method, and then extend it. Hector builds in low-stakes practice before graded work and gives written feedback on drafts.

Advising and office hours

Hector advises students in the Physics & Astronomy programs and holds weekly office hours during the fall and spring terms, posted on the office door and in the course pages. Prospective students are welcome to email to arrange a visit or a call.

Advising conversations usually cover course sequencing, whether to add a minor or a concentration, and how classroom work connects to internships, research, or graduate study. Students who are undecided are welcome; part of the job is helping them narrow things down.

Recent and representative work

Hector's recent activity is a mix of peer-reviewed work, conference talks, and student-involved projects in acoustics and instrumentation. Representative items:

• A peer-reviewed article on acoustics in a disciplinary journal.
• A conference paper on instrumentation, co-authored with an undergraduate researcher.
• An internally funded project applying acoustics to a regional partner's problem.

Titles and venues here are illustrative. UW–Porter Falls is fictional; Hector has no real publication record.

Get in touch

The fastest way to reach Hector is email (hcruz@uwporterfalls.edu); messages during the fall and spring terms are usually answered within two business days. Prospective students and families can ask the Physics & Astronomy department office to set up a call, a class visit, or a meeting during an admitted-student day.