Rate My Professor Shannon Mayer

Mayer specializes in optics, with research interests encompassing quantum optics, laser spectroscopy, physics education, and science policy. Her publications appear in technical journals, teaching journals, conference proceedings, and book chapters. She co-edited Awaken the Stars: Reflections on What We Really Teach (ACTA Publications, 2017), a collection of essays by University of Portland faculty that explores teaching and mentoring students in the Catholic and Holy Cross tradition. In recognition of their commitment to the university's mission, Mayer and her husband, Chemistry Professor Steve Mayer, received the 2021 Spirit of Holy Cross Award from the Congregation of Holy Cross. Mayer writes and speaks on the intersection of faith and science, emphasizing the role of wonder in physics education. She describes her work as pursuing wonder in physics and empowering students to become wonderers, discovering the remarkable aspects of the world through scientific inquiry and the beauty of equations such as the wave equation.