Dr. Irina Struganova

Professor of Physics

I was born and grew up in Moscow, Russia. I received a Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics degree (1987) and a B.S. in physics degree (1983) from Moscow State University.
I moved to the United States in 1995. Before joining the faculty of Valencia Community College in 2008, I taught at Spelman College (Atlanta, GA), Clemson University (Clemson, SC), Broward Community College (South Florida) and Barry University (Miami, FL).
Teaching is my second career. I started as a researcher, I very much enjoyed being a researcher, and published more than 30 papers in peer-reviewed scientific periodicals.
My current passion is teaching. I love physics and astronomy I love teaching these subjects. Learning physics is hard, but I cannot think about more rewarding experience. I am looking forward to meet you in my class and share my love for physics with you.
Outside of work, I enjoy travel, hiking, music, painting and photography. I have two wonderful grown sons.


Contact

West Campus
2-230
1-407-582-1947
istruganova@valenciacollege.edu

Hours

Summer 2023

M 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - virtual or face-to-face by appointments.
T&TH 8:00-10:00 a.m. - virtual or Zoom by appointments.
W 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - virtual or face-to-face by appointments.
F 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - virtual.

If you would like to meet with me in my office during my office hours - please contact me at istruganova@valenciacollege.edu at least a day in advance.


My Teaching Philosophy and Student Expectations : Currently, I teach Physics with Calculus sequence (PHY208C/PHY2049C) and an Introductory Astronomy (AST1002). I love physics and astronomy and I enjoy teaching and interaction with my students. My goals are to provide my students with a high quality education and positive learning experiences, and well prepare them for very challenging future courses. I teach my courses at a university level, as it is supposed to be, and do not drop down the requirements. Physics with calculus is very challenging even for well prepared students, and, unfortunately, often, students signing up for the course do not realize the amount of time they need to devote to the course to sucseed and skills they are expected to have. If you would like to sign up for my courses, I encourage you to check STUDENT EXPECTATIONS in my courses and resources to help you to refresh your skills available in COURSE MATERIALS on the left of this page. Please also do not hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to answer any of your questions about my courses.