Jon Celesia
Hi, there!
I am currently department chair of APECS (Astronomy, Physics, Engineering/Geology & Computer Science) and I teach physics and astronomy.
I moved around Contra Costa County growing up, and some of my family has old roots in West Oakland. I received my bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. It was there that my work helping students, understandably struggling with difficult ideas and skills, compelled me to continue helping others appreciate and maybe even enjoy astronomy, physics and math. I learned about the mission of community colleges and chose to contribute as best I could to supporting students further their STEM education. I completed my M.S. in physics and taught for six years at San Francisco State University. I continued my studies with upper division and graduate courses in observational astronomy and cosmology.
On a personal note, while I deeply enjoy and appreciate STEM, I also enjoy many things that you might also enjoy: the outdoors (especially skiing), motorcycles and classic cars, playing guitar, watching sports (I played through high school) and trying to tame my boxers.