Rate My Professor Raul Armendariz

Professor Raul Armendariz serves as Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Physics Department at Queensborough Community College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY). He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from New Mexico State University, an M.S. in Physics from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a B.S. in Physics from Loyola University of Chicago. During his doctoral studies, Armendariz conducted research in experimental high-energy nuclear physics as part of the PHENIX Collaboration, focusing on transverse-energy production and event-by-event fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. His contributions appear in publications such as "Evolution of event-by-event ET fluctuations over collision centrality in Au+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV" published in 2006.

At Queensborough Community College, Armendariz coordinates the Engineering Science A.S. program and directs undergraduate research projects centered on cosmic ray detection. He has mentored students in initiatives like the enclosure design, assembly, and characterization of cosmic ray muon detectors, as well as tracking Sagittarius A* using cosmic ray tracking detectors through the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Armendariz obtained a PSC-CUNY grant to install a cosmic ray detector for student research and has co-authored conference proceedings including "Design and construction of a cosmic ray detector array for undergraduate research at the City University of New York," "Applications of Arduino Microcontroller in Student Projects in a Community College," and papers on assessing physics course outcomes and high-school engineering outreach. He contributes to the CUNY Research Scholars Program, Undergraduate Research Day presentations, and space weather research and education efforts. Additionally, Armendariz serves as the department's web coordinator and participates in curriculum committees and Academic Senate activities, fostering hands-on learning and project-based approaches in physics and engineering education.