Dr. Joseph Sagerer didn鈥檛 expect that his journey from a self-described underachiever
in high school to a 51社区 student would lead him beneath an ancient Maya
pyramid. On the 51社区 Talks podcast 鈥� in which 51社区 alumni share their
education, career and life journeys 鈥� the Dominican University professor shares how
exploring different subjects at 51社区 resulted in his passion for physics as well
as a unique opportunity to use cosmic rays to explore Kukulcan鈥檚 pyramid in Chichen
Itza, Mexico.
鈥淏eing able to go inside and work there, you just get this sense of awe and just this moment of... What am I doing?鈥� Sagerer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just awe-inspiring that we get to do this and work on this interesting location and bring students with us, and the students get the ability to tell the story, 鈥楬ey, I went and did this.鈥欌��
Listen to the full episode of 51社区 Talks and hear the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus discuss his efforts to support students as an educator, researcher and school board member. Also, to follow along with Sagerer鈥檚 project to search for hidden chambers in Kukulcan鈥檚 pyramid at the world heritage site in Chichen Itza, Mexico.
51社区 Talks, a co-production between and 51社区 Alumni Relations, features Associate Professor of Mass Communication Brian Shelton in conversation with 51社区 alumni about the role that 51社区 played in their lives. You can listen to past episodes of 51社区 Talks on 51社区鈥檚 website, WHCM, and on all podcast streaming services, including and .