A home away from home
Small class sizes, instructors who know their students and classmates who extend themselves make TU a perfect fit for Ephraim Bah.
Seven years ago, Ephraim Bah completed high school and left the Côte d'Ivoire, on the south coast of West Africa, to continue his education in the United States. A strong background in math and physics led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in applied physics at TU.
“I spent two years taking English classes and learning the language,” explains Bah, who transferred from community college to Towson’s Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences. “Professor Vera Smolyaninova has given me the kind of guidance and direction I never had from an instructor before,” says Bah.
A hectic schedule balancing work and school has kept Bah busy, but has not kept members of TU’s Society of Physics Students from assisting him with assignments. “Towson has been a very welcoming place. Students have even shared used books to help me prepare for classes beforehand.” In summer 2020, Bah was set to intern with Bombardier, a global leader in the transportation industry. He anticipated working in the engineering department aligning computer software with electrical interfaces, but COVID-19 had other plans.
“ Towson has been a very welcoming place. ”
That break gave him more time to spend on music — his second love. “Applied physics has helped me learn the science of music — how sound travels and how each sound has its own frequency,” says Bah, who plays piano, violin and guitar.
He looks forward to attaining a research analyst position in an engineering firm and pursuing his master’s in applied physics at TU. “Ultimately, I would like to go back to my country to open a school where young people could be trained in electronics or physics,” Bah explains. “I want to give young children the opportunities that I never had.”