Science experiments and endless enthusiasm led a physics professor to TikTok stardom

During a Summer Science Safari demonstration at Texas A&M University in 2022, Dr. Tatiana hits a knife down to make the potato go up. It's not magic, it's inertia. (Ryan Carmichael)

College professors these days face an ever-higher bar to grab the attention of their students, forced to compete with the stimuli of smartphones and laptops in large lecture halls.

But when your professor is a social media star, it's a little bit easier.