Henrik Malmberg has taught science at Darlington's Upper School since 2012. Born and raised in Sweden, he holds a Master's in Civil Engineering from Lund University and also has professional experience as a commercial contractor. Prior to entering the classroom, Henrik spent six years as an outdoor educator teaching skiing, kayaking and team building. In his spare time, he enjoys these activities as well as running and cycling.
When and why did you move to the United States?
I met my future wife when she was traveling through the fjords of Norway 2006. At the time, I was operating a kayak outfitter in a small town called Geiranger, a very beautiful place. After she lived with me in Sweden, learning Swedish in school, for about a year, she got a job offer back in Atlanta where she had been living since 1996. We, therefore, decided to move to Atlanta. My first time visiting Atlanta was in 2006, but I finally decided to stay in 2008. At the time, I was working as a professional ski instructor and I got a job at Beaver Creek resort, where I worked my first two winters in the USA. Coming to Atlanta was a culture shock for me since my hometown was only 300,000 inhabitants, and I have been living in much smaller towns than Atlanta in recent years. Atlanta is huge. Just to compare, Metro Atlanta is about 5 million people -- the size of Denmark, which has it own language, currency and so on.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I have a long background in the outdoors. I have skied my whole life, since I was 4 years old, and when I see snow I get very happy unlike most people in Georgia. I have hiked, paddled canoe and paddled kayak since I was 15 and truly enjoyed getting away from the normal busy life. I like to go into remote areas alone, preferably colder than hotter places. I once went on a winter expedition where we built snow caves and slept in igloos for 10 days. Snow caves or igloos are so much better than tents in the winter landscape. Since there is very little snow in Georgia, I tend to do long-distance running in my free time, and I try to find time for whitewater and my road bike.
What advice do you have for students who want to become involved in a career with physics?
The State of Georgia changed its requirements to involve physics as a course for graduation, and on a national level there is a demand for engineers, so I truly believe that science is important to understand. In my class, I usually try to get students to ask why. I think asking why is the most important question. If we don't start with a questions, we will never find the problem and we will never find the solution as a result. When I went to high school, I was told that the world needs problem-solvers; today we need problem-finders. I think all of science is building on that same principle: to be curious. So my advice is to get curious and ask why.
Tell us about the Tough Mudder.
I was once approached by a fellow teacher, before I started at Darlington, to see if I was interested in joining their team to do a Tough Mudder event. At the time, I had been road running for some years and I was starting to get bored. I tried this obstacle course race and I found that I liked the combination of physical demand and mental stamina it takes to endure the race. The Tough Mudder is engineered to mess with your brain. I never had a problem with feeling cold, consider my background, but there is something jarring about jumping down into a container with ice water, crawling through mud tunnels in total darkness. We later formed a team, Cold Steel, that has competed at Worlds' Toughest Mudder, an elite version, for the last two years. We have also done some local races like Savage Race, at which we got third place overall. Obstacle racing is getting more and more competitive, so you need to train to withstand the torture. I do plenty of trail running to train, but I also try to lift some weights; I can't say that I really enjoy that particular training exercise. During the year I do many smaller trail running races, and the medals are hanging in the classroom.
