August 2025: Bethany Wilcox

About Bethany

I have always been interested in science, but my path to physics was kind of an accident. As a card-carrying nerd, I was always a fan of science fiction books and shows. Specifically, I loved Stargate SG1 as a teenager. One of the characters in that show was an absolute boss of a woman named Sam Carter, who was an officer in the military and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Having always been interested in astronomy, watching that show sparked my interest in astrophysics as a potential career path, just as I was struggling to decide on a major in college. So when applying to my undergraduate institution, I was unsure whether astrophysics fell under the Astronomy department or the Physics department. Therefore, I guessed physics. I guessed wrong. But luckily, once enrolled, I decided to pursue a double major and ended up enjoying my physics classes. My time in the Physics department ultimately led me to learn about Physics Education Research (PER), which perfectly balanced my love of physics (and astrophysics) with my desire to work with and help people.

I joined AAPT as part of my work as a physics education researcher. In addition to its connection with the Physics Education Research Conference, which was a crucial networking opportunity for me as a graduate student, AAPT also provided a natural venue for reporting the findings from PER to the broader community of physics teachers who can utilized these results to improve their instruction based on reliable data on student learning.

The strongest impact has been the networking opportunities offered by attendance at AAPT s national conferences. Being able to present my work to both other physics education researchers and instructors more broadly has helped raise broader awareness of my work within the community, which, in turn, has opened up more opportunities for collaboration and national attention.

My contributions to physics education come in many different forms. Most directly, as a physics instructor, I work hard to ensure that the physics classroom at all levels represents a supportive environment in which students can learn and grow without judgment. I firmly believe that anyone can become a successful physicist with the right support and dedication, and I strive to ensure that my classroom reflects this philosophy. I also work to support students outside of the classroom. Specifically, I work closely with several student groups that aim to make physics a more inclusive and supportive discipline for students from all backgrounds. These students represent the next generation of leaders in our discipline, and many face challenges in their education that can feel insurmountable if they are not embedded in a strong, supportive community. Ultimately, my work as an education researcher is always grounded in a desire to improve the educational work of the community by centering on students and reliable data on their learning, informing our decisions about our educational environments. Helping students to build their passion and gain skills that will enable them to build a happy and secure future for themselves and their families.