• AAPT ›
  • About AAPT ›
  • 2021 Homer L. Dodge Distinguished Service Citation Awarded to Alexis V. Knaub

2021 Homer L. Dodge Distinguished Service Citation Awarded to Alexis V. Knaub

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alexis Knaub

College Park, MD, March 16, 2021—AAPT has announced that Alexis V. Knaub will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during their 2021 Summer Meeting.

Regarding her selection to receive this citation, Knaub said, “I’m truly honored colleagues took the time to nominate me for this award. Being in community with so many amazing people in AAPT, many of whom I consider to be not just colleagues but collaborators and friends, has been an important part of my personal and professional life. My involvement in service wouldn’t have been possible without others in many ways, and I’m grateful to be working with people who have changed my thinking and actions for the better. Thank you so much for this award.”

Knaub earned her BA in Physics at Smith College. Her MS in Physics is from DePaul University and her EdD in Physics Education at Boston University. A member of AAPT since 2014, Knaub has made several excellent and multifaceted contributions to the organization. In 2017, she co-designed and co-created the People of Color in Physics Education Research discussion space and has been deliberate and intentional in designing this as a “safe” space, where scholars of color in PER can be themselves.

She co-authored the white paper, Emerging Reflections from the People of Color (POC) at PERC Discussion Space and supported the presentation of this paper as a poster at the Physics Education Research Conference (PERC) in 2019. The paper will continue to influence the discourse on race within the AAPT and PERC communities for many years.

Knaub has served as a Member (2019-20) and Vice-Chair (2020-21) of the Committee on Diversity, playing a crucial role in the design and creation of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI) room at 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting. The EDI rooms provided a space for concerted talks and discussion around one of the most significant challenges facing physics education.

In 2020, Knaub co-organized the PER Conference while facing unprecedented challenges for conference organizers. Together with the other PERC Organizers, she took those challenges in their stride and was able to provide an excellent conference experience in spite of the pandemic, the last-minute move to online hosting, etc. Even before the conference, it was obvious that 2020 would offer a conference that was community oriented, rather than focusing on some research theme.

Designing, creating, and sustaining spaces that nurture community growth, that nurture scholars of color, and challenge racism requires a tremendous amount of emotional as well as intellectual labor. Knaub’s research on social network theory aims to understand systemic change. Her publications add new insights to understanding the experiences of women in physics, and will help in the design of new pathways for encouraging and sustaining women’s trajectories within physics and PER.

About the Award
Established in 1953 and renamed in recognition of AAPT founder Homer L. Dodge in 2012, the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT is presented to members in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the association at the national, sectional, or local level

About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.