2022 National Board of Directors Election Candidate for Secretary

Blane BakerD. Blane Baker

Department of Physics, William Jewell College, Liberty, MO 64068
bakerb@william.jewell.edu/

Education
B.A. William Jewell College, 1986, Physics summa cum laude; M.A. Washington University, 1990; Ph.D. Washington University 1993.

Professional Experience
Naval Research Laboratory, National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow (1993-1995); University of Houston-Downtown: Assistant Professor of Physics (1995-1997); Ouachita Baptist University: Assistant Professor of Physics (1997-1999); William Jewell College: Assistant Professor of Physics (1999-2001); William Jewell College: Associate Professor of Physics (2001-2006); William Jewell College: Professor of Physics (2006- present); William Jewell College: Wallace A. Hilton Chair in Physics (2007-present).

Honors
National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1993-95; Templeton Foundation Course Award 1999; William Jewell College Wallace A. Hilton Endowed Chair 2007; William Jewell College Carl F. Willard Distinguished Teaching Award 2007; Northland Chamber of Commerce Teaching Award 2007; Society of Physics Students Outstanding Chapter Advisor 2017; Sigma Pi Sigma President 2022 (until 2024).

Memberships
American Association of Physics Teachers; American Physical Society; American Physical Society Texas Section; Society of Physics Students SPS; Sigma Pi Sigma.

AAPT/SPS Activities
AAPT Publications Committee Chair (2019-present); AAPT COGS (2019-present); AAPT Awards Committee (2019-present); Associate member of AAPT Apparatus Committee (2015-2019); SPS Zone Councilor (2013-2016, 2016-2019); SPS National Council (2013-2016, 2016-2019); SPS Bylaws and Policies Committee (2015-16); SPS Awards Committee (2015-16); Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Congress 2019 Planning Committee (2017-2019); Co-Chair of 2022 Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Congress; Regular contributor to and reviewer for The Physics Teacher.

Commentary
Over the past 3.5 years I have been privileged to serve as AAPT Secretary, and I would be honored to continue to serve in this role. I greatly value my membership in AAPT, and I truly enjoy the camaraderie that we share. I am seeking a final term as Secretary to contribute to ongoing projects and to develop resources for future leaders of AAPT.

Since early 2020 we, as a Board, have spent much of our time responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, planning virtual meetings, and developing strategies to strengthen membership. Now, I believe, we are poised to fully embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI within our Association. Over the past several months, we have focused on how to most effectively ensure that all members feel safe, that they are valued, and that they are equipped to reach their full potential. We, as a Board, are fully committed to identifying and empowering leaders that reflect the demographics of our Association. The Board is collaborating with a broad spectrum of members, AAPT staff, and others to best envision how we will take these next steps.

In the wake of the pandemic and temporary transition to virtual meetings, the Board has been working on updating our strategic plan to address our present reality. I fully support these efforts, along with the strategic plan adopted in 2019. I value AAPT as an organization that disseminates resources for teachers, promotes professional development at all levels of teaching, and advocates for physics education. I also support initiatives to recruit new members from all backgrounds and to identify and implement new revenue streams that support the Association and our community. Finally, as a candidate for AAPT Secretary, I am deeply committed to ensuring that AAPT meets the needs of all Association members. I fully support all initiatives and activities that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI within AAPT and our larger world. I look forward to connecting with many more of you as we transition to in-person meetings.