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Joy Elaine Gwinn2018 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT to be Awarded to Joy Elaine Gwinn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, MD, March 21, 2018—AAPT has announced that Joy Elaine Gwinn, Shenandoah High School Chemistry and Physics Teacher, will receive the association's Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT, during the 2018 Summer Meeting in Washington, DC.

Gwinn earned her B.S. in Chemistry at West Texas A&M University and her Masters of Art in Physics Education at Ball State University. She started her career at Amarillo Independent School District (Amarillo, TX), as a Middle School Science & Math Teacher then moved on as a Physics and Chemistry Teacher at Canyon High School (Canyon, TX), teaching there for twelve years. Elaine currently teaches Physics and Chemistry at Shenandoah High School (Middletown, Indiana).

An active member of AAPT since 2006, Gwinn has been an active member of the Indiana Section. She served as Indiana Section Representative from 2010-2017. The Section Representatives elected her as their representative to the AAPT Executive Board in 2013 and she served as the Vice Chair of Section Representatives before moving into the role of Chair of Section Representatives in 2015. 

Gwinn has served as a Physics Teachers Resource Agent since 2006 and as a member of the AAPT Professional Concerns Committee (2010-2013) and as Secretary on the AAPT Publications Committee Secretary (2012-2014). Elaine served as the 2006-2007 PhysTEC Teacher In Residence at Ball State University. For the past four summers, Elaine has worked as lead instructor for PTRA workshops at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls that concentrated on NGSS topics.

Regarding her selection to receive this award Gwinn said, "I could have never foreseen where teaching would take me when I began my teaching career as a non-traditional college student at the age of 33. From Texas to Indiana, I've taught chemistry and physics to students of all abilities in every size school. AAPT and PTRA helped prepare me for the challenges of the physics classroom and I will be forever grateful for the professional support, resources, and friendships gained through this organization. It is an honor to receive this award and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the organization that served me and continues to serve others."

About the Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service to AAPT
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.

For more information: Contact David Wolfe, Director of Communications, dwolfe@aapt.org, (301) 209-3322, (301) 209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.