Jan Mader Awarded 2007 Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan Mader Awarded 2007 AAPT Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching
College Park, Maryland, United States, May 3, 2007
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today that the 2007 AAPT Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching Award has been awarded to Jan Mader, a high school physics teacher at Great Falls High School in Great Falls, MT. This award is in recognition of contributions to pre-college physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students.
This prestigious award will be presented to Mader on August 1, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. during the AAPT Summer Meeting at the Joseph S. Koury Center in Greensboro, NC. She will then present her award lecture on “Those Who Can Teach” from 11:05 a.m.–11:25 a.m.
“Continuous professional engagement is critical in any field, particularly in physics. This is especially true considering that many pre-college physics teachers have not been extensively exposed to the subject. AAPT is very committed to in-service teacher development in physics. Jan's work extends beyond her work with students and she has been a long-time leading teacher of teachers. Her contributions are profound and are making a serious difference in the readiness of physics teachers in terms of skills, knowledge and disposition. Her award is well deserved.” stated Toufic Hakim, AAPT Executive Officer.
Mader’s active affiliation with AAPT and the Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRA) program began in 1987 and she became an official PTRA in 1992.
“Jan has played a key role in the leadership of our signature AAPT/PTRA program. In addition, she has conducted numerous professional development workshops for teachers in her district, state and nationally beyond the AAPT/PTRA program. Jan is truly a dedicated physics educator who is very deserving of this recognition.” stated Warren Hein, AAPT Chief Academic Officer.
Mader earned her Bachelors of Science degree in physics with an educational endorsement from Montana State University. She was awarded a NASA Fellowship in 1990 and received a Masters of Science degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1991 with an emphasis in Physics Education.
She has authored or coauthored curriculum for Waves, Optics, and Holography for Montana State Universities STIR Program, Space Science Projects and Activities for Secondary Education (S.P.A.S.E.), for the Iowa Space Consortium, the NSF Comprehensive Conceptual Curriculum for Physics: C3P Project, NSF PRISMS Enhancement Project, and many resource guides for AAPT.
Regarding the award, Mader stated, “When I received the call I was speechless. I am very humbled knowing the quality of high school teachers whom I consider to be my mentors, who as active participants of AAPT, have received the award in the past. I feel like a dwarf among giants.”
About AAPT
AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators—with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics education. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.
For More Information
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