Mario Belloni2021 National Board of Directors Election Candidate for Four-Year College Representative

Mario Belloni

Department of Physics
Davidson College
Davidson, NC 28036
mabelloni@davidson.edu

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Economics, University of California at Berkeley, 1987
  • Master’s degree in Physics, University of Connecticut, 1989
  • Doctoral degree in Physics, University of Connecticut, 1997

Professional Experience

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at Eckerd College, 1997-1998
  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at Davidson College, 1998-1999
  • Assistant Professor of Physics at Davidson College, 1999-2005
  • Professor of Physics at Davidson College, 2012-2015; 2020-present
  • Professor and Chair of Physics at Davidson College, 2015-2020

Honors

  • AAPT Distinguished Service Award, 2006
  • AAPT Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching Award, 2009
  • NCS-AAPT John L. Hubisz Award for Outstanding Service to the Section, 2009
  • George B. Pegram Award from the Southeastern Section of the APS, 2012
  • APS Excellence in Physics Education Award (OSP Collaboration), 2020
  • Davidson College Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award, 2020
  • Davidson College Student Government Association Faculty Award, 2021

Memberships

  • American Association of Physics Teachers
  • North Carolina Section of AAPT
  • American Physical Society
  • Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society (SESAPS)
  • Society of Physics Students (SPS); Sigma Pi Sigma

AAPT Activities

  • North Carolina Section Representative, 2003-present
  • Chair of the Committee on Educational Technologies, 2004
  • Membership and Benefits Committee, 2004-2007
  • Member of the Meetings Committee of AAPT, 2007
  • Member of the Committee on Educational Technologies, 2007-2009
  • Chair of the Committee on Educational Technologies, 2009-2010
  • Workshop Leader for the “Workshop for New Physics and Astronomy Faculty,” 2008-2019
  • Member of the Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education, 2010-2013
  • Member of the National Nominating Committee, 2013
  • Chair of the National Nominating Committee, 2014
  • Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physics for Resource Letters, 2015-present
  • Member of the Publications Committee, 2015-present
  • Member of the Physics Teachers Resource Agents (PTRA) Oversight Committee, 2020-present
  • Secretary of the Section Representatives, 2021-present

Statement

My first experiences with AAPT were attending and presenting at the fall 1998 North Carolina Section (NCS) Meeting and at the national AAPT Summer Meeting in San Antonio (1999).  Like many in AAPT, I was never formally taught how to teach, and the talks, presentations, and conversations at NCS-AAPT and AAPT meetings served as my formal and informal education on teaching as well as the primary source of my professional development.  By serving on the Board, I want to ensure that AAPT is as valuable to present and future teachers, as it has been to me.

While this is the position for four-year college/university representative, I realize that those at four-year colleges and universities rely, both directly and indirectly, on successful teaching at the two-year college and high school levels. In fact, much of what I have learned as a teacher, I have learned from high school teachers (PTRA), laboratory coordinators and instructors (PIRA), and two-year college faculty (TYC-PWP). If elected, I will serve all those who teach physics at the high school, two-year college, and university levels and help foster connections and collaborations across these groups, with the goal of supporting all members of AAPT.

At Davidson, I am on the leadership team of our HHMI Inclusive Excellence grant, FIRST (Fostering Inclusivity and Respect in Science Together), and am a Posse Mentor. These experiences have highlighted the need for and importance of inclusive and equitable practices in STEM fields to student experiences, which is why I fully support AAPT’s initiatives on diversity, equity, and inclusion in physics and physics teaching and look forward to helping AAPT expand on these efforts.