2015 Executive Board Election Candidate for Four-year College Representative
Tetyana Antimirova
Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5B2K3
Education
Bachelor with distinction, Engineering Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 1985
Ph.D., Institute for Materials Science, National Academy of Science, Kiev, Ukraine, 1990.
Professional Experience
Institute for Materials Science, Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Member of Research Staff, 1990-1997
Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Research Associate, 1997-1998
Department of Physics, Queens University, Adjunct Assistant Professor, 1998-1999
Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Lecturer, 1999-2004
Department of Physics, Ryerson University, Assistant Professor, 2004-2010
Architecture and Science Teaching Chair, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science, Ryerson University, 2010-2012
Faculty of Science Teaching Chair, Ryerson University, 2010-2015
Assistant Chair for Undergraduate Studies and Medical Physic Program Director, Department of Physics, Ryerson University, 2006-2010 and 2012-2015
Department of Physics, Ryerson University, Associate Professor, 2010-present
Honors
Provost's Innovative Teaching Award, Ryerson University, 2010;
Desire2 Learn and Society of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), 2012 (international)
Memberships
Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
Ontario Association of Physics Teachers (Ontario Section of AAPT)
Groupe International de Recherche sur l'Enseignement de la Physique (International Research Group on Physics Teaching).
AAPT Activities
Ontario Section, AAPT, Member at Large 2007-2009
Ontario Section Representative, AAPT, 2009-present
Member, International Committee on Physics Education, American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), 2009-2013
Vice Chair, International Committee on Physics Education, American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), 2011-2012
Chair, International Committee on Physics Education, American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), 2012-2013.
Commentary
I joined AAPT in 2006 following the advice of two long-term AAPT members and became a regular meeting attendee. Joining AAPT turned out to be one by far the most influential milestones in my subsequent professional development as a physics educator. I share the values of this great organization and believe in its mandate. I found great mentors and role models in Priscilla Laws, David Sokolloff, Joe Redish, Lillian McDermott and many others.
Grateful for all the help I received, I always wanted to give back to the organization. I got this opportunity by serving a term at the Committee on International Physics Education a few years ago, but I believe that I can contribute much more yet. During the times of today's financial constraints, Physics departments in four-year institutions are under great pressure from public, government and business to deliver first-class physics education and to justify the expenses that the students and their families incur. Physics, being an experimental science requiring relatively large material investments and being a particularly challenging subject for many, is often under an attack when the financial resources are scarce. I can see a three-fold challenges facing physics education at four-year colleges. One is the need for continuous improvement of the quality of physics teaching and student experiences for all students: physics majors, as well as for the students taking physics courses for other programs. The second equally important challenge is making the physics programs (both existing and new) truly innovative and respond to socio-economic needs of today's world. Finally, in order to be successful, the programs need to have a healthy enrollment, so they need to attract a healthy and viable student body.
As a Member-at-Large (Four-Year College) representative, I hope to bring to AAPT my own experience of developing and running a highly successful and innovative undergraduate program in Medical Physics at Ryerson University. In addition, as a recent Teaching Chair for the Faculty of Sciences in my University, I hope to share my expertise in peer professional development and my institution's approach to improvement of science/physics teaching. Finally, I believe that my past experience as a Chair of the Division of Physics Education of the Canadian Association of Physicist (a national-level professional organization in Canada) provided me with the insight of what can be done for reaching the above goals. If elected, I also believe that an important part of my job would be to listen to the needs expressed by the Four Year College membership and solicit their new ideas. As a Member-at-Large (Four-Year College), I would serve as a liaison between AAPT members representing four-year colleges and AAPT board.
 |