Tony Musumba2026 National Board of Directors Election Candidate for Two-Year College Representative

 

 

Tony Musumba 

Associate Professor of Physics, Physical sciences, Riverside City College, Riverside California
Tony.musumba@rcc.edu

Education

  • B.S. Physics, Moi University
  • Ph.D. Physics, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)

Professional Experience

  • Associate Professor of Physics, Riverside City College (2024- present)
  • Assistant Professor of Physics, Riverside City College (2020-2024)
  • Associate Professor of Physics, University of Mary (2019-2020)
  • Associate Professor of Physics, Bismarck State College (2014-2019)
  • Assistant Professor of Physics, Bismarck State College (2008-2014)

Honors and Recognitions

  • Organization for Physics at Two-Year Colleges (OPTYCs) Fellow, (2025)
  • Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished service, (2024)

Memberships

  • AAPT (2008-present)
  • Diversity Committee (2013-2016)
  • Nominating Committee (2017)
  • Professional Society SEA Change Task force (2021-2022)
  • North Dakota Section Representative (2013-2023)
  • TPT (The Physics Teacher) Editorial board (2024-present)
  • AMP (Annual Meeting Planning) Committee, 2025-present

AAPT Activities

  • Member TYC Committee (2010-present)
  • Co-Chair of the Committee on Science Education for Public (CSEP) 2026-2027

Other Professional Activities

  • Physics Workshops-ATE Project for Physics Faculty (with Dwain Desbien and Tom O’Kuma) (2008-2016)
  • NFE (New faculty Experience) -TYC (2011-2012)
  • NFD (New Faculty Development) OPTYCs mentor (2023-2025)
  • NextGen PET (Physics for Everyday Thinking) Faculty Online Learning Community (2019-present)
  • DICE (Distributed Institute for Computational Education) PICUP (Partnership for Integrating Computation into Undergraduate Physics) Regional LA Coordinator (2025-present)
  • NASA HEAT(Heliophysics Education Activation Team) Ambassador (2023)
  • STEP-UP (Supporting Teachers to Encourage the Pursuit of Undergraduate Physics) Advocate (2024)

Candidate Statement

The AAPT strategic plan emphasizes “developing, curating and disseminating resources that foster curiosity, excitement, understanding, and enjoyment of the physical world”, which resonates deeply with me. I first encountered AAPT through the American Journal of Physics (AJP) and The Physics Teacher (TPT) in the library of a Kenyan University during my undergraduate studies. These two journals, and other AIP publications, cultivated my love for physics and shaped my path as an educator. As a TPT reviewer and a member of the TPT editorial board, I want us to continue providing high-quality physics articles for all physicists.

I have been involved with AAPT for nearly two decades, and it has been a privilege to belong to an organization that embraces people of different nationalities, ethnicities, and identities. I am proud of AAPT’s continued support for critical programs despite recent funding challenges. I am especially thankful for its funding of OPTYCs (Organization for Physics at Two-Year Colleges). Even with a lean budget this year, OPTYCs continues to have a great impact on professional development at Community Colleges. OPTYCs has continued to provide outstanding webinars to the physics community and to make them available on YouTube. The mentoring program in OPTYCs is still in swing, but not in full swing. We aim to secure funding in the next year for our key priorities, including mentoring and networking. 

As an OPTYCs fellow, I am committed to expanding leadership opportunities for AAPT members. Beyond providing resources, I want to help our members connect more with one another and nurture the amazing relationships we have within AAPT. I hope we have leaders who will move our organization to the next level. 

AAPT remains my professional home and has broadened my involvement with other organizations. Last year, I formally joined APS, though I had been participating in initiatives led by AAPT and in partnership with APS for several years. As an organization, we will continue working with our sister organizations to advance the teaching and learning of physics. I have mostly been with the Two-Year College (TYC) community. Still, I maintain strong connections with Four-Year College and High School communities through AAPT affinity groups such as PICUP, ALPHA, PTRA, and STEP-UP.

I am excited to meet all my AAPT people in Pasadena. AAPT meetings allow us to reconnect with and learn from one another, and to celebrate our accomplishments. As a member of AMP26, I helped plan the 2026 meetings. As AAPT shifts to a single meeting per year, I will work to make each meeting engaging, interesting, and effective for all physics teachers. 

I am in a unique position to advocate for TYC colleagues while recognizing that we serve all our communities. I strongly believe in AAPT's mission to deepen understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching. I would be honored to serve on the board.