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Kevin M. LeeKevin Lee Recognized with AAPT 2012 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, Maryland, United States, April 4, 2012 — The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) announced today Kevin Michael Lee is the recipient of 2012 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching Award. This award is given in recognition of contributions to undergraduate physics teaching and awardees are chosen for their extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to their students. John Wiley & Sons is the principal source of funding for this award, through its donation to the AAPT.

Lee is Research Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He earned his B.S. in Astronomy at the University of Michigan. He got his M.S. at Central Michigan University, and his Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nebraska.

Lee has dedicated himself to elevating the teaching and learning of astronomy and physics at the college, state, national, and international level. He has distinguished himself as a college instructor and developer of instructional technologies for use in space-science classrooms. The teaching and learning innovations pioneered by the astronomy education group run by Lee at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln is recognized as being of the highest pedagogical value by those in the astronomy and space science community.

Beyond this work on the development of instructional strategies and tools that bridge the gap between cutting edge pedagogy and current technologies, Lee has also made significant contributions to AAPT programs leading to increased visibility of and participation in AAPT activities associated with teaching astronomy and the use of technology. As a longtime member and 2-year chair of the AAPT Committee on Space Science and Astronomy (CSSA) he elevated the role of research and teaching of astronomy for the sessions/talks sponsored by CSSA.

Lee’s work in astronomy education has been remarkable and innovative. His accomplishments include the development of numerous simulations and peer instruction questions, resulting in many workshops. His two seminal works, to date, are The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project and ClassAction, the clicker question database which is designed to help make large lecture-format astronomy courses more interactive. He freely shares these materials on his web site http://astro.unl.edu.

About the Award
The David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching was established as the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 1993. It was renamed and substantially endowed in 2010 by John Wiley and Sons. Named for David Halliday and Robert Resnick, the award recognizes outstanding achievement in teaching undergraduate physics.

About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members in more than 70 countries worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage 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 Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.