Professor of Physics and Chair of the Department, Ripon College
Educational Background:
Degrees: BS 1968 Bates College, Lewiston, ME
MS 1970 Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Ph.D. 1973 Rutgers University
Positions Held (recent):
2001-present Chair of the Department of Physics
1999-present May Bumby Severy Distinguished Service Professor
1988-2001 Professor of Physics, Ripon College
1988-1994 Professor of Physics and Chair of the Department, Ripon College
Honor Societies and Professional Organizations:
Phi Beta Kappa; American Physical Society (Nuclear and Astrophysics Divisions,
Forum on Education); American Association of Physics Teachers; Wisconsin Association
of Physics Teachers (Vice-president and program chair, 1985-86; President, 1986-88;
Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers (awards and recognition committee, 1989-90);
Wisconsin Elementary and Middle-Level Science Teachers (WEST) (founding member;
member of Visitors in Science Investigating Together (VISIT) task force 1988-1995;
member of WEST Science Grant committee 1996-present; member of nominating and
elections committee 1994-1997, President 1999-2000); National Science Teachers
Association; Association for Science Education (UK)
Awards Received:
Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers Regional Award for Excellence in Science
Education for CESA 5 Region (April, 1990)Sears- Roebuck Foundation Teaching
Excellence and Campus Leadership Award (April, 1990)
Friend of Poynette School District (November, 1992)
WEST Distinguished Leadership in Science Education Award (April, 1995)
Award for Innovative Teacher of Physics from Wisconsin Association of Physics
Teachers, 1997
Promising Practices Award from PK-16 Leadershipt council for
Project Madog, 2003
Grants Awarded (recent):
1992 Eisenhower grant for project Activity Workshops and
Telecommunication Network for Support of Integrated Elementary Science and Mathematics
in cooperation with CESA 6, Ripon, Berlin, Green Lake, and Wautoma school districts.
1993 Eisenhower grant for project Activity Workshops and
Telecommunication Network for Support of Integrated Elementary Science and Mathematics
in cooperation with CESA 6, Ripon, Berlin, Green Lake, and Wautoma school
districts.
1994-1997 Eisenhower Professional Development Grant for the project
Integrated Elementary Science Sharing Group and Activity Workshops in
cooperation with CESA 6 and school districts of Ripon, Green Lake, Berlin, Markesan,
Wautoma, Omro, Princeton, Oakfield, and Rosendale-Brandon.
1996 WEST Summer Science Grant for project Summer Science
Days (and Night!) in Markesan School District.
1996 Grant from Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association
for partial support of sabbatical leave project Primary Science in
Wales.
1996 Ripon College Scholarly/Artistic Grant
for partial support of sabbatical leave project Primary Science in Wales.
2002 Eisenhower Professional Development Program grant to support
Project Madog: Investigating Science, Mathematics and Technology in Wisconsin
and Beyond
Recent Publications in Science Education:
"Developing Subject Knowledge in New Teachers", Science Teacher
Education (30. April, 2001) pp. 16-17.
"An Umbrella for All Seasons." Mary Williams-Norton. Primary Science
Review (Vol. 57, March/April, 1999) pp 8-9.
"The Extraordinary Impact of Science Outreach." Mary Williams-Norton
(Impact: Views on Science Education, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers.
Volume 2, Fall, 1994.)
"Home is Where the Science Is." Mary Williams-Norton, Marycarol Reisdorf,
and Sallie Spees. Science and Children (Volume 27, No.(. 6, March, 1990)
pp. 12-15
Professional Service (selected):
Instructor, Ripon College Advance College Experience (ACE) program (Summers,
1987-1995 and 1998)
Consultant to evaluate K-12 science program in Oakfield School District, 1995.
Guest Lecturer in Science Education, Science Department, School of Education,
University of Wales Bangor (UK), November, 1996.
Ripon College Goals 2000 Project participant 1997-2001.
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