Research/Areas of Interest:
Experimental condensed matter physics; physics education
For most of my career, my primary physics research area has been experimental surface science. In my lab at 574 Boston Ave., my students and I have studied what happens when foreign atoms and molecules form chemical bonds with metal surfaces. Our research has had implications for a range of potential applications including catalysis, chemical sensing, and the growth of thin films and nanoparticles on surfaces.
In recent years my focus has shifted towards physics education, at both the college and, especially, at the elementary school level. Together with collaborators at a local nonprofit organization and at other universities, I have helped to develop and study curriculum materials and professional development strategies for the study of matter and energy in grades 3-5. In my own classes at Tufts, I have implemented and studied a range of instructional approaches aimed at more effective and equitable learning.
Education
- PhD Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, 1985
- MA Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States, 1982
- AB Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States, 1978