Beth Parks is an American physicist. She is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

. She serves as the editor-in-chief of the '' American Journal of Physics''. In addition to her research, Parks supports physics education through multiple channels.

Education and early career

Born in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, Parks attended

Virgil I. Grissom High School Virgil I. Grissom High School, more commonly referred to as Grissom High School, is a public high school in Huntsville, Alabama, United States with approximately 2000 students in Educational stages, grades ninth grade, 9–twelfth grade, 12 from So ...

. She earned an AB in Physics with a Certificate in Theater and Dance from Princeton University in 1988, an MA (1991) and PhD (1995) in Physics, from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

. She began her teaching career at St. Columbkille High School, in Massachusetts, 1988-89. After performing post-doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she began physics at Colgate University in 1997.

Research

Her research has used time-domain terahertz spectroscopy to study single-molecule magnets and GHz resonators made from carbon nanotubes. She also has ongoing projects to quantify insulation in buildings and to make solar trackers appropriate for developing nations. Her design mounted solar panels so that they were balanced with a leaking bucket of water. The panels pivoted to face the sun as the leaky bucket reduced in weight during the day.Improving solar cell efficiency with a bucket of water
by American Physical Society on ''TechXplore'' March 6, 2019. Parks characterized a diffusion demonstration and studied air pollution in Uganda.

Contributions to teaching physics

Parks has taught physics at the university level for over 20 years. In addition, she co-authored the textbook, ''Modern Introductory Physics''. She has explored different methods of teaching physics. For instance, the introductory course on Atoms and Waves was taught in both a standard format and in a " flipped" style. The flipped classes used videos, multiple choice questions, followed by additional clarification videos. Even students in the standard class watched the videos and 85% of the students said they would choose another flipped class.Comparing Learning in Flipped and Standard Introductory Physics Classes
. YouTube. June 9, 2015

Awards and honors

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Scholar,

Mbarara University of Science and Technology Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST), commonly known as Mbarara University, is a public university in Uganda. Mbarara University commenced student intake and instruction in 1989. It is one of the ten public universities and degree ...

in UgandaOn the Bright Side
. ''Colgate Scene''. Summer 2016.

Selected publications

*''Modern Introductory Physics'', 2nd edition, C. H. Holbrow, J. N. Lloyd, J. C. Amato, E. Galvez, and M. E. Parks, Springer, 2010. *"Research-inspired problems for electricity and magnetism," Beth Parks, American Journal of Physics 74, 351 (2006).March 27, 2006 Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology http://www.vjnano.org *"Photon quantum mechanics and beam splitters," C.H. Holbrow, E. Galvez, M. E. Parks, American Journal of Physics, 70, 260 (2002). *"Editorial firsts," Beth Parks, American Journal of Physics 88, 791 (2020).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Beth 21st-century American physicists American women physicists Colgate University faculty University of California, Berkeley alumni Princeton University alumni People from Huntsville, Alabama Living people 1966 births American women academics 21st-century American women scientists