Gay Bernadette Stewart is an American physics educator who directs the

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

Center for Excellence in STEM Education, where she is a professor of physics and Eberly Professor of STEM Education. She is a former president of the

American Association of Physics Teachers The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members in over 30 countries. AAPT publications includ ...

Education and career

Stewart studied physics at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

, graduating in 1988 with a minor in business. She went to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for graduate study in

particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...

, earning a master's degree in 1990 and completing her Ph.D. in 1994. Her dissertation, ''Search for CP Violation in D-Meson Decays'', was supervised by Bob I. Eisenstein. She became an assistant professor of physics at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

in 1994, and was promoted to associate professor in 2000 and to full professor in 2011. In 2014, she moved to her present position as professor of physics and Eberly Professor of STEM Education at West Virginia University.

Service

Stewart was elected to the presidential chain and served on the board of directors of the

(AAPT) (president for the 2013–2014 term). She has also served on the board of directors of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

(APS), and as co-chair of a redesign of the

AP Physics In the United States, Advanced Placement (AP) Physics collectively refers to the College Board Advanced Placement Program courses and exams covering various areas of physics. These are intended to be equivalent to university courses that use best ...

course sequence for the

College Board The College Board is an American nonprofit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a ...

Recognition

Stewart was named a

Fellow of the American Physical Society The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics. The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation. * List of American Physic ...

in 2009, after a nomination from the APS Forum on Education, "for her work preparing teachers at the University of Arkansas, and for her leadership in the Physics Teacher Education Coalition and on the College Board Advanced Placement Physics Test Development Committee and the AP Physics Redesign Commission". The University of Arkansas Alumni Association named her as their 2007 teacher of the year. She was the 2019 winner of the

Oersted Medal The Oersted Medal recognizes notable contributions to the teaching of physics. Established in 1936, it is awarded by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The award is named for Hans Christian Ørsted. It is the Association's most prestig ...

of the AAPT, for "her outstanding, widespread, and lasting impact on the teaching of physics through her pioneering national leadership in physics education, her exceptional service to AAPT, and her mentoring of students and in-service teachers".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Gay Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American physicists American women physicists University of Arizona alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni University of Arkansas faculty West Virginia University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society 21st-century American women