Pictured from left, Prof. Katsunori Mita, lab coordinator Rachel Courtney, Assoc. Prof. Erin DePree, Prof. Josh Grossman, Prof. Chuck Adler, and Asst. Prof. Michelle Milne
The American Physical Society (APS) has recognized St. Mary’s College’s physics department with its 2017 Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education. The award “seeks to recognize excellence in undergraduate physics education and support best practices in education at the undergraduate level.”
APS described the St. Mary’s College physic department as, “strong and vibrant, with an outstanding commitment to undergraduate education and research. Its physics program has grown substantially over the past decade both in the number of majors and in the number of faculty. This was possible because of a deliberate strategy to improve the quality of the program by hiring talented new faculty, making innovative changes in the curriculum, and attracting highly qualified students through outreach.”
APS is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents over 53,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through 2024-2025. St. Mary’s College, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,600 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.