Chris Chiaverina to Receive the AAPT Distinguished Service Citation at 2010 Summer Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, MD April 22, 2010--"Always a physics teacher,” is a phrase that aptly describes Chris Chiaverina whether he’s teaching a physics class at New Trier High School, or shopping for physics toys at Wal-Mart, or pushing a Nobel laureate down the hall on an air-supported platform, or writing a physics textbook, or sharing a new teaching idea with his colleagues at Physics Northwest, or attending an AAPT Executive Board meeting, or helping one of 700 physics students at New Trier make a hologram. (The Physics Teacher, February 2002)

Regarding his selection for this honor, he says, “I am honored to receive this citation. I’m proud to say that I have been a member of AAPT for over 35 years. My association with this wonderful organization has profoundly affected my professional and personal life. Through my association with AAPT, I have grown professionally and have formed friendships with fellow physicists all over the world. To say that my introduction to AAPT by my friend and mentor Jim Hicks marked a watershed for me would be an understatement.”

Chris received both his bachelor’s and MS ED degrees from Northern Illinois University. Before retiring in 2002, he taught physics in an inner-city Chicago high school and in a small Illinois town (Forreston), as well as in the larger suburban Barrington High School and New Trier Township High School in Winnetka. He has also served as a visiting faculty member at DePaul University, Roosevelt University, and at Northern Illinois University.

Chris is a frequent contributor to The Physics Teacher (TPT) and also has served several terms on its Editorial Board. He is currently editor of the TPT “Little Gems” column (2004-present). He has been a co-author or contributor to several physics textbooks, including Light Science (Springer-Verlag, 1999), as well as a reprint book on Teaching Light and Color (AAPT, 2001). He was a contributing author in the Active Physics curriculum project of AAPT.

He has been a very active physics teacher outside the classroom. At Barrington, he was the co-founder of The Science Place, an interactive science museum. He was co-developer of physics day at Six Flags Great America and wrote one of the first manuals for doing physics at amusement parks. He served as Lead Teacher in the Department of Energy’s High School Honors Program at FermiLab.

Chris has served AAPT in a number of roles on both the local and national levels. He has been a mainstay of the Chicago Section, serving as president 1992-93. Nationally, he has sat on several AAPT committees and boards, including the Science Education for the Public Committee (1990 — 1993) before becoming Vice President, President Elect, President, and Past President (200-2004). He has also been a key member of two local alliances of physics teachers in the Chicago area: The Illinois State Physics Project (ISPP) and Physics Northwest, both of which meet monthly to share physics teaching ideas.

His outstanding contributions to physics teaching have been recognized with the ISPP John Rush Memorial Physics Teaching Award in 1985. In 1997, AAPT awarded him the Award for Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching. He received the AAPT Illinois Section Outstanding Physics Teacher Award in 1982 and the Governor’s Master Teacher Award in 1984. He was recognized by APS as Distinguished Physics Teacher from Illinois.

About AAPT

AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301) 209-3306, (301) 209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org .

Regarding his selection for this honor, he says, “I am honored to receive this citation. I’m proud to say that I have been a member of AAPT for over 35 years. My association with this wonderful organization has profoundly affected my professional and personal life. Through my association with AAPT, I have grown professionally and have formed friendships with fellow physicists all over the world. To say that my introduction to AAPT by my friend and mentor Jim Hicks marked a watershed for me would be an understatement.”