معرفی
John Stewart is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University (WVU), specializing in Physics Education Research (PER). He holds leadership roles as the PI of the WVUteach Robert Noyce Scholarship program and the CPHYS Computational Physics Scholarship program, aimed at supporting STEM education and rural students. Stewart is also the site leader of the American Physical Society's Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) at WVU.
Dr. Stewart earned his PhD in Condensed Matter Theory from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1994. His career has focused on transforming physics education, notably leading the University of Arkansas' physics departmental transformation, which increased physics graduates tenfold. He transitioned to WVU in 2014, where he founded the Center for Excellence in STEM Education.
His research interests include understanding classroom dynamics, student retention in STEM, and equitable physics education. Key areas of study are the structure of student knowledge, gender and ethnic biases in assessments, and improving physics teacher preparation. Stewart has authored numerous articles in journals like Physical Review Physics Education Research and American Journal of Physics.
- Received APS Fellow (2016) and AAPT Fellow (2018) for contributions to teacher preparation and departmental transformation.
- Principal Investigator of NSF-funded grants, including the STEM-R and Pulsar Search Collaboratory projects.
- Former editor of the National Science Digital Library's physics teacher preparation portal.
Stewart advises on student scholarships and collaborates on initiatives like the PhysTEC, emphasizing teacher training and rural student support. His work extends to analyzing pandemic impacts on physics learning and developing active learning strategies for STEM retention.
He directs the CPHYS scholarship, supporting rural students in computational physics, and oversees the WVUteach program to transition STEM majors into teaching. His efforts have been recognized through fellowships and leadership roles in national physics education organizations.
