STEPHEN T. THORNTON Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
University of Virginia
Professor Thornton was co-director of the IPSET(Integrated
Physical Science for Elementary and Middle School Teachers) program
that was supported at U.VA. by the National Science Foundation.
Professor Thornton has over 100 research publications in nuclear
physics and has published three college physics textbooks. He is a
member of the National Science Teachers Association, the American
Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the
Virginia Association of Science Teachers. For 1999 he is
President-Elect of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers and
is co-chair of the 1999 annual conference. He helped to organize the
Piedmont Regional Science Teacher's Organization(PRESTO) on which he
serves as a board member.
He currently is active in many efforts to improve science
education in K-12 schools with an emphasis in grades K-8. He has
taught over 1000 teachers in a series of courses (Physics 620) that
utilize hands-on science. These courses are offered at sites
throughout Virginia and can be requested for any site through the UVa
Division of Continuing Education.
Professor Thornton has the Phun Physics demonstration road show that
is sponsored by the Department of Physics and the Center for Science, Mathematics,
and Engineering Education. For the past three years, the show has been taken
to local schools once a week. During the past threeyears over 20,000 persons
have seen this exciting physical science show. For the 1999-2000 school year,
the Phun Physics show is not being offered for lack of resources.