2020 Medal Winners | francais

PRESS RELEASE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 2020 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (Ontario)

is awarded to

Shawn Brooks

"It has been rewarding to support my physics students and my colleagues as they work on their inspirations and innovations. I am grateful to the Canadian Associations of Physicists for considering me and for sponsoring this award." winner quote

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2020 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (Ontario) is awarded to Shawn Brooks, University of Toronto Schools (UTS), in recognition of for advancing the technical capacity for physics education within his school and well beyond, employing a wide range of demonstrations that provide hands on lessons for students. He has had a long record of service to physics education in Ontario including his time as past president, treasurer, and contest director of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers (OAPT). announcement

Shawn Brooks is a high school teacher at UTS in Toronto. His blend of humour, compassion and his ability to connect physics concepts to the real world make Shawn an outstanding physics teacher. Shawn supports his students both in and outside the classroom. This might involve running physics "parties" (extra help sessions after school), supervising the physics club or supporting his students when they send experiments to the International Space Station. Shawn supports his innovative colleagues in the UTS science department. His colleagues describe him as the "tech savvy" department member. This enables him to incorporate the latest technology in the classroom. It also allowed him to transform the OAPT grade eleven physics contest from a paper version to an online contest that is free to write for senior high school physics students across the country.

"I hope that the projects and activities that I have been involved in provide evidence to my personal interest (and commitment) to always supporting students, teachers, and volunteer organizations such as the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers. My vision of education values technology, innovation, and supporting those who like trying new things." nominator citation

ABOUT the Award
The CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics, which was introduced in 2010, is intended to recognize excellence in teaching physics in Canadian high schools or CEGEPs and to encourage and promote physics at the high school/CEGEP level in Canada. The award is sponsored by the CAP, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, TRIUMF, the Institute of Particle Physics, and Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia. medal description

ABOUT the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)

The Canadian Association of Physicists, founded in 1945, is a professional association representing over 1600 individual physicists and physics students in Canada, the U.S. and overseas, as well as a number of Corporate, Institutional, and Departmental Members. In addition to its learned activities, the CAP, through its charitable arm - the CAP Foundation, also undertakes a number of activities intended to encourage students to pursue a career in physics. cap description

joint description

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For more information, please contact: Mrs. Francine Ford, Executive Director Canadian Association of Physicists Tel: 613-562-5614 E-mail: execdir@cap.ca www.cap.ca