2023 Medal Winners | francais

PRESS RELEASE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 2023 Allan Carswell Physics Educator Scholarship

is awarded to

Elijah Adams

"Receiving this scholarship empowers me to pursue my educational goals, ensuring that the path to knowledge is paved with opportunity rather than obstacles. This award represents a vote of confidence that bolsters my commitment to make the most of my educational journey." winner citation

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2023 Allan Carswell Physics Educator Scholarship is awarded to Elijah Adams, University of Calgary, in recognition of his excellent academic record and strong skills in communicating physics. He adopts a student-centered approach and has utilized this to explore inquiry-based learning and create high-quality physics course materials for hybrid learning. Elijah believes that "a compelling introduction to physics is crucial for students' continued interest in higher education" and that physics education can "cultivate unique problem-solving skills and enhance learning capabilities across all fields". announcement

At a young age, I started helping my peers to understand the material we were collectively learning. At the time, this pointed me towards education as a career, but I would not appreciate the benefit these interactions had on my peers learning and my own learning until much later.

Complexity science was the focus of my graduate studies. A classic example of complexity is the flocking behaviour of birds which cannot be explained by studying the behaviour of a single bird. The complex systems I have studied have been as unassuming as a sandpile and as daunting as the human brain, but the most intriguing complexity I have encountered was in the classroom. When I got the opportunity to teach a large group of students, I quickly realized that their learning was not impacted solely by what I taught. The personalized learning, I provided, and the interactions between students had a large effect on their understanding of the material.

It was in this moment that I discovered my own experience was not unique. It was through an understanding of physics that I was able to articulate and frame this realization. In support of the ethos of this scholarship, I believe that the societal impact of a physics education is immeasurable.

As a full-time student, the support of the Allan Carswell Physics Educator Award would not only allow me to fully immerse myself in my studies, but also enable me to provide a more impactful learning experience for the students in my practicum classroom. Through this scholarship, I will have peace of mind while engaging fully with my course-work and field experience to learn more lessons on how to be the best physics teacher through the incredible power of my own physics understanding. nominator citation

ABOUT the Scholarship

The Allan Carswell Physics Educator Scholarships, valued at up to $5000 each, are awarded annually to one or two physics students with a strong academic record and a demonstrated passion for physics and physics pedagogy. With the help of the Allan Carswell Physics Educator Scholarship, the winners will pursue a career in physics education at the secondary school level.

The Allan Carswell Physics Educator Scholarships were set up by the CAP and the CAP Foundation with a generous endowment from the Carswell Family Foundation to raise awareness at all levels of society that physics education is a vital, highly valued and rewarding career path while reinforcing the fact that a major in physics is valuable for many careers, not just research. Educators at all levels are crucial in that they must provide students of all genders and backgrounds with the passion, confidence and science literacy that will inspire them to seek out and succeed in gaining a physics education at the university level. These scholarships were first awarded in 2020. 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

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For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Francine Ford, Executive Director
Canadian Association of Physicists
Tel: 343-361-3326
E-mail: execdir@cap.ca
www.cap.cacap contact and joint contact