Dr. Karen Williams, professor of physics at East Central University, has received the Winter 2010 American Association of Physics Teachers Distinguished Service Citation.
She was supposed to receive the award in February at the Joint American Physical Society/AAPT winter meeting in Maryland, but a blizzard prevented her from attending. Instead, the award was presented at the spring joint meeting of the Texas Section of AAPT and the APS at the University of Texas in Austin.
Dr. Karen Williams (right) professor of physics at East Central University, receives the Winter 2010 American Association of Physics Teachers Distinguished Service Citation from Dr. Toni Sauncy, Texas Section president of the AAPT.
She also presented a workshop, titled "Case Studies in Science Ethics," at the meeting.
Williams was one of three professors honored with the AAPT Distinguished Service Citation. Through her work with the Society of Physics Students, the association said, she has influenced thousands of future physics teachers.
She has been an AAPT member for 20 years. Active in the Arkansas-Oklahoma-Kansas Section, she has held every office, including president, as well as hosting a section meeting at ECU. She has presented several workshops at section meetings and has been a presenter at numerous AAPT national meetings. She also has been a co-principal investigator or lead teacher in two National Science Foundation grants to train teachers in teaching physical science.
Williams has taught at ECU since 1988. She holds a bachelor's degree from Arkansas Tech University, a master's degree from the University of Arkansas and a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.
The AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists and industrial scientists with more than 10,000 members. It is dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching.
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