Five UCLA faculty members have been elected Fellows of the American Physical Society for its class of 2016. Recipients are nominated by professional peers and selected by the Society. The honor recognizes “exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise,” such as outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics and significant contributions to physics education.
Five UCLA faculty members have been elected Fellows of the American Physical Society for its class of 2016. Recipients are nominated by professional peers and selected by the Society. The honor recognizes “exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise,” such as outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics and significant contributions to physics education.
Education pathways have grown increasingly complex in recent decades and today are characterized by a multitude of entry points, stops and starts, longer times to degrees, and changing career directions. As a result, the STEM “pipeline” metaphor has become outdated, and the current institutional structures are not well suited to meeting the educational needs of today’s students.
Dr. Ryan Haaland, chair of the Fort Lewis College Department of Physics & Engineering, has led his department through a stunning period of growth and change. Student enrollment in the program has exploded over the last few years, and that increased interest will likely continue once the new Geosciences, Physics & Engineering (GPE) Hall, a facility which Dr. Haaland worked hard to make a reality, is completed in fall 2016.
Ryan Haaland is the chair and a professor of Physics and Engineering at Fort Lewis College. He joined the college in 2006 and has served as department chair since 2010. Dr. Haaland conducts research in upper atmospheric electricity, physics education and space situational awareness. For over a decade, he has studied high-speed optical measurements of electrical discharge phenomena in the upper atmosphere.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named 2,000 individuals as this year’s recipients of awards from the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
“The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a vital part of our efforts to foster and promote excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics by recognizing talent broadly from across the nation,” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, NSF assistant director for Education and Human Resources. “These awards are provided to individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements, and they are investments that will help propel this country’s future innovations and economic growth.”