USU Student Sole Recipient of National Physics Teaching Scholarship
USU undergraduate physics teaching major Kaydee Stratford is the nation's recipient of the 2015 Society of Physics Students Future Teacher Scholarship.
Utah State University student Kaydee Stratford knows “the look” all too well.
“When I tell people I’m physics major, they say, ‘Oh, physics is so hard,’” she says. “When I tell them I want to teach high school students, they roll their eyes and say things like, ‘I’d never want to do that.’”
That’s the stigma of physics and the stigma of teaching, Stratford says. “And it’s a shame because some of the most influential people in our lives are teachers.”
Undaunted by the naysayers, the Cache Valley, Utah, native is forging ahead with her lifelong dream of teaching. The 2011 Logan High School graduate was recently rewarded for her academic efforts and service by the national Society of Physics Students. Stratford is the sole recipient of the society’s 2015 SPS Future Teacher Scholarship, which provides a $2,000 award.
“Kaydee was selected from a group of exceptional applicants from across the country in this year’s competition in recognition of her outstanding academic performance and SPS involvement,” wrote SPS Director Sean Bentley in the award citation. “We anticipate she will have a great impact on society and be an inspiration to her peers.”
Jan Soyka, professor and head of USU’s Department of Physics, added his support.
“We congratulate Kaydee on her hard work and this well-deserved honor,” says Soyka. “It’s exciting to see one of our physics teaching majors singled out for national recognition.”
Stratford wants to emulate teachers who have mentored her and instilled a love of learning. In particular, she praises her fifth grade teacher, who started each school day with provocative science questions and encouraged his students to seek creative explanations.
“He showed us how to embrace science instead of fearing it,” she says. “That’s the kind of teaching kids need. It’s so powerful.”
At USU, Stratford is honing her teaching skills as a teaching assistant in physics faculty member Tonya Triplett’s “Sew Electric” lab, where undergraduate physics students create “soft” circuits using felt, conductive thread, watch batteries and tiny light bulbs. As she talks about the lab, Stratford is crafting a circuit decorated with red and yellow Pac-Man ghosts.
“It’s a great, creative way to learn about electricity, circuits and other physics concepts,” she says, as she points to a bulletin board filled with colorful, fanciful circuits decorated as animals, superheroes, flowers and favorite characters from TV programs, movies and books, including Dr. Who and Harry Potter.
“Being in the lab is really good practice for me,” says Stratford, who also juggles a 20-hour per week job at Conservice with her studies and teaching responsibilities. “I’m learning how challenging it is to explain things. Sometime I struggle with physics myself and I have to really work at to be able to teach it to others.”
Teaching is humbling, she says. “Sometime you don’t know all the answers and you have to be okay with that.”
She praises Triplett as a mentor and role model.
“I’m amazed by her teaching skills,” Stratford says. “She explains things so well. She’s patient and fun and doesn’t make you feel like a dork, when you’re struggling to understand something.”
Beyond campus, Stratford loves video games and is an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy. She’s even trying her hand at writing novels. She attended this fall’s Salt Lake Comic Con as a steampunked version of Toph Beifong, a character from the animated Avatar television series, in a costume she made.
“Creativity is an important part of learning and teaching,” Stratford says. “Education shouldn’t just be about learning how to take a test. It’s about finding your passion.”
November 2-6 is 2015 Science Week at USU and all Aggies are invited to join in the fun of science through a variety of activities listed on the celebration week’s website.
Related links:
Contact: David Peak, 435-797-2884, david.peak@usu.edu
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu
In a costume she created, USU undergrad Kaydee Stratford poses as Toph Beifong of the Avatar TV series at Salt Lake Comic Con in September 2015. The physics teaching major says creativity is an important part of finding your passion.
SHARE
Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
