 | |
Philip Freeman, recipient of the 2010 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics for British Columbia. |
The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) has introduced a new award this year, the 2010 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics. The award 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.
TRIUMF sponsors CAP in the creation of this award, making it available annually to five regions in Canada: BC/Yukon, Prairies/NWT, Ontario, Quebec/NWT, and Atlantic Canada. Other sponsors include Merlan Scientific, Perimeter Institute, BC Innovation Council, Nelson Education, and Vernier.
The award designated for the British Columbia and Yukon region will be awarded to Philip Freeman, a teacher at Richmond Secondary School in Richmond, BC, for twenty years of exceptional work as a high school physics teacher.
Phil Freeman has taught a wide variety of physics math and philosophy courses and has inspired thousands of students with his curiosity about the natural world and his passion for the paradigms of physics. His students have excelled in contests, in post-secondary studies and in their careers, and many recognize Freeman as a teacher that sowed seeds of curiosity and cultivated habits of inquiry that ultimately contributed significantly to their development as thinkers, professionals, and citizens.
A long-time member of the BC Association of Physics Teachers, Freeman is equally committed to communicating the beauty of physics to his peers as he is to his students. He is a frequent workshop presenter, a writer/editor with the TRIUMF Outreach video series, and has been a mentor for many new teachers over the course of his career. CAP would like to acknowledge his significant contributions to physics education in British Columbia by presenting Freeman with the first ever CAP High School Physics Teacher Award for the BC region.
TRIUMF’s Outreach Coordinator, Marcello Pavan, has worked directly with Phil and recognizes the value of Phil’s work and success. "We are delighted that Philip has been honoured with this award” says Marcello, “but we are not surprised—when planning this award, he was touted as a prime example of a deserving winner. He has been indispensable to TRIUMF's outreach program for many years, and we hope he will continue to be for years to come.”
Other recipients of the 2010 CAP Awards for Excellence in High School/CEGEP Physics Teaching additionally include:
- Barry Edgar, Strathcona High School, Edmonton, AB
- Roberta Tevlin, Danforth Collegiate Institute, Toronto, ON
- Robyn McKenzie, Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School, Yarmouth, NS
- Nathaniel Lasry, John Abbott College, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC
Congratulations to all recipients!
—Melissa M. Baluk, TRIUMF Communications Assistant