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The American Association of Physics Teachers recently presented an AAPT Special Presidential Citation Award to the Whitworth Physics Department for the exemplary increase in its number of majors.
The number of physics majors at Whitworth has increased 600 percent in the last 10 years, from 11 in 1997 to 60 in 2006. Whitworth's steady increase bucked a national trend from 1997-2002, when the number of physics majors in the U.S. was declining.
"The United States' failure to produce enough scientists and engineers has reached a crisis level; there is a great need to encourage young minds to pursue physics," says Richard Stevens, Ph.D., associate professor of physics and department chair. Stevens attributes the rise in numbers at Whitworth to several changes the physics department has implemented, including a heightened emphasis on research and the integration of student projects into classes.
The AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators, with more than 10,000 members worldwide.
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