From trying to unlock the universe’s secrets to encouraging questions of any kind, Ohio Professor of the Year Elizabeth George shines as she shares her passion for physics and inspires students every step of the way.
By Karen Saatkamp Gerboth ’93
Photos by Erin Pence ’04
Taking a road trip in Elizabeth George’s family never seemed to end at a final destination. Rather, it was often a journey of discovery, peppered with inquiry and problem-solving, thanks to parents who insisted that learning should be a lifetime pursuit. Her dad used to say, ‘I’ll give you a nickel if you can explain why this works that way.’”
While she isn’t sure how much she made off the childhood challenge, she recalls with ease some examples. On a family vacation to San Francisco, her dad pointed to the famous TransAmerica Pyramid and then asked George and her sister what those squares were. George was 9 at the time, and she quickly studied the structure, determined to figure it out. (Spoiler alert: elevator shafts) Her mom would do the same, dumping out utensil drawers to see what the girls could create.
“My mom said she knew I would be a scientist when she saw me taking apart the stroller and then trying to put it back together again,” George explains.
Years later, George continues to bring that same level of inquiry into the lives of her students – a passion that clearly captured the attention of peers who recently honored her with the 2014 Ohio Professor of the Year Award.
Sponsored by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the U.S. Professor of the Year program is the only national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate education. Since the program’s founding in 981, Wittenberg has led the state among four-year institutions in the number of professors receiving the coveted distinction. George’s award brings the official count to seven and shines the spotlight on Wittenberg’s superb teaching inside the classroom and outside of it. George’s honor also marks another milestone in Wittenberg history, as it has been nearly three decades since CASE awarded the distinction to the same institution two years in a row. Last year, John Ritter, professor of geology, earned the distinguished recognition.
Surprised and deeply appreciative that faculty colleagues, administrators and former students nominated her for the award, George has insisted that the teaching of physics, and science in general, requires a commitment to hands-on learning and experimentation.
“We need to meet students where they are and encourage them to look at how the world behaves and then compare what they see to their own mental models,” says George, who helped implement real-time physics in her classrooms and labs.
“Making people aware of how much of everyday life revolves around physics is important,” she continues. “It’s also important for people to be able to ask questions and figure out how best to answer.”
George’s own curious nature and love of inquiry stem from her childhood experiences. Her dad taught mathematics at the University of Missouri at Columbia, and her mom taught Latin at the high school level. Both were dedicated to creating a home that encouraged problem-solving, which George wants to ensure defines her classroom, as well.
“Students need to have a chance to play with things, which is why it is so important to have labs where they can get their hands on things to experience something tactile, kinesthetic,” she says.
An experimental nuclear physicist and campus leader in classroom innovation, George is also committed to matching students, regardless of intended major, with a research project of some consequence.
“I’m lucky to be in a department that is willing to try new things,” George says, adding that her department does really well at offering opportunities for student research and remaining open to student ideas.
“Students can be involved as early as they want to be, and we will work to find a project that matches their interest.”
To see this effort in action requires one to look no further than student-athlete Thomas Chuna ’16 of Kettering, Ohio. George approached Chuna his first year on campus, long before he declared his major, about collaborative research options. That effort has since turned into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Chuna to work with George and department colleague Associate Professor of Physics Paul Voytas this fall on an experiment at the National Superconducting Cyclotron at Michigan State University. They will examine the relationship between radioactive decay and nuclear weak force bonds. (See sidebar.)
“People think that if you hold the universe up to a mirror, you will see everything reflected exactly, but that is not the case,” George explains, noting that the left- and right-handed nature of atoms alters behavior. While others are examining the structure of the atom, she and Voytas are digging deeper into what happens inside the atom, trying to understand the reaction of weak-force bonds.
“My study is focused more on the interaction of particles inside the nucleus, especially how protons can change into neutrons,” she says.
When she finds the answer, the results could alter everything the human mind has come to understand about the universe. And George gets one step closer every year, going it alone and in partnership with student researchers and faculty peers at top-ranked research institutions.
Yet, the chance to work with undergraduates one-on-one – a hallmark of the Wittenberg experience, and the reason George wanted to work in a liberal arts setting despite earning her B.S. from the University of the Arizona, her M.S. from the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – remains at the heart of her work. It’s also the reason she keeps investigating the best practices for the teaching of science and why she will never stop seeking out new ways to engage students from the start.
“I was the kid that enrolled in the science-kit-of-the-month program,” George said. “That is what science is and should be: the chance to play, to ask questions and to have fun. Physics is fun stuff.”