Coordinated Science for the 21st Century


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Project Director, Active Physics and Active Chemistry Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft has taught high school physics for over 28 years and is currently the Distinguished Professor of Science Education and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Dr. Eisenkraft is the author of numerous science and educational publications. He holds U.S. Patent #4447141 for a Laser Vision Testing System (which tests visual acuity for spatial frequency). Dr. Eisenkraft has been recognized with numerous awards including: Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, 1986 from President Reagan; American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Excellence in Pre-College Teaching Award, 1999; AAPT Distinguished Service Citation for Excellent contributions to the teaching of physics, 1989; Science Teacher of the Year, Disney American Teacher Awards in their American Teacher Awards program, 1991; Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1993. Tandy Technology Scholar Award 2000. In 1999, Dr. Eisenkraft was elected to a three-year cycle as the President-Elect, President and Retiring President of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest science teacher organization in the world. In 2003, he was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Eisenkraft has been involved with a number of projects and chaired many competition programs, including: the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVisions Awards (1991 to the present); the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants (1990 to the present); the Duracell/NSTA Scholarship Competitions (1984 to 2000). He was a columnist and on the Advisory Board of Quantum (a science and math student magazine that was published by NSTA as a joint venture between the United States and Russia; 1989 to 2001). In 1993, he served as Executive Director for the XXIV International Physics Olympiad after being Academic Director for the United States Team for six years. Dr. Eisenkraft is a frequent presenter and keynote speaker at National Conventions. He has published over 100 articles and presented over 200 papers and workshops. He has been featured in articles in The New York Times, Education Week, Physics Today, Scientific American, The American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher.		Content Specialist, Active Chemistry Gary Freebury has been teaching chemistry for more than 35 years. He has been the Safety Advisor for Montana Schools, director of the Chemistry Olympiad, chairman of the Montana Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS), member of the Executive Committee of the Montana Section of the ACS, and a member of the Montana Science Advisory Council. Mr. Freebury has been the regional director and author of Scope, Sequence and Coordination (SS&C) Integrated Science Curriculum and Co-director of the NSF supported Chemistry Concepts four-year program. He earned a B.S. degree at Eastern Montana College in mathematics and physical science, and an M.S. degree in chemistry at the University of Northern Iowa.
		Senior Writer, EarthComm John B. Southard, Ph.D., received his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960 and his doctorate in geology from Harvard University in 1966. After a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, he joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is currently Professor of Geology Emeritus. He was awarded the MIT School of Science teaching prize in 1989 and was one of the first cohorts of the MacVicar Fellows at MIT, in recognition of excellence in undergraduate teaching. He has taught numerous undergraduate courses in introductory geology, sedimentary geology, field geology, and environmental Earth Science both at MIT and in Harvard’s adult education program. He was editor of the Journal of Sedimentary Petrology from 1992 to 1996, and he continues to do technical editing of scientific books and papers for SEPM, a professional society for sedimentary geology. Dr. Southard received the 2001 Neil Miner Award from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers.

Principal Investigator, EarthComm Michael Smith, Ph.D., is a former Director of Education at the American Geological Institute in Alexandria, Virginia. Dr. Smith worked as an exploration geologist and hydrogeologist. He began his Earth Science teaching career with Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, PA in 1988 and most recently taught Earth Science at the Charter School of Wilmington, DE. He earned a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Cognitive Studies in Education Program and joined the faculty of the University of Delaware School of Education in 1995. Dr. Smith received the Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award for Pennsylvania from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers in 1991, served as Secretary of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, and is a reviewer for Science Education and The Journal of Research in Science Teaching. He worked on the Delaware Teacher Standards, Delaware Science Assessment, National Board of Teacher Certification, and AAAS Project 2061 Curriculum Evaluation programs.		Primary Author, Active Biology Project Editor, EarthComm, Active Physics, Active Chemistry and Active Biology Ruta Demery has helped bring to publication several National Science Foundation (NSF) projects. She was the project editor for EarthComm, Active Physics, Active Chemistry, and Active Biology. She was also a contributing writer for Active Physics and Active Biology, both students’ and teachers’ editions. Besides participating in the development and publishing of numerous innovative mathematics and science books for over 30 years, she has worked as a classroom science and mathematics teacher in both middle school and high school. She brings to her work a strong background in curriculum development and a keen interest in student assessment. When time permits, she also leads workshops to familiarize teachers with inquiry-based methods.

Contributing Author, Active Biology and Active Physics Bob Ritter is presently the principal of Holy Trinity High School in Edmonton, Alberta. Dr. Ritter began his teaching career in 1973, and since then he has had a variety of teaching assignments. He has worked as a classroom teacher, Science Consultant, and Department Head. He has also taught Biological Science to student teachers at the University of Alberta. He is presently involved with steering committees for “At Risk High School Students” and “High School Science.” Dr. Ritter is frequently a presenter and speaker at national and regional conventions across Canada and the United States. He has initiated many creative projects, including establishing a science-mentor program in which students would have an opportunity to work with professional biologists. In 1993 Dr. Ritter received the Prime Minister’s Award for Science and Technology Teaching. He has also been honored as Teacher of the Year and with an Award of Merit for contribution to science education.