It is an honor to receive the Presidential Award as it recognizes the hard work and good will of so many people in the education enterprise beyond me, the teacher. The award reflects the persistence of my dedicated students, the help and feedback of my colleagues, the support of my administrators, and the steady guidance of the parents who keep my students passionate about learning. I am most privileged to be on the leading edge of receiving this award for all of us.
Stephen Kaback has been involved in physics teaching and physics education research for 16 years. He currently teaches Physics, Astronomy, and Calculus at The Blake School, where he is in his fifth year as a faculty member. Prior to that, he lectured at the University of Maine in Orono, ME. For 4 years, he helped rethink and reform the introductory physics curriculum, taught Physics by Inquiry to pre- and in-service teachers, and helped direct the Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research at that institution. He also taught physics for 3 years at Old Town High School in Old Town, ME.
With a strong interest in curriculum development and assessment, Stephen has focused his professional energies on taking college-level curriculums from the physics education research community, adapting them for use in high school classrooms, then assessing their effectiveness. He has had the opportunity to present this work at several national conferences.
Stephen has a B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.Ed. in Physics Education Research from the University of Maine.
- High-resolution version of the official portrait photograph
- Awardee holding Presidential citation between the Director of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Subra Suresh and the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. John P. Holdren
- High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph
