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Physics & Astronomy

Department Information

Robert G. Fuller

Professor Emeritus

Office: 3901 S. 27th St., Unit #33,
           Lincoln, NE 68502-5706
Phone: (402) 430-8310
e-mail: rfuller@neb.rr.com

Curriculum Vitae

RPEG Home Page

Digital Commons:
         ADAPT
         RPEG
         Scholarly Papers




Professor Robert G. Fuller was the leader of the Research in Physics Education Group (RPEG) in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UNL from 1989 to 2005. During that time, four PhDs were awarded in PER, Weijia Zhang (1996), Brian Adrian (1997), Rebecca Lindell (2001), Thomas Thaden Koch (2003). Dr. Fuller became a full time emeritus professor in the spring of 2005, ending the PhD program in physics education research at UNL.

EDUCATION

1957 B.S. Physics, University of Missouri, Rolla, Missouri
1958 M.S. Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
1965 Ph.D. Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1956 (Summer) Research Assistant - Owens Illinois Glass Co., Toledo, OH
1957 (Summer) Research Assistant - Minneapolis-Honeywell Corp., Hopkins, MN
1957-1958 National Science Foundation Fellow, Univ. of Illinois
1958-1961 Science Teacher, Methodist English High School, Rangoon, Burma
1961-1965 Graduate Student, University of Illinois
1965-1969 Research Associate and Research Physicist, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.
1969-1976 Associate Professor, Department of Physics, UNL
1975 (Spring) Research Physicist, VA Hospital, Syracuse, NY
1976-1977 Visiting Professor, Department of Physics, and Research Physicist, Lawrence Hall of Science,
Univ. of California, Berkeley
1979-1981 Senior Fellow, Centennial Education Program (UNL)
1982-1983 Interactive Video Consultant, The Open University, U.K.
1986-1988 Distinguished Visiting Professor, U. S. Air Force Academy, CO.
1975-1997 Director, ADAPT Program (UNL)
1976- Professor, Department of Physics (UNL)
1995-96 Visiting Professor, U.S. Air Force Academy, CO
1999 (Spring), Visiting Scholar, Univ. of California, Berkeley
1999-2000, Visiting Professor, U.S. Military Academy, NY
2002-2004, Phased Retirement
2005, Professor Emeritus

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP AND HONORS

  • Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Pi Sigma, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, American Physical Society, American Association of Physics Teachers(AAPT): Vice President (1978). President-elect (1979), President (1980), Past-president(1981); Instructional Media Committee (1974-1977, 1985-1988), Chair(1985-87); Student Confidence Workshop Committee Chair(1983-1986); Physics Teaching and the Development of Reasoning Committee (1973-75); AAPT Distinguished Service Citation, 1986; Editor, AAPT Instructional Materials Center, 1987-1994.
  • Distinguished Teaching Awards, UNL, 1973 and 1986.
  • American Association of Higher Education Faculty Leadership Salute, March 1986 (Featured in Change18(4), 5,15,17, 2231, 1986)
  • Insight magazine, "one of 10 best college professors in America", March 11, 1987
  • Commendatory resolution 307, Nebraska Legislature, March 10, 1988
  • UMR-MSM Alumni Merit Award, 1988
  • Robert A. Millikan Medal for outstanding contributions to the teaching of physics, AAPT, 1992
  • Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award, University of Nebraska, April, 1993
  • Member, Academy of Distinguished Teachers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1995-present


INNOVATIVE TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Topics in Environmental Science Course, team taught, 1971-74; Individualized Instruction in Physics using the Keller Plan, 1971-78; Multidisciplinary, Piagetian-based program for college freshmen (ADAPT), 1975-present; Interactive videodisc lessons, beginning with The Puzzle of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse, 1978-present; Workshops on College Teaching and the Development of Reasoning, 1975-present; Energy in Perspective physics course for non-science freshmen, 1981-1994; Problem Solving Using Computers course for non-science majors, 1981-1994; "Paperless" Physics, 1997; Computer Intensive Physics, 1997-1998.

PROJECTS AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES RELATED TO EDUCATION

  • Co-director, Cooperative College School Science program for K-6 Lincoln, NE, school teachers, 1971-73
  • Director, Film Loop Instructional Course (FLIC) for physics faculty, summer, 1972
  • Co-director, Quantitative Reasoning Science Teaching program for K-6 school teachers of NE, 1974-75
  • Co-author of Skylab Physics single-concept physics films, 1975-76
  • Co-author of a general physics textbook, Physics Including Human Applications, Harper Row, 1978
  • Co-author of videodiscs: The Puzzle of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse; 1979,Studies in Motion, 1982; Energy Transformations Featuring The Bicycle 1983; Skylab Physics, 1987; Physics: Cinema Classics (six sides), 1992.
  • Co-author of prize winning computer software, Verbatim educational contest grand prize winner, Ben Franklin electricity program, 1981; MacWorld HyperCard contest, Guilty or Innocent? , 1988.
  • Director, Using New Technologies To Teach Physics, workshops for faculty, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994
  • Director, Physics Teacher's CD-ROM Toolkit project, 1991 to 1995.
  • Co-P.I., Multimedia Mathematics Across The Curriculum, 1996-2000.
  • Director, Using Hypermedia for Knowing Physics Graduate Traineeship, 1994-2002.
  • Co-P.I., Reforming Physics: Algebra-based Physics Including Human Applications and Multimedia, 2000-2004.