According to Bruce Barnett, the future of our
democracy depends upon our citizenry's ability to
understand science.
"Our form of government rests on the electorate being
intelligent and well-informed," says Barnett, a professor
in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences'
Henry A. Rowland
Department of Physics and Astronomy. "Many of the major
issues of the day are based ultimately on science: the
energy crisis, stem cell research, global warming, sending
people to Mars, the teaching of Darwinian evolution in
schools. If people are ignorant of the science behind the
issues, then Democracy can fail."
Barnett clearly takes teaching science seriously,
which is why he was delighted to learn that the Maryland
Association of Higher Education had chosen him to receive
its 2007 Outstanding Faculty Award. The 63-year-old
Guilford resident was selected based on his innovative
approach to teaching introductory physics to Johns Hopkins
undergraduates and for his pioneering work in introducing
physics and astronomy to the general public, including to
high school teachers.
"I am truly honored to have received this award,"
Barnett says. "Being at an institution such as Johns
Hopkins where one can do innovative research as well as
teach really talented students is a great pleasure. I was
part of a collaboration that discovered the top quark a few
years ago, which was very exciting. But this teaching award
is a much more personal accomplishment, and even more
satisfying. I just really enjoy my interactions with
students."
During his three decades at Johns Hopkins, Barnett has
taught physics to both nonscience and science majors, and
enjoys both endeavors. He says that helping students learn
to think on their own is one of the biggest challenges
facing physics teachers today.
"Many students come into physics with a background of
memorizing facts in other courses," he says. "You cannot
memorize physics! There are a few basic laws that allow you
to derive solutions to a vast number of different problems
and situations. Getting the students to learn to think
logically through a problem, rather than trying to assign
the problem a solution that they memorized from another
problem, is the hardest part. In many senses, we physicists
have to teach students how to learn, because if they try to
just memorize physics, they get into a lot of
difficulties."
Adam Falk, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and
also a physicist, called Barnett both a "pioneer" and an
"innovator."
"Dr. Barnett was the first instructor in his
department to use a student feedback system to enhance
interactivity in his large lectures," said Falk, who
nominated Barnett for the recognition. "Students respond in
real time to multiple-choice questions posed by the
instructor, and those responses are tabulated and displayed
graphically. This keeps students engaged in the lecture,
requires them to think in class and has some entertainment
value, too."
Barnett also started and continues to coordinate the
local QuarkNet outreach group that brings local high school
teachers to Johns Hopkins every summer for a week or two of
enrichment activities that include lab experiments,
demonstrations and lectures by distinguished physics
faculty. In addition, he was the driving force behind the
creation of the university's annual Physics Fair, which
brings more than 300 people to the Homewood campus each
April to enjoy physics-related activities.
Such efforts have not gone unnoticed at Johns Hopkins,
where in 2006 Barnett was selected by the Student Council
to win the George E. Owen Teaching Award for his
outstanding devotion to undergraduate education. He also
has been the recipient of the Johns Hopkins Alumni
Association Excellence in Teaching Award.
"Bruce is truly an asset both to Johns Hopkins and to
the community in general," says Jonathan Bagger, chair of
the Department of Physics and Astronomy. "In addition to
his work with undergraduate students, high school teachers
and the general public, he serves as the head of the
university's Graduate Board, which formally regulates and
confers all graduate degrees, and is a member of the
Homewood Campus Ethics Board. A dedicated and superb
educator, Bruce richly deserves this honor."
The Maryland Association of Higher Education is a
voluntary organization for post-secondary education
professionals in Maryland and is committed to advancing
higher education in the state. More than 25 educators were
nominated this year for its Outstanding Faculty Award.
Barnett will receive the honor at MAHE's conference on
March 9 at the University of Maryland University
College.