John R. Thompson
Professor of Physics & Department Chair
Member, Maine Center for Research in STEM Education
Cooperating Professor of STEM Education
Fellow, American Physical Society
- 1990 B.S. in Physics (cum laude), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- 1992 Sc.M. in Physics, Brown University
- 1998 Ph.D. in Physics, Brown University
Office: 117 Bennett Hall
Phone : (207) 581-1016
Email: thompsonj <at> maine <dot> edu
Recent CV (short)
Google Scholar page
Research Interests
Physics Education Research – research on the learning and teaching of physics – including research-based curriculum development. Co-manage research group including undergraduates, master’s and doctoral students, and faculty.
- Student understanding at the mathematics-physics interface: how student understanding of mathematics concepts influences understanding of physics concepts, and vice-versa; how students apply mathematics to physical situations; how students make physical meaning of mathematics. Calculus: single variable, multivariable, and vector.
- Learning and teaching of specific physics concepts at the undergraduate level, at introductory and advanced levels. Identifying specific student conceptual difficulties, and addressing difficulties through development of guided-inquiry instructional materials.
- The preparation and professional development of K-12 teachers to teach physics and physical science. In particular, how teachers recognize student conceptual difficulties with the content, and what they do to help students learn.
Current Service Highlights
- Co-Founder, Topical Group on Physics Education Research (GPER), American Physical Society;
Member of Executive Committee: Vice Chair, 2016; Chair-Elect, 2017; Chair, 2018 - Co-organizer (co-PI), Transforming Research on Undergraduate STEM Education (TRUSE) Conferences, 2010, 2012, 2017
