Texas A&M University physicist Dr. Tatiana Erukhimova has been selected by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) to receive the 2024 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching.
Established in 1993 and renamed in 2010 in honor of Halliday and Resnick, co-authors of a very successful college-level textbook in introductory physics, the award is presented in recognition of contributions to undergraduate physics teaching and extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to students. John Wiley & Sons is the principal source of funding for the award via a substantial donation to the AAPT.
Erukhimova, an instructional professor and outreach coordinator in the Department of Physics and Astronomy since 2006 and the inaugural holder of the Marsha L. ’69 and Ralph F. Schilling ’68 Chair for Physics Outreach, is cited "for her profound impact in the area of undergraduate physics education through the development, implementation and sharing of innovative and inspiring methods for teaching physics in the classroom, lab and in a range of wildly unexpected spaces."
“Over the years, I have learned how important it is to make every class interactive and memorable," Erukhimova said. "How many of the students will consider my introductory physics class a highlight of their time here at Texas A&M? How many of them will remember it 20, 30, 40 years later? If there are quite a few, I couldn’t imagine a better reward.”
Erukhimova has been a member of AAPT since 2015 and served in various roles on the Committee on Science Education for the Public, including as chair in 2020. In November, she was honored by the AAPT with its 2024 Homer L. Dodge Citation for Distinguished Service in recognition of her commitment to providing physics education in innovative and unique ways inside and outside the classroom and for bringing physics education to the public at the local, regional and national levels.
As a 2017 Texas A&M Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence and a 2021-2024 Eppright Professor in Undergraduate Teaching Excellence, Erukhimova has excelled for nearly two decades in teaching large introductory physics classes, combining high expectations with devoted support to transform the relationship her students have with physics. Her approach to teaching can best be summarized by her keynote presentation delivered at Texas A&M’s 2018 Transformational Teaching and Learning Conference and again last month at the 2024 Susan M. Arseven '74 Conference for Women In Science and Engineering, titled “It’s not business, it’s personal. Teaching large classes, one student at a time.”
AAPT officials cite the culture of Erukhimova’s classrooms as one of engaged, communal learning supported by innovative and research-backed pedagogy. She forms a community of mutual support where all students are expected to help each other learn. For content delivery, she uses a mix of engaging lecture, scaffolded problem-solving, peer instruction with in-class questions and experimental demonstrations almost every day. Erukhimova's courses personify the active learning encouraged by recent research. Students must be awake, engaged and thinking at all times. The outcome of this, beyond students who are excited to be in class each day and courses which fill up long before other instructors, is students who learn and perform better in their courses.
Through her mentoring, Erukhimova has had a significant impact on students beyond her own classroom. In October 2014, she gave a series of presentations on effective teaching practices open to all graduate students in her department. Since then, she has been a mentor and advocate for graduate students who have opted to pursue instructional faculty positions at universities, offering them resources and materials, guidance and suggestions on course structure and pedagogy, and being an open ear and perspective for continuing advice.
Erukhimova’s passion for inspiring learning through science also has motivated the creation of several innovative programs at Texas A&M that integrate education with science outreach and community service. Her signature program, the DEEP (Discover, Explore and Enjoy Physics and Engineering) Program, created in 2012, involves undergraduate students working throughout the year in small teams led by graduate physics students to design and build interactive physics demonstrations for use at future outreach events, none bigger than the annual Physics and Engineering Festival that attracts thousands of visitors from across the country to campus each spring. The popular Physics Show that she's hosted from more than 30,000 people since 2007 also involves student volunteers, many of whom have been involved in creating the Real Physics Live online videos series used in K-12 education and also help Erukhimova take physics to local community festivals, football games and other campus events and settings. Research studies conducted by Erukhimova and her collaborators have shown the positive impacts of facilitating these programs on developing students' STEM identity and sense of belonging, as well as on the development of important career skills such as communication and teamwork.
Beyond her classroom, campus and community, Erukhimova has endeared a global audience to her charismatic brand of science education through viral physics demonstration videos that, during the past few years, have drawn a massive following to Texas A&M Physics and Astronomy's social media accounts. Each new video averages more than a million views, along with untold numbers of likes, shares and comments from people who are drawn to her energetic teaching style and infectious enthusiasm for all things science.
Erukhimova earned her Ph.D. from the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1999 and served four years as an assistant research scientist in the Texas A&M Department of Atmospheric Sciences (2002-06) prior to joining the Texas A&M Physics and Astronomy faculty. She is a co-author along with Texas A&M Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences Dr. Gerald R. North of the textbook Atmospheric Thermodynamics, published by Cambridge University Press (2009).
A 2019 American Physical Society (APS) Fellow, Erukhimova's many career honors to date beyond the 2024 AAPT Dodge Citation include the 2023 APS Dwight Nicholson Medal for Outreach, the Provost Academic Professional Track Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (2021), a Fish Camp namesake (2019), Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards for Teaching (2012) as well as Extension and Outreach (2019), the Sigma Xi Outstanding Science Communicator Award (2014) and the John E. Trott Jr. Award in Student Recruiting (2013). She also served as chair of the AAPT Committee on Science Education for the Public in 2020.
Founded in 1930 and headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Md., the American Association for Physics Teachers is an international organization for physics educators, physicists and industrial scientists. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development and reward excellence in physics education.