About The Conference

Eastern Mediterranean University is pleased to announce the first international conference on undergraduate science education; Frontiers in Science Education Research 2009 (FISER’09). The aim of FISER’09 is to provide a scholarly environment for promoting discussions in contemporary topics of undergraduate science and mathematics education research. FISER’09 is open to professional science and mathematics education researchers, educators, students and all others who are interested. During FISER’09, topics that will be covered will extend from education technologies to faculty development and from undergraduate curricula designs to the Bologna Process. FISER’09 will take place during 22 – 24 March 2009 in Famagusta. The official language of the conference is English. Papers in all fields of undergraduate science and mathematics education research are invited.

 Confirmed Keynote Speakers

Lillian McDermott, University of Washington, USA

Lillian Christie McDermott received her Ph.D. in experimental nuclear physics from Columbia University in 1959. After teaching at City College of New York, Seattle University, and the University of Washington, she collaborated with Arnold Arons who had come to the University of Washington to establish a program in the Department of Physics for the preparation of precollege teachers. She was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington in 1973 and since that time has directed the Physics Education Group, widely known today for its leadership role in physics education research and in the preparation of (K–12) teachers. Prof. McDermott was promoted to Associate Professor in 1976 and to Professor in 1981.

David Hestenes, Arizona State University, USA

BA in philosophy; PhD in physics (UCLA, 1963). After a postdoc with John Wheeler (Princeton, 1964-66) he joined the faculty at Arizona State University, where he has been based ever since, with many excursions to other universities.

His primary work in theoretical physics is concentrated on development and application of Geometric Calculus as a unified mathematical language for physics. He has also developed a Modeling Theory of scientific practice and pedagogy that serves as the foundation for a program of physics education reform under his direction.

In recognition of the wide impact of this work, he was awarded the 2002 Oersted Medal by the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Cedric Linder, University of Uppsala, Sweden

Cedric Linder pioneered physics education research in higher education in South Africa at the University of the Western Cape, where he received the first private chair professorship in physics education research in a Physics Department in South Africa, a position that he retains today.  In 2000 he took up a newly created chair position in physics education research at Uppsala University to  constitute and develop the first physics education research group situated in a Physics Department in Sweden.

Cedric's background is anchored in both physics and science education. He read physics at Rhodes University, South Africa, and science education at Rutgers, USA, and at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where he obtained his doctorate in 1989.

The activities of Cedric's research group are centred principally around higher education and the interplays between scientific literacy, student learning and the form and content of university physics and related engineering curricula and teaching. Typically this research draws on conceptual framing and theoretical perspectives that have factors such as social identity, disciplinary discourse, epistemology, metacognition, language, semiotics, gender, visualization, simulation, culture and worldview as important underpinning attributes.