The George B. Pegram Award recognizes physics educators who have demonstrated outstanding ability in undergraduate education. The George B. Pegram Award for 2016 is presented to Kent J. Price of Morehead State University for his extraordinary outreach and professional development activities in Eastern Kentucky, especially including mentoring high school physics teachers, for his development and teaching of a significant number of courses at Morehead State University, and for his motivating students to continue on to graduate work in physics.
Previous winners of this award who have UNC connections include former members of the UNC faculty Joe Straley (1972), Paul Shearin (1982), Wayne Bowers (1990), and Kian Dy (1999).
Dr. Price commented on this recognition, saying: “I am gratified that physics education efforts in rural Appalachia were considered important enough to recognize. Many school districts in the area do not have a single trained physics teacher. The few high school teachers who have more than nominal physics training are isolated professionally and have few opportunities for professional development in physics. I and the other university faculty who work with districts in the region are rarely noticed, so the fact that the award committee felt helping high schools in Eastern Kentucky with physics education worthy of recognition is a reward in and of itself.”
We are delighted that one of our graduates has received this significant recognition. Congratulations, Kent!