Susan McKay
Professor Emerita of Physics                                                                                      Director Emerita, Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center)
Education
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987
M.S., 91±¬ÁÏ, 1979
A.B., Princeton University, 1975
Research
Dr. McKay is PI on multiple education research and education improvement grants, including the Maine Physical Sciences Curriculum Partnership (), a Model NSF Teaching Fellowship Program (), and the Maine Elementary Sciences Partnership (Maine Department of Education). Her recent research investigates implementation of place-based education in high school science classrooms and accountable talk in middle and high school classrooms.
Dr. McKay’s physics research revolves around theoretical condensed matter physics; phase transitions and critical phenomena; spin glasses, amorphous magnetism, quenched disorder; nonlinear systems and chaos; pattern formation; phase transitions in non-equilibrium systems; models of lateral organization in biological membranes; science education; student learning in science.
Some of her main research foci have been:
- Renormalization-group mappings of systems with competing interactions;
- Non-linear systems and transitions to chaos;
- Improving science education by providing research internships for pre- and in-service teachers;
- Development of realistic models for biological membranes (in collaboration with Professor Sam Hess);
- Developer and graduate coordinator of the Master of Science in Teaching Program; and
- Founding director of the University’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research.
Advising
Dr. McKay has recently advised the following MST thesis projects:
, Rachel Martin, Summer 2016
, Marina Van der Eb, Summer 2016
