Building a PER Program Assistant professor Ramón Barthelemy is a former Fulbright Scholar and an American Association for the Advancement of Science Policy (AAAS) Fellow dedicated to equity and inclusion in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). He joined the U in July 2019 to begin serving as the first tenure-track faculty member in the U’s Physics Education Research (PER) Program. Barthelemy is eager to build a new research group that focuses on student motivations, experiences, and successes in physics. He also has plans to build new projects specific to the context and student body of the U. He is collaborating with colleagues in the College of Science to determine how students’ experiences of inclusion in large introductory STEM classes can influence their overall course performance and graduation with a STEM major. “In the physics classroom, it’s important to accept students for who they are and to be kind and understanding about many things—such as their preferred names and the obstacles they may face in their day-to-day lives that may not be related to the classroom,” said Barthelemy. “At the same time, we want to make sure the department is continually offering opportunities for professional and educational growth.”
Ramón Barthelemy
Raised in Michigan, Barthelemy has also spent time in Finland and Washington, D.C. After receiving a B.A. in astrophysics, from Michigan State University, he began a graduate program at Western Michigan University (WMU). It was during this time he became increasingly interested in ways to support a diverse student body to pursue degrees in physics and astronomy. “In a class of 50 students, there were only seven women and no students of color,” he said. “The sciences are now beginning to take the time to evaluate and deconstruct issues of gender, race, and sexuality in their fields. Faculty and administrators in physics departments are now starting to consider the conscious and unconscious biases, along with structural barriers, that may deter students from the field.” Barthelemy became interested in PER after working as a teaching assistant with Dr. Charles Henderson, professor of physics and director of science education at WMU, who is also a leader in the field of PER. “It was so interesting to see how he managed to integrate group work and conceptual learning in a large introductory course,” said Barthelemy. “Working with him triggered my interest in completing my dissertation in PER.”
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