Carl Wieman Biographical Sketch

Carl E. Wieman is a professor of physics at both the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Colorado and winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in physics for studies of the Bose-Einstein Condensate (an area of atomic physics). He is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences (1995) and the National Academy of Education (2008). He carries out research in a variety of aspects of the learning of physics and chemistry at the college level and in problem solving. He also started the PhET project that creates, distributes, and does research on sophisticated online interactive educational simulations. He served on the task force on undergraduate physics and on the NRC High School Labs study committee. In 2007 Professor Wieman moved from Colorado to become Director of the Carl E. Wieman Science Education Initiative at UBC. This initiative is using a departmentally-centered approach to implement instruction and assessment based on the learning sciences throughout undergraduate science instruction. The goal is sustained widespread improvement in all undergraduate science education. Dr. Wieman continues to hold a part-time appointment at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he serves as Director of a science education initiative similar to the UBC program.