Hans Christian Oersted
Oersted Medal
Established 1936
The Oersted Medal recognizes those who have had an outstanding, widespread, and lasting impact on the teaching of physics. The recipient delivers an address at an AAPT Winter Meeting and receives a monetary award, the Oersted Medal, an Award Certificate, and travel expenses to the meeting. Self-nomination is not appropriate for this award. Preference in the selection of the recipient will be given to members of AAPT.
Award Winners
2025
Fred M. Goldberg, Emeritus Professor of Physics at San Diego State University
2024
Laura H. Greene, Chief Scientist at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Marie Krafft Professor of Physics at Florida State University
"Physics Education Beyond the Classroom"
2023
S. James Gates,Clark Leadership Chair in Science in the Department of Physics and School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP)
"A Half Century of a Mathematically Enabled Physicist’s Life"
2021
Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
"Physics: The River that Runs Through It All"
2020
David Sokoloff, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
“If Opportunity Doesn’t Knock, Build a Door - My Path to Active Dissemination of Active Learning ”
2019
Gay Stewart, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
"A spectacular Opportunity for the Physics Community to Broaden its Community of Learners"
2018
Barbara L. Whitten, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado
"The Value of Diversity in Physics"
2017
Jan Tobochnik, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI
"The Changing Face of Physics and the Students Who Take Physics"
2016
John Winston Belcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
"The Challenges of Pedagogical Change at a Research I University"
2015
Karl Mamola, Appalachian State University. Boone, NC
"AAPT, TPT and Me"
2014
Dean Zollman, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
"Physics Education Research and Teaching Modern Modern Physics"
2013
Edward (Joe) Redish, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
"The Implications of a Theoretical Framework for PER"
2012
Charles H. Holbrow, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
"Making Physics Make Sense - Narratives, Content, Witz"
2011
F. James Rutherford, UC Berkeley
2010
Not Awarded
2009
George F. Smoot, Nobel Laureate and astrophysicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California at Berkeley physics professor
2008
Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2007
Carl Wieman, Nobel Laureate and physicist at University of British Columbia and University of Colorado
"Interactive Simulations for Teaching Physics: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why"
2006
Kenneth Ford, American Institute of Physics (Ret.)
"Love Them to Death."
2005
Eugene D. Commins, University of California, Berkeley
"Those Who Inspire Me."
2004
Lawrence Krauss, Case Western Reserve University
"A State of the Universe Address."
2003
Edward W. Kolb, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
"Schrodringer's Alarming Phenomenon."
2002
David Hestenes, Arizona State University
"Reforming the Mathematical Language of Physics," Am. J. Phys. 71, 104 (2003).
2001
Lillian C. McDermott, University of Washington
"Research-The Key to Student Learning," Am. J. Phys. 69, 1126 (2001).
2000
John G. King, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Observation, Experiment and the Future of Physics," Am. J. Phys. 69, 11 (2001).
1999
David L. Goodstein, California Institute of Technology
"Now Boarding: The Flight from Physics," Am. J. Phys. 67, 182 (1999).
1998
Edwin F. Taylor, Carnegie Mellon University
"Einstein and Feynman: Attracting Students to Physics," Phys. Teach.36, 133 (1998).
1997
Daniel Kleppner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"The Cat and the Moon," Phys. Teach.35, 262 (1997).
1996
Donald F. Holcomb, Cornell University
"Beyond F=ma," Phys. Teach.34, 199 (1996).
1995
Robert Beck Clark, Texas A&M University
Am. J. Phys. 63, 588 (1995).
1994
E. Leonard Jossem, Ohio State University at Columbus
Am. J. Phys. 62, 588 (1994).
1993
Hans A. Bethe, Cornell University
Am. J. Phys. 61, 971 (1993).
1992
Eugen Merzbacher, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Am. J. Phys. 60, 297 (1992).
1991
Freeman Dyson, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
Am. J. Phys. 59, 490 (1991).
1990
Carl E. Sagan, Cornell University
Am. J. Phys. 58, 720 (1990).
1989
Anthony P. French, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Phys. Teach.27, 138 (1989) and Am. J. Phys. 57, 586 (1989).
1988
Norman F. Ramsey, Lyman Physics Laboratory, Harvard University
Am. J. Phys. 56, 875 (1988).
1987
Clifford E. Swartz, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Am. J. Phys. 55, 781 (1987).
1986
Stanley S. Ballard, University of Florida
Am. J. Phys. 54, 684 (1986).
1985
Sam Treiman, Princeton University
Am. J. Phys. 53, 816 (1985).
1984
Frank Oppenheimer, The Exploratorium
Am. J. Phys.52, 684 (1984).
1983
John A. Wheeler, Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Texas at Austin
Am. J. Phys. 51, 398 (1983).
1982
I.I. Rabi, Columbia University, New York
Am. J. Phys. 50, 971 (1982).
1981
Robert Karplus, University of California, Berkeley
Am. J. Phys. 49, 810 (1981).
1980
Gerald Holton, Harvard University
Am. J. Phys. 48, 1014 (1980).
1979
Extraordinary Oersted Medal Award: Paul E. Klopsteg
Am. J. Phys. 47, 670 (1979).
1979
Charles Kittel, University of California, Berkeley
Am. J. Phys. 47, 668 (1979).
1978
Wallace A. Hilton, William Jewell College.
1977
H. Richard Crane, University of Michigan
Am. J. Phys. 45, 599 (1977).
1976
Victor F. Weisskopf, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Am. J. Phys. 44, (1976).
1975
Robert Resnick, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Am. J. Phys. 43, 387 (1975).
1974
Melba N. Phillips, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Am. J. Phys. 42, 357 (1974).
1973
Arnold Arons, University of Washington
Am. J. Phys. 41, 767 (1973).
1972
Richard P. Feynman, California Institute of Technology
Am. J. Phys. 57, 492 (1989).
1971
Uri Haber-Schaim, Education Development Center
Am. J. Phys. 39, 719 (1971).
1970
Edwin C. Kemble, Harvard University
Am. J. Phys. 38, 676 (1970).
1969
Eric M. Rogers, Princeton University
Am. J. Phys. 37, 954 (1969).
1968
Harvey E. White, University of California, Berkeley
Am. J. Phys. 36, 381 (1968).
1967
Edward M. Purcell, Harvard University
Am. J. Phys. 35, 479 (1967).
1966
Leonard I. Schiff, Stanford University
Am. J. Phys. 34, 453 (1966).
1965
Philip Morrison, Cornell University
Am. J. Phys. 33, 702 (1965).
1964
Walter Christian Michels, Bryn Mawr College
Am. J. Phys. 32, 497 (1964).
1963
Francis L. Friedman, Posthumous Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Am. J. Phys. 31, 475 (1963).
1962
Francis W. Sears, Dartmouth College
Am. J. Phys. 30, 399 (1962).
1961
Jerrold R. Zacharias, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Am. J. Phys. 29, 345 (1961).
1960
Robert W. Pohl, Gottingen University
Am. J. Phys. 28, 528 (1960).
1959
Paul Kirkpatrick, Stanford University
Am. J. Phys. 27, 390 (1959).
1958
J.W. Buchta, University of Minnesota
Am. J. Phys. 26, 350 (1958).
1957
Mark W. Zemansky, The City College
Am. J. Phys. 25, 349 (1957).
1956
George E. Uhlenbeck, University of Michigan
Am. J. Phys. 24, 431 (1956).
1955
Vernet E. Eaton, Wesleyan University
Am. J. Phys. 23, 322 (1955).
1954
Clifford N. Wall, University of Minnesota
Am. J. Phys. 22, 363 (1954).
1953
Richard M. Sutton, Haverford College
Am. J. Phys. 21, 368 (1953).
1952
Ansel A. Knowlton, Reed College
Am. J. Phys. 20, 267 (1952).
1951
John W. Hornbeck, Kalamazoo College
Am. J. Phys. 19, 324 (1951).
1950
Orrin H. Smith, DePauw University
Am. J. Phys. 18, 254 (1950).
1949
Arnold Sommerfeld, University of Munich
Am. J. Phys. 17, 312 (1949).
1948
William Harley Barber, Ripon College
Am. J. Phys. 16, 105 (1948).
1947
Duane Roller, Wabash College
Am. J. Phys. 15, 176 (1947).
1946
Ray Lee Edwards, Miami University
Am. J. Phys. 14, 108 (1946).
1945
Homer Levi Dodge, Norwich University
Am. J. Phys. 13, 178 (1945).
1944
Roland Roy Tileston, Pomona College
Am. J. Phys. 12, 96 (1944).
1943
George Walter Stewart, State University of Iowa
Am. J. Phys. 11, 89 (1943).
1941
Henry Crew, Northwestern University
Am. J. Phys. 10, 28 (1942).
1940
Robert Andrews Millikan, California Institute of Technology
Am. J. Phys. 9, 38 (1941).
1939
Benjamin Harrison Brown, Whitman College
Am. J. Phys. 8, 41 (1940).
1938
Alexander Wilmer Duff, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Am. J. Phys. 7, 49 (1939).
1937
Edward Herbert Hall, Harvard University
Am. J. Phys. 6, 14 (1938).
1936
William Suddards Franklin, Rollins College
Am. J. Phys. 5, 31 (1937).
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